Photo by: David Lorish

When Dillon Roy started playing lacrosse in sixth grade he had high hopes watching lacrosse on Memorial Day weekend and seeing a coaching legend at work.

Years later, that legend is now coaching Roy and the rest of the Pioneers.

“Just having Coach T [head coach Bill Tierney] come in is really having the sport grow like wildfire,” said Roy. “I still get goose bumps thinking about Memorial Day weekend. It is ironic that I am playing for him.”

 After a shaky 1-3 start, the Pioneers have rebounded to a 12-4 final record, winning nine consecutive games going into their repeat match up against Stony Brook in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

 According to Tierney, Roy is having an All-American type season, leading the Pioneers to a regular season Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference title.

One of the many traits that makes the captain so valuable is that he has been a dominant force in the faceoff circle, however he does not want to take all the credit for his faceoff wins. In his eyes they are just a stat that he gets because of the play of his teammates.

“If you can gain a possession you can really take a team out of the game,” Roy said. “And that is really helpful when your offense has the ball and you are not playing defense. It is not just me, it is the wing guys who come and get the ball for the win.”

Tierney said, “Against Loyola they had the best faceoff percentage in the country and he did such an outstanding job. Dillon has been fantastic and he is by far our MVP.”

The MVP type of performance that Roy has had this season is carrying the team into the NCAA tournament. His play has not only helped the team, it has helped the fans get into the Western Lacrosse Movement that is sweeping across the Rockies.

“It was popular (growing up), but not nearly as popular as it is today,” Roy said.

Tierney added, “I think it [the Western Lacrosse Movement] is fantastic. It is much different than I thought it was going to be. There is much more passion for it than I thought. What I am hoping for is that other schools will catch on and get this lacrosse fever.”

Roy takes the added fan support, that the Pioneers have gathered, greatly hoping to get a high seed in the tournament so that they can have a home game for the first time in the tournament, according to Roy.

One of the perks for the team in having a home game is the altitude factor.

“I think it [the altitude] takes down and affects them mentally more then it does physically,” Roy said.

Thoughts of the NCAA tournament has Roy staying up all hours of the night looking forward to it.

“It is like the night before Christmas,” said Roy. “The last couple of weeks leading up to the Loyola game I have been rolling around at night.  Now it is rolling around at night thinking about what seed we will get.”

The passion that he has for the game has not faltered since he began and is visible in the excitement he has for upcoming games.

But what is not always visible is the leadership position that Roy has on this team. He has helped the younger players by giving them a role model to look up to now and when he is gone after the season.

“Just on and off the field you have to conduct yourself in a certain manner but overall it is a good experience,” Roy said, “I am glad that Coach T thought I was a valid candidate.”

“Just to have Dillon steady the ship and to get us the ball and take the ball away from other people helps us,” Tierney said.

With 80 ground balls scooped up so far in the season Roy and the defense are stronger than the senior thought they would be heading into the season.

“You know early on we were giving up a lot of goals,” said Roy. “We have started to shave off some points game by game. It has kind of been stepping stones and ever since conference play started, we have taken a step towards giving up less and less goals.”

With the defense stepping up at the right time of the season, the great play of goaltender Peter Lowell, the offense being able to produce like they are, and a legendary coach on the sidelines, the Pioneers are poised to make a deep run in this year’s NCAA tournament.

“The only thing that can limit this team is itself,” said Tierney.

Follow the LAX team this weekend

• How ESPNU or Inside Lacrosse for the in game blog
• Who No. 9 DU (12-4, 7-0 ECAC) vs. No. 7 Stony Brook (12-3, 5-0 American East)
• What First Round of the NCAA Tournament
• When Saturday at 3 p.m. MST
• Where LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y.
• Last time: DU beat Stony Brook 13-12 on March 20 at Stony Brook