ERIE, Pa. -- Despite graduating nine seniors who helped the Lakers to an 11-3 record in 2009, Mercyhurst College 10th-year head coach
Chris Ryan seems optimistic about the 2010 edition’s ability to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.
The Lakers finished last year’s campaign ranked third in the final United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll and had three players earn All-America certificates.
The offense should be a strong, steady force throughout the season as it returns seven of the top 10 goal scorers from a year ago, including the top four in
Tyler Burton,
Michael Sciulli,
Cameron McLean and
Michael Dugan.
Defensively, the Lakers will have to find replacements for All-Americans Jason LaShomb and Matt Spahr. LaShomb was a three-time honoree in the net and was also named the 2009 East Coast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year. A defender, Spahr earned his second All-America status while battling injuries, collecting 18 groundballs and causing 15 turnovers despite limited action in eight contests.
So where are the Lakers headed into 2010? Ryan believes his squad is somewhere between rebuilding and reloading thanks to a large number of experienced returners. There’s great amount of potential, aided by character and work ethic, which are three things the Lakers coaching staff feel can guide their success.
ATTACK:
Providing leadership and fueling the offense will be seniors Sciulli and Dugan along with sophomore McLean. The trio combined for 84 points last year and will benefit from an experienced bench that includes sophomore
Trevor Rice, who chipped in 17 points last season.
A competitive fall season pushed the upperclassmen for playing time while underclassmen battled for spots in an extremely deep position.
Rookie
Brian Scheetz and sophomore
Kyle Kallay started most fall scrimmages. Scheetz was a member of the 2008 Western Empire State Team and lead the Canandaigua Braves to their first ever Class B New York State Championship last spring. Their emergence has pushed others to perform and has lead to vast improvements from the attack unit.
"We were rather happy with the development of the attack throughout the fall," says Ryan. "We need improved production from the attack to compete for the East Coast Conference championship, and I think there is a good foundation in place."
Last season the Lakers started a brand new lineup at attack and at times experienced growing pains. Ryan and associate head coach
Brendon Burke hopes that with a year of experience under the attack's belt and the arrival of new talent the learning curve will be much less in 2010.
"We are lucky to have the depth of talent and experience at the attack position that we do. Now we need the experience we gained last season to show itself in more consistency and production."
Added depth will be provided by junior
Dana Moore and freshman
Connor Matrka.
MIDFIELD:
The Laker midfield has been the mainstay of the team for the past few years. With the graduation of Mike Thon and Mike Bartlett there are definite questions at the midfield. Thon was the team’s fifth-leading goal-scorer (16) and led the unit with 53 ground balls, nearly double the next Laker total. Bartlett finished right behind Thon in goals (14) while adding 19 ground balls.
Like the attack, the 2010 midfield features a deep and athletic crew. Leading the way will be senior captain
Tyler Burton. Burton led the Lakers in scoring last season with 24 goals and 13 assists.
Burton blossomed in his role last season and Ryan is excited about the potential for his senior season.
"He is a highly motivated and talented athlete who has made a great transition from box lacrosse to the field,” says Ryan. “He has the intangibles to be one of the best in Division II this season and we expect that of him."
Joining Burton on the midfield is UMBC transfer
Kevin Coholan and senior
Kyle Plante. Coholan has quickly meshed with the team and is growing on the field. Plante played on the second midfield last season adding 5 goals and 2 assists. He had a strong fall and the team is looking for his production to multiply in 2010.
The second group of midfielders will push for time because of the midfield’s depth and senior leadership. Versatile two-sport athlete
Ian Wild joins the team in the spring after spending the fall as a defensive starter on the Lakers football team. In 2009, Wild appeared in 13 games and scoring seven goals and three assists.
Fifth-year senior
Todd Richardson, senior
Derek Pino and junior
Andy Winslow all saw considerable time last season and are pushing to get back on the field in 2010. Right with them is freshman
Zac Reid and sophomore
Philip Johnson. Reid possesses good size and athleticism along with a tremendous shot. Johnson maybe the best athlete on the team and saw time in 2009 as a defensive midfielder. He had a solid fall and the coaching staff feels that Johnson has made a strong case to be on the offensive side of the ball on 2010.
A number of other midfielders showed improvement and potential in the fall season. Junior
Cameron Edmiston and sophomore
J.A. MacDougall had their best showings in the fall and demonstrated continued growth on the field. A number of freshmen also impressed, including
Brett McClelland,
John Pingitore and
James Chayka.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD:
Every starter from 2009 returns for the Lakers at defensive midfield. They will be anchored by short stick defensive midfielder seniors
Zach Manuel and
Charles Saylor. Both have seen extensive time over their careers and their leadership will be critical. Senior
C.J. Blanchard will team up with freshman
Kyle Lindsay and junior
Donald Benedict to handle face off responsibilities. Depth will be provided by junior
Kevin Hoffmeyer
Between the boxes there are a number of directions the coaching staff could head in at the long stick midfield position. Senior captain
Chris Eline was an All-ECC selection in 2008 and followed it up with a strong performance in 2009. Eline saw repetitions at close defense in the fall and may make the move in the spring. This is because of two other LSM's that have stepped to the forefront for the Lakers. Sophomore
Greg Bensman returns after experiencing a season-ending ankle injury in 2009. In six games last year, Bensman accumulated two goals, two assists and nine groundballs. Alfred State transfer
Mitch Mertel will see time at long stick also. Mertel brings great athleticism and stick skills to the midfield. Junior
Ryan Connors showed vast improvement in the fall and will back up Bensman and Mertel. Depth will be provided by sophomore
Casey Christo.
DEFENSE AND GOALIES:
Mercyhurst has always produced one of the stingiest defenses in Division II. Last year was no different, allowing a 6.21 goals per game, a figure that ranked third-best. Gone from last year’s defense are Lashomb and starting three starting defenseman. So what do the Lakers bring back? It all starts in the goal. Replacing Lashomb will be junior
Zach Nash, who has patiently bided his time. Nash was a high school All-America and the staff expects this success to continue at the college level. Nash possesses great communication skills and has the ability to make the big save. Right behind Nash are two solid goalies. Junior
Michael Jeschawitz is a great athlete and hard worker. Freshman
Cameron Watts is coming off a great box lacrosse season with the Burlington Chiefs where he is considered one of the top goalies in Canada.
While the offense remains loaded, the defense will surely experience a rebuilding year. Fortunately, the Lakers return a number of defensemen who have logged a high number of quality minutes. Juniors
Matt Scherer,
Tim Winslow, fifth-year senior
Luke Prattico and Eline will form the nucleus of this year’s defense.
"We like the talent we have on the close defense," says Ryan. "Although we lost some impact players to graduation we feel this defensive unit, with continued development, can be very good."
Two upper classmen returned to school in top shape and impressed the staff. Sophomore
Matt Ward progressed through the fall and senior
Brett Sumbrum has had a career of injuries but looks healthy and ready to go for 2010. The staff went further saying that there were a number of younger players who impressed in the fall including freshman
Peter Plaskey and
Walter Rodenhouse. Depth will be provided by
Dan Cuddy.
THE SCHEDULE:
The 2010 schedule is dominated by a highly competitive and ever-expanding East Coast Conference. Present are the traditional rivals in C.W. Post, NYIT, Dowling, and Molloy. All four teams finished the year ranked in the top 10. The conference also added Wheeling Jesuit, which finished 8-4 last year and Seton Hill, who ended with an 8-5 mark.
Three new programs will make their debut this season in the ECC as Lake Erie College, under the guidance of Mercyhurst Alum Greg Stocks, enters along with Chestnut Hill University and Mercy College.
In non-conference play, the Lakers square off against traditional rivals St. Andrew's Presbyterian College and Wingate University. In non-conference regional action, Mercyhurst takes on Notre Dame de Namur and Grand Canyon University.
The Lakers open the season at St. Andrew's on February 23rd and follow with the home opener on March 13th against Molloy College. In the home opener, the Lakers will also play on a newly renovated FieldTurf surface installed in August 2009. Once again it will be a daunting task for the Lakers to capture the ECC title and make their fifth appearance in the NCAA tournament.