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Le Moyne defender Travis Tarr is a two-time Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and the defending USILA Division II Player of the Year.
Le Moyne defender Travis Tarr is a two-time Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and the defending USILA Division II Player of the Year.
Travis Tarr has played like an All-American in nearly every lacrosse game of his collegiate career at Le Moyne College. He has the awards to prove it. The Auburn High School graduate and defending USILA Division II Player of the Year was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year for the second straight year earlier this week. The senior defender is also expected to be named a first team All-American in the coming weeks.
It's the one game he didn't play like an All-American, though, that has Tarr concentrating on a national championship while carrying his pieces of individual hardware. The Dolphins' defense couldn't hold up against Limestone College in last season's national championship, a 9-8 loss.
“I got all these awards last year and couldn't enjoy them because we lost,” he said. “I didn't get it done in that game or make the plays that an All-American player needs to make.”
Limestone's attacks made all the plays in that game, finding a way to constantly regain momentum and beat Tarr and the rest of Le Moyne's defenders. All nine of the Saints goals came within 30 seconds of a Dolphins' goal. The loss snapped Le Moyne's 30-game win streak and ended its bid for a repeat national championship.
Nearly a year later, the Dolphins are right back in the same position. They are still ranked No. 1 and defeated Merrimack 10-3 in the conference championship on Saturday.
Tarr and the defense are the strongest unit for Le Moyne this season, limiting their opponents to less than five goals in 11 of 15 games. Their average margin of victory this season is nearly 11 goals. Tarr has collected 26 groundballs, while locking down the opposition's best defender. In an 11-3 win Wednesday over Saint Michael's in the conference semifinals,Tarr shutout Mark Agostinelli, who ledthe Purple Knights with 20 goals this season.
“Some guys need to have the ball in their stick to make big plays,” Le Moyne head coach Dan Sheehan said. “He is one of those rare players that doesn't need to have the ball to make things happen.”
Tarr is just one part of a defense that has its cast back from last season. It wasn't until midseason last year that they really started to click, Tarr said, but they came in this fall already running in midseason form. That's the biggest reason why the defense is among the tops in the nation and why Sheehan, the conference coach of the year, can call it the most complete defense he's ever coached. It also helps to have three-time conference goalie of the year Jared Corcoran backing up the nation's top defender.
Sheehan sees the effectiveness of his top player even when the offense has the ball. He just has to look at game tapes.
“You see Travis and he's not directly involved, he's on the corner of the screen directing and helping his teammates make a better decision,” he said. “He's that good of a lacrosse player.”
There's no reason not to believe Tarr won't continue to lead his teammates deep into the NCAA Tournament and a possibly to a coveted national championship. He already helped his team avenge the loss to Limestone earlier this season with a 13-4 win. He has continued his dominant defense and stepped up as a vocal leader on the field. In practice he now yells at his teammates, sometimes screaming confidence, sometimes shouting mistakes. With his playing career most likely ending with these next few games, Tarr has never been so focused.
“Last year Limestone had a bit more intensity than we did,” he said. “This time we have more of a mean streak.”
Tarr remains a front-runner to repeat as National Player of the Year, but winning a national championship and ending his career with a win is the only way Tarr can possibly celebrate his personal achievements this time around.
It's the one game he didn't play like an All-American, though, that has Tarr concentrating on a national championship while carrying his pieces of individual hardware. The Dolphins' defense couldn't hold up against Limestone College in last season's national championship, a 9-8 loss.
“I got all these awards last year and couldn't enjoy them because we lost,” he said. “I didn't get it done in that game or make the plays that an All-American player needs to make.”
Limestone's attacks made all the plays in that game, finding a way to constantly regain momentum and beat Tarr and the rest of Le Moyne's defenders. All nine of the Saints goals came within 30 seconds of a Dolphins' goal. The loss snapped Le Moyne's 30-game win streak and ended its bid for a repeat national championship.
Nearly a year later, the Dolphins are right back in the same position. They are still ranked No. 1 and defeated Merrimack 10-3 in the conference championship on Saturday.
Tarr and the defense are the strongest unit for Le Moyne this season, limiting their opponents to less than five goals in 11 of 15 games. Their average margin of victory this season is nearly 11 goals. Tarr has collected 26 groundballs, while locking down the opposition's best defender. In an 11-3 win Wednesday over Saint Michael's in the conference semifinals,Tarr shutout Mark Agostinelli, who ledthe Purple Knights with 20 goals this season.
“Some guys need to have the ball in their stick to make big plays,” Le Moyne head coach Dan Sheehan said. “He is one of those rare players that doesn't need to have the ball to make things happen.”
Tarr is just one part of a defense that has its cast back from last season. It wasn't until midseason last year that they really started to click, Tarr said, but they came in this fall already running in midseason form. That's the biggest reason why the defense is among the tops in the nation and why Sheehan, the conference coach of the year, can call it the most complete defense he's ever coached. It also helps to have three-time conference goalie of the year Jared Corcoran backing up the nation's top defender.
Sheehan sees the effectiveness of his top player even when the offense has the ball. He just has to look at game tapes.
“You see Travis and he's not directly involved, he's on the corner of the screen directing and helping his teammates make a better decision,” he said. “He's that good of a lacrosse player.”
There's no reason not to believe Tarr won't continue to lead his teammates deep into the NCAA Tournament and a possibly to a coveted national championship. He already helped his team avenge the loss to Limestone earlier this season with a 13-4 win. He has continued his dominant defense and stepped up as a vocal leader on the field. In practice he now yells at his teammates, sometimes screaming confidence, sometimes shouting mistakes. With his playing career most likely ending with these next few games, Tarr has never been so focused.
“Last year Limestone had a bit more intensity than we did,” he said. “This time we have more of a mean streak.”
Tarr remains a front-runner to repeat as National Player of the Year, but winning a national championship and ending his career with a win is the only way Tarr can possibly celebrate his personal achievements this time around.
