Eric Wolf wasn’t about to broadcast it for everyone to hear, but he figured LIU would initially take some lumps when it moved into Division I. Sure enough, the Sharks were 1-6 when the pandemic zapped the rest of the 2020 season.

They made solid progress a year ago, reaching the Northeast Conference tournament. And now, LIU is 3-2 after picking off Hofstra 14-11 last week.

“The mindset is there, the attitude is there,” Wolf said. “Really, it’s execution at this point. I think we’re still building our depth from top to bottom with our roster in terms of Division I talent. But whether we have Division I or Division II talent on our board, I think everyone is invested in developing and getting better.”

LIU has a storied lacrosse tradition, only under a different name. Two branches of Long Island University — LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post (formerly C.W. Post) — merged athletic programs in the summer of 2019. LIU Brooklyn was a Division I program, while LIU Post competed in Division II and won three NCAA titles in men’s lacrosse at that level.

A location on Long Island is an asset in recruiting for the Sharks, even if attention has come slowly after lacrosse moved up to Division I as part of the athletics merger.

“We take a lot of pride in the fact we feel like we’re overlooked and no one is giving us a chance,” Wolf said. “We certainly see what’s being said in the media in the preseason, and all throughout the country, there’s not a whole lot of mention about our program. I do think we take that to heart.”

It helps to have to program cornerstones on attack already in place. Junior Richie LaCalandra (five goals, nine assists) was the NEC’s offensive player of the year in 2021. Blake Behlen already has 11 goals and five assists, and he delivered a five-point performance in the defeat of Hofstra.

“I don’t think it’s any secret: We go as they go,” Wolf said. “When they’re doing really well, we’re doing really well. When they’re struggling, it affects the entirety of our team. I’ve had that conversation with them individually as well as in front of the team that when you’re the best players, it comes with more responsibility. They’re not sneaking up on anyone anymore.”

As a result of last weekend’s showing, which also included a 10-6 loss to Stony Brook, it’s doubtful the Sharks will be able to do so, either. They face Drexel at home on Saturday, then visit UMass next weekend before delving into a seven-game conference schedule.

The Sharks could again be a factor in the NEC race, in part because of their improved depth. But attitude might have something to do with it, too.

“The narrative for us is, we’re a pissed off group and we’re always going to be that way,” Wolf said. “When people come and watch us play, we want them to feel that, that we have something to prove. Whether we win or we lose, you’re going to know what LIU is made of. We’re a bunch of guys running out there trying to prove themselves, and whether we’re getting punched in the mouth or punching you in the mouth, we’re going to keep swinging.

BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND

LIU’s victory over Hofstra was part of the Long Island Cup, a first-year event featuring LIU, St. John’s, Stony Brook and host Hofstra in a Friday-Sunday format.

Wolf said the event grew out of conversations the programs’ head coaches had over a two-year span. Stony Brook won the weekend event with victories over St. John’s and LIU.

“We just talked about how cool it would be for the Island and these kids growing up,” Wolf said. “I think of myself growing up and going to those Hofstra games and, ‘How cool would it be to get everyone in one place?’ It organically kind of came together, and eventually the conversation grew to, ‘Let’s put a little more juice in it where winners play winners and losers play losers and we get a little championship.’”

Wolf is optimistic it can be more than a one-time event, though there’s a good reason to question whether it would remain in the same form moving forward. With Stony Brook set to join the Colonial Athletic Association, it’s fair to wonder how much appetite there will be for either the Seawolves or Hofstra to play a league opponent multiple times in a season.

One remedy would be for both of those teams to face both LIU and St. John’s, essentially swapping opponents on the second day of the event. Regardless of how it evolves, Wolf believes it is a promising event worth continuing.

“I do want it to be something that can grow, whether it’s at one site or every year and it rotates every year, or we have the semifinals at one place and we have the finals at another so everyone can get a taste,” Wolf said. “For someone to bring home a championship for the weekend, it was exactly what I thought it would be in terms of competitiveness and nastiness. But good nasty. That’s what we want.”