Now their obsession is finishing with style.

Landry, a graduate of Lewiston High School, has spent four years scoring at will. Brown, an Oak Hill product, carved out his career by dutifully embracing any and all roles his coaches concocted for him.

“We wish we could find a way to get one more year out of them,” Husson coach Tim Murphy joked.

Husson won the first game it ever played in March 2009. Landry lit up Anna Maria College for four goals in a 14-6 rout.

Those post-goal and post-victory celebrations have become a habit. The Eagles advanced to the North Atlantic Conference semifinals in 2010 and the championship game a year ago.

With a beefed-up non-conference schedule behind them and seven games ahead, the two local seniors are bent upon leaving a banner as a parting gift.

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“We knew it was going to be a new program. We saw that it was going to be a special opportunity to come here and help build something without really knowing how it was going to go,” Landry said. “To the point now where we’re competing for an NCAA bid, it’s just been awesome to watch the progress of the program.”

Opponents didn’t have to solve many mysteries in the scouting report when Landry and Brown were freshmen. Landry exploded for 31 goals and 14 assists in 13 games. Brown added 24 goals and 18 assists.

Husson won its first two games and lost its third in overtime. Then the overall experience of conference foes caught up with the Eagles, who went 4-9 overall.

“There was me and Ben and one other guy, Mike Labrie, who really had a wealth of experience. Other than that it was just a bunch of guys who wanted to try it out,” Brown said. “Now pretty much all our players started in high school.”

Forget the sophomore jinx. Landry evolved into the nation’s scoring leader in NCAA Division III, accounting for more than 4.5 goals per game.

He scored an astounding 80 times in all. Backed by Brown’s 19 goals, Landry led the Eagles to their first winning season, with seven of their 10 triumphs achieved in conference play.

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Murphy arrived the next year. A Kennebunk native and four-year starter at Merrimack, he served at three prior schools as an assistant coach.

“This athletic department preaches and shows excellence across the board. Thirteen of the 14 varsity programs played in their conference championship at least once in the three years before I came here,” Murphy said. “That told me the commitment they had made to athletics.”

Husson’s increasing depth took the scoring burden away from Landry and encouraged Murphy to take a risk with Brown, moving him from an offensive midfield position and asking him to adopt more of a defensive posture.

Casual fans merely would have noticed both players’ goal totals being cut in half as juniors. Conference coaches didn’t miss a beat, however, naming both Landry and Brown second-team all-NAC at the end of the Eagles’ breakthrough season.

Castleton State topped Husson in the title game.

“I accepted my role. We needed the defensive help and I felt like I had a good opportunity to help the team,” Brown said. “I had no clue what the future would hold.”

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Brown has returned to his offensive roots in the midfield this season while still playing a few short-stick possessions when conditions warrant.

“Nick very unselfishly last year moved to a defensive midfield position when we needed more athleticism there,” Murphy said. “Ben was all-conference both years. Their play led us to the conference championship game.”

Landry (26 goals, 4 assists) and Brown (10 goals, 19 assists) are one-two on the team’s scoring chart. Landry recently eclipsed the 200-point threshold for his career.

Husson is 5-5, including a 10-2 victory over the University of Maine at Farmington in its league opener.

After learning both ends of the field during his freshman and sophomore years of high school at St. Dom’s, Landry switched to Lewiston and made the move to attack as a junior.

All the experiences of the past eight seasons have made him a complete player.

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“I think a lot of guys start out playing both sides of the ball,” Landry said. “My role this year has changed. I’m a little bit more of a facilitator. I try to keep everyone involved.”

Landry is a biology major looking to continue his graduate studies in the pharmacy field. Brown, whose career path is health education, expects to finish his bachelor’s degree next year.

As he watches their time tick away and ponders their stamp on Husson’s program, the coach isn’t ready to cut ties with his star pupils yet.

“Both of them, if they are still going to school here, we would like to incorporate them into the coaching staff,” Murphy said. “The leadership Nick and Ben bring is huge. The younger guys see how they approach the game every day.”

From beginning to end.

koakes@sunjournal.com


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