Susquehanna Expects More Success in 2010
from press release
SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- The Susquehanna University men's lacrosse team will be led by third-year head coach Stewart Moan in 2010. The team finished with a record of 5-11 in 2009, but Coach Moan sports a big roster of 40 players this year with an expectation for more success.
Susquehanna won three of five games to start 2009 and stood at 5-5 in early April, but a tough losing streak ended the year.
SU showed great character at times last season, earning one-goal wins over Washington & Jefferson College, King's College (Pa.) and Marywood University, though the highlight was easily a 17-11 win over The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey on April 1.
The team used exceptional goaltending by Anthony Maiorella '12 (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) to help earn those key wins. Maiorella captured a Landmark Defensive Player of the Week award last season on March 16.
Though Maiorella will be back this year, the Crusaders' two all-conference players from last season-captains Greg Norris '09 and Collin Fadrowski '09-have graduated. Norris earned all-Landmark honors at midfielder after leading SU with 26 goals, 17 assists and 43 points. His three game-winning goals were also a team-high. Fadrowski scored two goals and collected 37 ground balls while playing all-star defense.
Midfielders Billy Spack '12 (Arlington, Va./Yorktown), Luke Delavan '12 (Madison, N.J./Madison) and Matt Weiner '12 (Bound Brook, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan Regional) will be counted on to pick up the scoring slack left by Norris. Spack notched 18 points on the strength of 15 goals last year, while Delavan had 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points. Two of Spack's goals were game-winners, while Weiner notched eight goals and six assists a season ago.
Returners Jake Griffith '12 (Wye Mills, Md./Easton) and Henry Weismantel '11 (Chatham, N.J./Chatham), along with a number of talented newcomers, will also add depth to the midfield position.
Attack Dustin Breakey '12 (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) returns for 2010 as well. Breakey scored 14 points last season, including 10 goals. He is expected to be part of a young rotation on offense this year including Sean Ledwick '13 (Weston, Conn./Weston), Tim Pastore '12 (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) and Justin Caba '12 (Yonkers, N.Y./Stepinac).
Pastore and Caba transferred to Susquehanna this year from Springfield College and Manhattanville College, respectively. Ledwick is a rookie.
Scrappy midfielder Ryan Oakes '11 (North Yarmouth, Maine/Cheverus) is another returnee. Oakes led the team with 147 faceoff wins last year (to 127 losses) and 96 ground balls. That latter total ranked second in the Landmark.
Defender Jimmy Warburton '11 (Chatham, N.J./Chatham HS) will serve as the lone captain on the 2010 Crusaders who is not a senior. Warburton picked up 46 ground balls a year ago and notched two goals and two assists.
The other captains will be defenders Eric Burkhard '10 [East Stroudsburg, Pa./Randolph (N.J.)] and Rick Kondub '10 (Stamford, Conn./King and Low-Heywood Thomas) and midfielder Sean Belt '10 (Bedminster, N.J./Bernards).
Burkhard, Kondub and Warburton-along with midfielders Tim Daley '12 (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) and Rory Meagher '12 (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic)-should be able to hold down the fort in front of the SU goal. Belt is another valuable midfielder. He saw in action in every game last year.
Maiorella, Jordan Daney '12 (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion) and two newcomers-Blake Middendorf '13 (Wayne, Pa./Radnor) and Will Torrence '13 (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven)-are all going to compete for time at the goalkeeper position.
Maiorella went 3-6 with a 10.09 goals against average and a .598 save percentage last year, while Daney went 1-0 in 12 appearances with a 13.93 gaa and a .476 save percentage.
Trae Humphreys '12 (Wilmington, Del./Sanford), who played some at goalkeeper last year, is also back. Humphreys will become a full-time midfielder this year. Last season, he won 17 of 43 faceoffs and collected eight ground balls.
The coaching staff is excited by a skilled group of rookies joining the team in 2010, including midfielders Marcus Cheatham '13 (Reisterstown, Md./Loyola HS), Brian Sowyrda '13 (Grafton, Mass./Grafton), Jon Horbert '13 (Longwood, Fla./Lake Brantley) and Tylere Fritts '13 (Chatham, N.J./Chatham HS) and defenders Dave Rinaldi '13 (Hingham, Mass./Boston College HS) and Carl Mueller '12 (Ashland, Mass./Ashland HS), each of whom provides energy and depth.
Academics are a large part of the team's overall success, as four Crusaders men's lacrosse players earned a spot on the 2009 Landmark spring academic honor roll.
Susquehanna starts the 2010 season with a non-conference game at Dickinson College on Feb. 24. The home opener comes against King's (Pa.) at Sassafras Fields on March 10.
Landmark play begins with a home game against Goucher College on March 27. That game will be part of the team's 10th Anniversary Celebration.
SU will have to be one of the top four teams in conference play to qualify for the Landmark championships, to be held this season on May 5 (semifinals) and May 8 (final).
The 2010 Landmark champion will automatically qualify for the NCAA championships.
