Little East Conference 2024

[laxinaround23]

The 2024 Season is upon us. Teams are gearing up for their first Scrimmages this weekend. Let's take a stab at a pre-season ranking...

#1- Western Connecticut - King of the league until proven otherwise. Finished 16-5 last season and won an NCAA game, before falling to RIT in the second round. The Colonials caught fire after a slip-up against Mass Maritime. Their roster is not up yet, but they should return a bunch of talent on the offensive end. They return the last two LEC Rookies of the Year, but how many 5th-year returners they bring back will be the big factor for WestConn.

#2- Umass Boston- The Beacs, theoretically, lost a ton of firepower on offense. Does Adrmirand have another year of eligibility? Did they bring in any more D1/D2 transfers like in years past? Things have been quiet in Bean Town, and I am sure they would like to keep it that way until the season starts. Coach Low does an excellent job getting the Beacs prepared and I am sure this year will be no different. Until their roster is posted, they are a mystery.

#3- Keene State- The Owls went 0-2 against WCSU season, losing an 18-17 thriller down in Danbury during the Regular season. Keene's roster is up and it looks like they return a talented core on offense and defense. Losing their top midfielder will be hard to replace, but they have a deep freshman class. Also, Coach T's son appears to be finishing up school up North. He will add quality depth at the faceoff 'x'. I can not remember the last time the Owls lost three conference games in a season...if ever!

#4- Plymouth State- The Panthers had a really solid season last year, knocking off Keene in a 9-8 OT epic battle, that completely flipped the LEC Tournament seddings on its side. Plymouth dominated Eastern(18-3) in the Quarterfinals before losing a tight one to Boston. If they return their top guys, the Panthers are going to make some noise again. I would not be surprised if they are a top 3 team in the league by the end of the season. The roster has not been posted.

#5- Massachusettes Maritime- The Bucs had an up-and-down season in 2023. They knocked off the #1 team in the conference in the regular season but failed to win vs any of the other top 4 teams. The boys from Buzzard Bay will be a tough and disciplined team, but will they be able to overcome losing the LEC Offensive Player of the Year, their two best defensemen, AND their best midi (who does not appear to be on the current roster)? I anticipate the Bucs taking a slight step back this season.

#6- Eastern Connecticut- A complete rebuild of the Warriors Lacrosse program started as soon as Coach Gibson was hired. The former D1 assistant will have his work cut out for him this year, but he will recruit his butt off and have ECSU in the top half of the league in a short period of time. The culture change in Willimantic will take some time, but there is excitement and buzz about the program that they haven't had in many years.

#7 Southern Maine- The Huskies are coming off a pretty dismal season. Nick James (assuming he has moved on) is a huge loss for the men from Maine. Losing an 80+ point scorer on a team that can't afford to lose an 80+ point scorer, will test their metal. Until their roster is posted, we won't know who they have brought in or lost to graduation/transfer portal.

#8 Vermont State - Castleton- (It's going to take a while to get used to the name change). Castleton lost their 1st team All- LEC goalie to the transfer portal, and will be extremely hard to replace. The Spartan's biggest loss may not be from the field. Coach Beau did a tremendous job keeping the team competitive, even though they didn't have a ton of talent. Hopefully, the new Coaching staff can help turn the program around.

#9 Salem State- The Vikings have not found success in many many years. Their roster appears to be up-to-date with 27 players on it. If they can maintain a healthy roster size, they should be more competitive this season.