Pat Muston's transformation is nearly complete.
Throughout his prep athletic career and into his first two years at UMBC, the spotlight was directly focused on the junior midfielder from Novi, Michigan. On the football field, the rugged tailback was usually the one scoring the game-winning touchdown. In lacrosse, he earned a coveted spot in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" after a seven-goal performance. In his freshman and sophomore seasons at UMBC, he had his best efforts when the cameras were rolling, as he scored six of his twelve goals when WMAR-TV televised the Retrievers, including a Player of the Game citation vs. Penn State.
But for most teams to be successful, players must accept and excel at their role. This season, Muston was handed the full-time task of handling UMBC's face-offs duties. His name doesn't appear in print and on air as much, but he couldn't be happier with his contribution to the team.
"The face-off to me is the one position where you can really hurt the other team," said Muston. "If we score and get the face off and go right back on offense, the other team can't get the ball back. Lacrosse is a game of possessions--if we can win 70-80 percent of my face offs, in a normal game, that can be ten or so more possession than the other team will have which gives us a great advantage."
Muston did have a chance to bask in the limelight on March 29, as he tied a school record by winning 22 (of 27) draws vs. ninth-ranked Rutgers. He dominated four different Scarlet Knights that were sent out to challenge him. That performance vaulted him into the top ten in the nation in face-off percentage (57.0%) and ground balls per game (5.67). But UMBC let a fourth quarter lead slip away and fell in overtime, 12-11. To Muston, the record is meaningless.
"It all comes down to the team. If I don't win one face off and we win the game, that's all that counts. I had my best college game vs. Rutgers face-off wise, but it doesn't mean anything because we didn't win. I just kept thinking after the game, what else could I have done to help us win," said Muston.
Moreover, the 6'2", 220 pound psychology major doesn't feel he should be given credit when the Retrievers capture the face-off. Junior Matt Gallagher and senior long stick midfielder Greg Wojtech have formed a tough threesome over the past several weeks. "Face-off percentage should not say Pat Muston, it should say Pat Muston-Matt Gallagher-Greg Wojtech. I would not want anyone else on the wing but Matt Gallagher--I know he is always in position and will get the ball. Greg Wojtech is an amazing athlete. They are more important to the face than I am. I am only doing a third of the work, my job is easy--they have to really fight for the ball."
Only twelve years ago, natives of Novi, Michigan (about an hour from the Michigan State campus in East Lansing) thought lacrosse was just a city in neighboring Wisconsin. But a local coach, the late Don Sill, introduced the game to Pat's older brother, Brad, and his friends and the sport took hold. Brad came east and ended up as the captain of the V.M.I. lacrosse squad. Pat had the advantage of starting the sport when he was
in fourth grade, and saw his brother and Novi standouts Mike Hicks (UMBC) and Josh Tankersley (Towson) make the journey to lacrosse country. Brad encouraged his younger brother to experience life outside of the large shadow of Michigan State, and Pat immediately fell in love with the UMBC campus on his visit.
Asked if he had any regrets about his choice of sport or where he chose to play, Muston replied, "Not a single one."
Like many aspects of sport, mental toughness is critical to the success of a face-off specialist. Just a few weeks ago, Muston found himself on the short end of many of the battles in the circle, and he knows he is only as good as his last effort. "You have to have a lot of confidence--it can really deteriorate during a game. If you lose two or three in a row, it gets to you mentally. You think, how am I going to beat this guy? You must block it out, think about the next face-off. The more draws you win, the better the chance you can keep going.
"In the game, when I started losing draws, it would eat me up inside and I would think too much," explains Muston. "You really can't think too much; you think and plan strategy during the week in practice. When the ref says down and set, your mind goes blank, and it's all just natural and you have to make split decisions in the next second or two."
Like most student-athletes, there is a lot more to Muston than what fans see on Saturdays. He is actively involved in the athletic department's mentoring program, as he and several of his teammates visit Catonsville Middle School a couple of times a week to befriend young teens who are in need of some help. After graduation, he plans to return to Michigan and enter the home building business with brother Brad and is considering coaching lacrosse at the youth or high school level. He would like to provide those kids with the same opportunities that were afforded him a decade ago.
"I look back and see what my coaches did for me and I would like to help out with kids, and have them say, 'Pat really helped me out.' It doesn't even have to be in lacrosse, just for them to have someone to talk to."
It seems like Pat Muston is winning more of those one-on-one battles every day.
