By GABRIEL
SERRANO
Contributing Writer
Senior leader and captain of the Saint Rose lacrosse team took his last face-off at the x after four years at the college.
With his program record 24 face-off wins and 20 groundballs he awaits as graduation day approaches and the lacrosse season came to an end with the Knights going 5-9.
“Taking face-offs is a tough and odd position. In order to be successful there are so many little things you need to focus on from your stance all the way to hearing the whistle. I try to make sure every rep that I get taking a face off will make me better, said Nicolas Johnson.
Johnson came in as a freshman after playing in Canandaigua Academy to playing against the some of the best athletes in the Northeast 10 conference. Every year he had work harder to adjust to the game play and become the leader he was this season for the Knights.
“This four year journey felt like it only lasted a day. Each year I had to learn and play my role on the team until eventually I could become a leader,” said Johnson.
Johnson took the field in the Christian Plumeri Sports Complex for the last time on April 13 as the Knights were defeated by the Assumption Greyhounds 6-12.
“Senior night was really bittersweet. Knowing that it was my last game on the field that I have been working extremely hard for four years was tough to handle but it was great to be honored the way all of us were,” said Johnson.
His competitive spirit allowed him to become one of the best faceoff players in the NE10 winning more than 80 % of his face-offs on four different occasions this season. Taking most of if not all the face-offs this season didn’t seem to tire Johnson. His first three years he split faceoff time with Luke Frese and it took some of the weight off his shoulders.
“The biggest difference without Luke is not being able to see what’s really going on out there. It was really nice watching Luke out there and being able to see what everyone else does to give me a better idea on what to do when I’m out there. Luke would also help me out and give me tips whenever I needed it. He’d also help me stay positive when things weren’t going so hot,” said Johnson.
Johnson was born on June 23 1997 in Canandaigua, NY and started playing lacrosse in second grade. Every since then he played lacrosse everyday and fell in love with it but there was a point where he did not want to play lacrosse. He was playing football and wanted to become a college athlete in that sport. Johnson also played CYO basketball for his church in high school.
He chose Saint Rose because of Coach James Morrissey stayed in touch with him from the time he expressed interest in Johnson until he could come for an official visit. Johnson loved the college during his visit and bonded with the players and coach immediately.
“Nick has been an instrumental piece to our programs development since he arrived on campus. Nicks competitiveness, athleticism and expertise as an elite face off specialist has really set the bar high in terms of face off specialists at Saint Rose moving forward. He has had a monster senior year being one of the nations top face off specialists in terms of winning percentage as well as the number of ground balls he has picked up,” said Morrissey, Saint Rose Lacrosse Coach.
He played in 16 contests as freshman and 15 as a sophomore so he had no time to be brought slowly into the program he was expected to play right away. Last season he led the team in groundballs and was fourth in the NE10 in face-off percentage with 56.8.
The game against Saint Anselm he won 58 % of his face-offs while Saint Rose secured their spot in the NE10 tournament. Johnson called this game the best sports moment he had. Making the NE10 tournament for the first time in program history was a special accomplishment for this team because prior years they were in a rebuild mode.
“Making the NE10 tournament was amazing for everyone involved in our program. We have all worked so hard to become one of the top teams in this very competitive league. To finally make playoffs it made all of our efforts worth it,” said Johnson.
Johnson’s four years flew by and through all the ups and downs at the college he was able to emerge victorious.
“One thing I wish I did differently here was take every day for granted. There’s definitely been some tough times on the field where I wished it would go by faster but here I am in my final season wishing it would start all over again,” said Johnson.
Every year since Johnson stepped in the faceoff x the team has grown every year and now that he finishes up his career he hopes that the program can continue to grow.
“These two years of playing with Nicky he was the best face-off guy I’ve played with, he was extremely competitive and wasn’t afraid to tell me or anyone what I needed to do when I was slacking and I love that about him,” said Johnny Loughlin, midfielder on the team.
Johnson hopes to take his degree in Finance and minor in Financial Planning and his competitive nature out in the real world and get a job in financial planning after he graduates in May.
“His leadership role was shown on the field at the face off x and pushing us to be the best we could be day in and day out. I will definitely miss number four,” said James Murphy, defensive man on the lacrosse team.
