Dylan Molloy found himself doing more cardio work than expected in preparation for the 2020 MLL season.

Molloy, the New York Lizards star, was in the midst of an NLL season with the Colorado Mammoth when he started hearing about COVID-19. Just a couple weeks later, his indoor season was postponed.

In a matter of days, Molloy left the confines of the concrete jungle, where he works at Chubb Insurance, for his native Long Island and a safer environment at his childhood home in Setauket. For the first few weeks of quarantine, he had to improvise his workout regimen.

The attackman known for his vicious bull dodges had no dumbbells with which to work. For a while, he got more familiar with burpees and his Peleton bike.

“I’ve always been a weight room guy, not a cardio guy,” he joked. “That wasn’t my forte, and it sucked in the beginning, but it built up a lot of muscles that didn’t get any work in the traditional weight room.”

Molloy did everything he could to stay in shape for what he hoped would be another chance to lead the Lizards’ offense. He kept in touch with teammates and coach B.J. O’Hara, but nothing was certain. Meanwhile, he was enjoying the time at home, working by his pool — what he called a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.

Nothing about the past few months has been normal for Molloy, but the hope for a chance to play the 2020 MLL season drove him as he trained by himself and headed out to local fields to shoot. Eventually, Molloy got his weights and started to bulk up again, just in time for another unprecedented event. The league announced its 20th anniversary season will take place in Annapolis, Md., from July 18-26. The championship game will be shown live on ESPN.

His strength is unquestioned, as evidenced by his #SCTop10 goal against the Boston Cannons last season in which he trucked two defensemen. But during a season like no other, Molloy will be looked to carry even more of the load for a team that finished 5-11 in 2019.

With former Lizards’ great Rob Pannell off to join the PLL’s Atlas LC, Molloy becomes the most experienced and talented piece of the Lizards offense.

“Dylan Molloy is going to get more touches,” O’Hara said of the revamped Lizards offense. “He’s tough to saddle up. He can run over most guys. But he’s also good at finding the open guy. He’ll draw a lot of attention. He always has and will this next week. We have guys that will be looking for the pass as he goes hard at the goal.”

Molloy said he’ll be looking to be more of a distributor for the New York offense after finishing second on the team with 28 goals and 14 assists last season. The Lizards bring back players like Justin Reh, Nick Aponte, Ryan Walsh and Brandon Kearns, and they welcome first-round pick Colin Burke out of Utah and attackman Andrew Pettit from Lehigh.

A five-year veteran of the MLL, Molloy is one of the oldest members of that unit. He didn’t think he’d be a veteran leader just a handful of years since winning the Tewaaraton at Brown, but he’s embracing that role with goalie Austin Kaut.

Kaut is the hyper and vocal anchor of the Lizards defense, and Molloy is a soft-spoken guy who leads by example.

“I’m excited to be given that role that quickly because over the years in the MLL, it’s taken a lot longer to move up the chains,” he said. “It’s an important role. When I came up, it was P.T. Ricci, Steven Brooks, Kieran McArdle. I had all those guys to lean on. We still have Austin Kaut to help mentor some of the young guys, but I definitely didn’t see this coming so quickly. I remember those days like it was yesterday, the big guys running the show. It’s exciting how important it is and how much of an impact you could have.”

Molloy has been working with his younger teammates this spring and summer, thanks to a Lizards’ roster centered around Long Island. A small group meets weekly to shoot and train in preparation for the season.

Being home has allowed Molloy to get work done but be available to workout and train for a chance to win a first MLL title. He’ll be bringing his computer and working from the bubble in Annapolis, as will many of his teammates.

A former member of the PLL’s Redwoods LC, Molloy has enjoyed life in the MLL, and he’s more than excited to chase his lacrosse dreams while contributing to his full-time career in insurance.

“This is the freedom I’ve always wanted,” he said. “I’d love to work remotely every Friday after flying in and then play the games at night. Usually, you have to work Monday through Friday in the office and worry about that after. It’s crazy that we’re able to work remotely and play pro lacrosse.”

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