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What fall sport team are you most excited to watch?
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Men’s Lacrosse Eyes Return to NCAA Tournament in 2009
The Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team is ready to build on a solid 2008 season that saw a very young squad finish 8-6 overall and 6-2 in the highly competitive Empire 8. The Ducks return a solid nucleus, and Head Coach Byron Collins (Succasunna, N.J.) and his staff have imported several very strong newcomers to the squad that will help fill some holes created by graduation. The Ducks made six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances between 2000 and 2006 and will look to make a return trip the dance in 2009 which marks the 125th season of lacrosse at Stevens.
Coach Collins and his staff will look to two captains to lead the team through the 2009 season in senior midfielder Alex Heckman (Sparta, N.J.) and junior midfielder Bobby Steinhauser (Boonton Township, N.J.).
Heckman is an intense vocal leader who has been solid throughout his career, and will be expected to continue to improve in his final season. Last year, Heckman finished third on the team in assists with nine. He put 48.1 percent of his 27 shots on goal and found net seven times. The Sparta native has excellent intangibles that will benefit the squad. He has played in 51 of 51 games in his career and will surely be a fixture on the field in 2009. Steinhauser, a year younger but a similar player to Heckman, is a leader by example. He is a tough and gritty player that has an exceptional motor when on the field. The 5-11 midfielder was tied for third on the team in goals with 14 and assisted on six others. In 2008 Steinhauser was the team leader in ground balls with 58. This earned him his second Jeffrey A. Cerny Award which is given out to the player who records the most groundballs in a season. Twice last season Steinhauser was able to help Stevens to victory, recording two game-winning goals. In addition, the staff will look to Steinhauser to shoulder the load at the face-off after winning 52 draws in 2008.
Both are two-way players that always seem to put themselves in positions to help the team be successful and do the little things needed to win.
“I expect a great deal out of our captains,” commented Collins. “They are experienced players who have done big things throughout their careers. They were both almost unanimous selections as captains because of their work ethic, ability as players, and leadership attributes.”
Attack
Stevens will need to fill the void left by John Dolny (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) who graduated last year as the team's leading point scorer and assist-man. He tallied 24 goals and 15 assists, four counting as game-winning goals, all while picking up 24 ground balls.
The Ducks will look to senior J.R. Oreskovich (San Diego, Calif.) to help fill the hole left by Dolny. The veteran was named a preseason All-American and Preseason Attackman of the Year by Inside Lacrosse after sitting out the 2008 campaign due to an injury. Oreskovich has 112 goals in his career and should provide the Ducks some needed firepower on the offensive side of the field. His presence will open things for many other members of the Stevens attack.
“Coming off a tough injury you never really know exactly what to expect,” said Collins. “J.R. is a hard-working player and has high expectations of himself. We are hoping he can be an important part of the puzzle, a person that can help get us over the hump.”
Matt Keating (Chatham, N.J.), a preseason honorable mention All-American as a midfielder, will play both attack and midfield in 2009 and is expected to have a breakout year. The senior is confident with the ball and remains a shooting threat at all times. Keating finished the year with 14 goals and 11 assists last season and is looking to improve in 2009.
Sophomores Joey Simone (Westfield, N.J.) and Christopher Laurita (Timber Ponds, N.J.) both saw time as freshmen and are expected to solidify their roles this season after fantastic falls. Junior Trey Bandy (Boca Raton, Fla.) played midfield a season ago and will look to have an impact on the attack this season. Junior James Napolitano (Dix Hills, N.Y.) is also expected to earn minutes as the season progresses and could prove to be an integral part of the Stevens offensive attack.
Midfield
The Stevens midfield should be a big-time strength in 2009. In addition to the two captains, senior Eric Smith (Oswego, N.Y.) will be an important cog in the middle of the field as he is a tough, two-way player who makes others around him better. Sophomore Brandon Faubert (Virginia Beach, Va.) should put his athleticism on display in the midfield all season. Faubert will be expected to have more of an offensive presence this season as he finished up his freshman year with four goals and one assist. In 2008 he saw most of his playing time as a defensive midfielder.
Junior Daniel Prakopcyk (Clinton, N.J.) is another player who will contribute at both midfield and attack. He was second on the team with 31 points last season, and had a team-high 26 goals. He has a great presence off the ball, and the move to the midfield will allow him to use his great speed on the perimeter more frequently. Junior Alex Couture (Vienna, Va.) is a slick lefty who has a lot of talent. His ability to beat opponents in one-on-one situations should constantly create match-up problems for opposing teams. Both Couture and Prakopcyk bring great depth to the Stevens midfield unit.
Freshmen Cal Case (Columbus, Ohio) and Will Thiede (Mountain Lakes, N.J.), along with sophomore Ryan Nepveux (Bridgewater, N.J.) are all athletic middies who will battle for time. The coaching staff is also looking forward to seeing freshman Kevin Rose (Garden City, N.Y.) develop after sitting out the fall due to injury.
Long Stick Midfield
Coach Collins expects a healthy competition at the long-stick midfield position. Sophomores Jacob Messimer (Rush, N.Y.) and C.J. Patella (Westfield, N.J.) will both fight for spots all preseason and throughout the regular season. Messimer is a gutsy player who has a never-ending motor, and Patella is a rangy, athletic player that can cover a lot of ground. Freshman Tim Ballai (Kinnelon, N.J.) should also work himself in the mix.
Defense
The Stevens defense will be young in the sense that not many contributors will be upperclassmen, but it will have experience as several young players made a solid impact as freshmen. Leading that group will be sophomore Zach McHugh (Delray Beach, Fla.). McHugh, who started all 14 games as a rookie, is described as an intense, fierce competitor with great speed and athleticism. The staff will look to McHugh to match up with the opponents' top offensive threat this year.
Sophomore Ted Pfeifer (Crozet, Va.) is a steady, on-ball defender who has showed solid improvement in the fall and will be expected to be a big contributor this season. Sophomore Tom Iadanza (Kings Park, N.Y.), like McHugh, has great speed and will be important in getting the ball up the field. Said to be very fiery, Iadanza has nose for the ball and should be an impact player.
In addition to the sophomore trio of defenders, rookie Matt Marks (Cortland, N.Y.) will provide a change of pace. A big, 6-4 defender, Marks is physical with an excellent stick.
“We are young in terms of age on the defensive side of the ball, but I have the utmost confidence that these guys will be solid for us all year,” Collins said when asked about his defense. “They all saw a lot of time as freshmen and should be better players for it. We had a strong defense last year, and I expect it to only get better.”
Goalkeeper
Dave Decker (Califon, N.J.), a sophomore, anchored one of the best defensive units in terms of goals-against average last year giving up only (7.21) per game. Returning as the reigning Empire 8 Goalie of the Year the sophomore will look to improve upon that number in 2009. Decker was fantastic in net last year for the Ducks, sporting a save percentage of .664 and being named honorable mention All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. An Inside Lacrosse preseason second-team All-American in 2009, Decker will look to become one of the elite goaltenders in NCAA Division III lacrosse.
In addition to Decker, senior Burke Reynolds (Fallston, Md.) is an excellent and fundamentally sound stopper who is always pushing for more time. Reynolds had a very strong fall and will most definitely push for a starting spot throughout the season. Sophomore Felipe McAlister (Bethesda, Md.) has looked good in the early going for the Ducks.
“I am confident that the goalkeeper position will be a strength for us,” said the head coach. “Dave was great for us last year and we are hoping he can replicate and improve upon that success. However, if that isn’t the case, we have two other very capable goaltenders that I know will be ready when called upon.”
Face-off
Bobby Steinhauser and Brandon Faubert are the two returners at the face-off position and will shoulder much of the work load. Freshmen Vincent Crisco (Madison, Conn.) and Mike Steinhauser (Boonton Township, N.J.) may also be asked to help improve upon a 47.9 percent success rate during 2008.
Schedule
Stevens will open its 125th season of men’s lacrosse in Hoboken on Sunday against the Mules of Muhlenberg College. They will then host national power Stevenson University (formerly Villa Julie College) on February 28. Stevens then heads to Florida to take on Kenyon College on March 13, and returns home to host Endicott College who is typically a fixture among the top teams in the country. The Ducks will open Empire 8 play on March 21 with a home contest versus Utica College followed by nationally ranked Nazareth College in Rochester on April 19. Stevens will then host defending conference champion Ithaca College on April 25. The Ithaca game will serve as the official celebration of 125 years of lacrosse at Stevens. The Ducks lost in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship last season and will look to win the tournament and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA’s this season. This year’s tournament will be May 1 and 3 at a location to be determined.
“Everyone is excited for the year to start,” Collins said. “We feel we have the pieces in place to be a very strong team and make a return trip the NCAA Tournament. There is a lot of work to be done, but I think the team and the program is ready for the challenges that await.”
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