:10 Seconds with Nick Morello

The Plymouth State Men's lacrosse team is coming off of a 2013 campaign that composed of a 9-5 overall record, and a 4-3 showing in Little East Conference play. Nick Morello (North Billerica, MA) had 20 goals, which was good for the third highest total on the team. Being only a sophomore last season, it's obvious that Morello's going to play a crucial role for the Panthers the next two seasons.

This season, the junior is ready to lead the charge for the attack. The Criminal Justice major will look to capitalize on an off-season that consisted of getting ready for their LEC opponents after falling to Keene State to end their season last May. Morello looks to lead a team that has a number of new players in the system, while having upperclassmen that have the experience needed to capture a Little East Conference title. The Panthers' first game was this past Wednesday (3/5), and won't have their first home game until April 16.

1.How long have you been playing lacrosse for?

I picked up a lacrosse stick when I was about 5 and started playing for the town when I was 8.

2. How does the lacrosse team look for the 2014 season?

We have high hopes for this season. We lost some firepower last year due to graduation, but we reloaded again with a strong freshmen class and a couple of key transfers that will contribute to our success this year.

3.What is your most memorable moment in your lacrosse career?

My most memorable moment would have to be becoming a captain my senior year of high school at Billerica after missing my sophomore and junior seasons due to injury. It was always a dream as a kid to be a part of that tradition so it meant a lot.

4. Do you have any superstitions on game-day?

I'm not really big on pre-game superstitions I just focus on what I'm supposed to do and throw the iPod on until it's time to start suiting up.

5. What was your "Welcome to lacrosse" moment in your career?

My "welcome to lacrosse" moment was probably my first day of varsity tryouts freshmen year when my coach yelled at me "this isn't youth lacrosse anymore!" This was when I realized I had to take lacrosse more seriously if I wanted to continue playing at a higher level. That one simple line always stuck in my head and kept me driven to always try and be a better player every time I stepped on a lacrosse field.

6. If I were to look at you Ipod/ITunes/etc. what would be the five most played songs?

At the moment if you looked at my top five played songs you would hear:
Action Bronson- Silverado
Bruce Springsteen- Born to Run
Kings of Leon- Taper Jean Girl
Mac Miller- He Who Ate All The Caviar
Kendra Morris- Banshee

7. How beneficial is it to have a number of your top scorers back on attack?

Getting our top scorers back has been a big relief for everyone because we can pick up where we left off last year. We also have a lot of newcomers that can put the ball in the back of the net so I'm excited to see what we can do as a whole on offense this season.

8. What will allow your team to compete with the East Conn's and Keene's of the LEC this season?

I think the depth of our roster is going to be a huge factor in our success this year against East Conn and Keene. We have a lot of weapons to pick from which increases our chances of finding something that works.

9. If you could make one rule change to lacrosse, what would it be?

If I could make one rule change to lacrosse it would be to make diving/flopping a penalty...flopping is for basketball players. 

10. How tough is it to not have a true home game until mid-April?

It's not the ideal situation to not play home until April but I have great teammates, coaches, and trainers so a road trip is never a bad thing. Our coaches always tell us that we're "road warriors" and that all the traveling builds character so until we get some turf around here we will have to keep telling ourselves that.