The coaching staff of the Boston University men’s lacrosse team will have a slightly different complexion when the fourth-year program takes to the field the first week of October.
Mike Silipo officially joined head coach Ryan Polley’s staff on Sept. 1, offering a replacement for Justin Domingos, who became the athletic director of Pembroke High School. Silipo, who will serve as BU’s offensive coordinator and spoke of possibly implementing a 10-man ride, comes off a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Ithaca College, his alma mater and a Division III program in New York.
With strong roots in the country’s hotbed of lacrosse and a self described “uber-competitive” approach to his job, Silipo has one goal in mind: make BU’s offense lethal in front of goal.
“We’re not going to have these robotic, rigid plays where guys are waiting for someone else to do something,” Silipo said. “Lacrosse is a creator’s game and the ultimate team game, so we’re going to bring that high tempo where anybody can score at any moment. It’s what we did at Ithaca, and other teams really struggle to contain it.”
As Silipo alluded to, the Bombers’ offense was electric in 2016, scoring 16.91 goals per game and making it to the NCAA Tournament’s quarter-final round. Meanwhile, the Terriers found the net only 9.3 times per game a year ago and were held below double-digit scoring in eight of their 15 contests.
Mindful of Silipo’s background, which includes a two-year stop at Williams College, Polley emphasized that his staff’s newest addition will bring about positive energy.
“Mike is going to bring a new energy to the program,” Polley said. “His expertise, his ability to mentor and coach and just his presence – he’s got a really good way about him – all stand out.”
The other area Polley highlighted as one of Silipo’s strengths is demanding more of players in practice, day in and day out.
“I think we’re trying to up our competitive level in practice and make it a little bit more competitive between the offense and defense within drills,” Polley said. “It’s not that practice is not competitive, but we can take it up a notch, and that’s only going to help us win games. The guys are such good friends and get along so well off the field, but we have to realize that once you step in those lines you’re no longer friends, you’re teammates and trying to make each other better. Mike will help us elevate that mentality.”
And while Silipo admitted his dream job is to one day be the head coach at Ithaca, he mentioned the Terriers’ offensive talent was a major draw. At a cursory glance, BU’s attack turns out the combined 68 goals and 31 assists of senior Pat Myers, juniors Jack Wilson and Ryan Hilburn and sophomore James Burr.
In midfield, there’s arguably even more potential. Senior Cal Dearth, an All-Patriot League First Team member for the second straight season in 2016, senior Adam Schaal, the owner of 72 career points and sophomore Brendan Homire, who dished out a team-high 17 assists last year, are all back for another go-around.
Above all, though, Silipo spoke about his newest job in a holistic sense. He said coaching at the Division I level is a truly an honor, and he’s excited to see BU’s student-athletes develop on and off the field.
“These guys, they’re here for so much more than lacrosse, and it’s really our job to give them the tools for success, whether that’s in the classroom, in the dorm, with their teachers, whatever it may be,” Silipo said. “That part is really exciting, and it’s always rewarding to hear how their on-field experiences have shown them the way to handle themselves off it.”
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
