Season Preview (MD3): Top 20 Team Outlooks
by Laxmagazine.com Staff
1. Salisbury
2011 Record: 21-1 (7-1 CAC)
Key Player: Sam Bradman (55g, 23a) is the face of
the Sea Gulls, but they only clicked when Tony Mendes felt
comfortable at attack.
X-Factor: Sophomore Alex Taylor is the heir
apparent in goal, but can he replicate the clutch performances of
Johnny Rodriguez?
2. Tufts
2011 Record: 18-3 (8-1 NESCAC)
Key Player: With the graduation of D.J. Hessler
and Ryan Molloy, it’s up to senior attackman Sean Kirwan
(66g) to score.
X-Factor: Defense should be the dominant unit for
the Jumbos.
3. Roanoke
2011 Record: 17-4 (7-4 ODAC)
Key Player: Charles Pease (.537 sv pct) emerged as
the top goalie.
X-Factor: The run-and-gun Roanoke philosophy
depends on a talented faceoff man. Without Justin Tuma, the Maroons
need one.
4. Dickinson
2011 Record: 17-2 (8-0 Centennial
Conference)
Key Player: Brian Cannon (24g, 28a) made a big
splash as a rookie.
X-Factor: Assistant coach Tim Marshall’s
return to his alma mater will be a huge lift to a defense that
could be the best around.
5. RIT
2011 Record: 19-1 (8-0 Empire 8)
Key Player: Tyler Russell (69g) needs to replicate
2011 numbers.
X-Factor: The Tigers leave the Empire 8, but they
could run into a buzz saw by joining the powerful Liberty
League.
6. Cortland
2011 Record: 16-3 (6-0 SUNYAC)
Key Player: Greg Wright (19g, 33a) is critical as
the set-up man.
X-Factor: Chris DeLuca and Justin Battino were
devastating on faceoffs. Can senior Nick Jarvis now carry the
load?
7. Stevenson
2011 Record: 18-3 (8-0 CAC)
Key Player: Ian Bolland (6.57 GAA, .590 sv pct)
was stellar as the last line of defense. He’ll have to be
even better.
X-Factor: Rebuild or reload? Stevenson graduated
an epic class.
8. Amherst
2011 Record: 15-3 (8-1 NESCAC)
Key Player: Danny Gold could be the best LSM in
the country.
X-Factor: The Lord Jeffs must adjust to the
NESCAC’s bull’s-eye.
9. Stevens
2011 Record: 16-3 (7-1 Empire 8)
Key Player: He played in the shadow of Brandon
Faubert in 2011, so we’ll see how good junior midfielder
Nicolas Philippi (33g) really is in 2012.
X-Factor: After scoring at least 15 goals in 13
games, the Ducks managed just 12 combined in two NCAA contests.
What’s the answer?
10. Middlebury
2011 Record: 13-5 (6-3 NESCAC)
Key Player: Matt Giordano (17g, 34a) anchors retooled
attack unit.
X-Factor: Junior defenseman Matt Rayner was injured during
football season. His healthy return is imperative for the
Panthers.
11. Denison
2011 Record: 11-4 (4-1 NCAC)
Key Player: Nick Farrell gives the Big Red a
premium defender.
X-Factor: Mike Caravana enters the fourth year of
his second stint at Denison. That’s usually when a program
finds its identity.
12. Gettysburg
2011 Record: 12-7 (6-2 Centennial
Conference)
Key Player: The Bullets had a midfield-centric
offense in 2011, but Pat Sartory (30g, 14a) will swing the power
back to the attack unit.
X-Factor: Gettysburg may thrive in its new
underdog role.
13. Union
2011 Record: 13-5 (4-2 Liberty League)
Key Player: Sean Aaron’s 19 saves in a 6-5
loss to Tufts in the NCAA tourney give you an indication of the
senior goalkeeper’s ability.
X-Factor: Union must improve extra-man offense
(18.3 percent).
14. Endicott
2011 Record: 16-5 (9-1 Commonwealth Coast)
Key Player: Goalie Mike Klein (8.16 GAA, .554 sv
pct) started for the first time in his life last spring. Now he
needs to carry the defense.
X-Factor: The Gulls have a very strong
non-conference schedule, but getting past WNEC in the CCC will be
just as difficult.
15. Lynchburg
2011 Record: 13-6 (5-2 ODAC)
Key Player: Having a quarterback like senior
attackman Dylan Hoff (37g, 20a) will be critical against a
difficult schedule.
X-Factor: Hornets must figure out how to solve
Roanoke in ODAC.
16. Cabrini
2011 Record: 13-6 (6-0 CSAC)
Key Player: The Cavaliers morphed into a defensive
team, and senior long pole John McSorely was the catalyst.
X-Factor: Cabrini hasn’t lost a CSAC game
since 2000.
17. Nazareth
2011 Record: 11-7 (6-2 Empire 8)
Key Player: Senior attackman C.J. Estes (23g, 23a)
has to ensure offense doesn’t disappear in games as it did at
times last year.
X-Factor: Flyers goalies had a save percentage of
.480 and still made the NCAA tournament. Clean that up, and Naz
will be dangerous.
18. Haverford
2011 Record: 11-4 (6-2 Centennial
Conference)
Key Player: Joe Banno (7.24 GAA, .650 sv pct) has
been a difference-maker since the day he arrived at Haverford.
X-Factor: At some point the Black Squirrels need
to score goals – something they struggled to do last
spring.
19. RPI
2011 Record: 11-6 (4-2 Liberty League)
Key Player: Tyler Hutchinson anchors a defense
that returns entirely intact.
X-Factor: Defense will dictate success, but the
Engineers still need to find some clutch scorers.
20. Trinity
2011 Record: 12-4 (6-3 NESCAC)
Key Player: Nick Shaheen (19g, 18a) dishes from
the midfield.
X-Factor: Serious losses on defense end may force
Trinity to play with a different tempo than it did in 2011.
This article appears in the February issue of Lacrosse Magazine, the flagship publication of US Lacrosse. Join US Lacrosse and its 400,000-plus members today to start your subscription to LM.
