Men's Lacrosse: 2007 Preview

The Elizabethtown College men’s lacrosse team brings some experience combined with a pronounced element of youth to the field in 2007, the sixth season in the program’s history. The Blue Jays have made some very noticeable improvements upon last year’s Middle Atlantic Conference semifinalist squad, but there are also some unknowns going into the new season. All the same, “this has the potential to be a very competitive group,” said head coach Terry Corcoran, now in his second year at Elizabethtown.

Corcoran began to list the team’s strengths over last year. “We have some good depth, and we will play a lot more people than last year,” he said. “We are more athletic than last year,” he continued, “but we will be the youngest team in the league.” And there is the rub. “How quickly we gel and how soon the first-year students learn the college game will determine how successful we’ll be,” he said.

The Blue Jays return 13 players from last year’s team, most of whom saw heavy amounts of playing time. However, Elizabethtown also has 14 newcomers, and 13 of them are first-year students. That group of newcomers is highly talented, though, and they will bring a lot to the table for the Blue Jays. The only question is when that will happen.

The team is most experienced on the defensive end of the field. Likely starters on defense include two-time All-MAC senior Frank Cacia (Newark, DE/Tatnall School), junior Eric Peifer (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield) and first-year student Chris Day (Thornton, PA/Bishop Shanahan). Last year, Cacia totaled 58 ground balls and one assist while starting all 17 games and making the All-MAC Second Team for the second time in his career. Peifer also started every game, totaled 69 ground balls and had two goals and two assists from the backfield.

In the goal, a possible scenario could be junior and one-time 2006 MAC Defender/Goaltender of the Week Chris Schuch (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) and first-year Bill Bell (Greensburg, PA/Greensburg Central Catholic) splitting time, with sophomore Troy Machir (Bethesda, MD/Gunnery School) backing them up. Schuch had a 9.10 goals against average, a .583 save percentage and 182 saves in over 857 minutes played last year, while Machir had a goals against average of 10.69, a save percentage of .597 and 43 saves in over 162 minutes as a rookie in 2006.

Among long-stick midfielders, both junior Gary Senese (Leondardtown, MD/Tatnall School, DE) and sophomore Dan Hinder (Bel Air, MD/John Carroll School) will see playing time at long-stick midfield and at defense, according to Corcoran. Gary Senese made the All-MAC Second Team for the first time as a sophomore in 2006, and he totaled 45 ground balls, four goals and two assists in all 17 games. Hinder played in 16 games as a first-year student and tallied 10 ground balls.

Other Blue Jays on the defensive end include sophomores Spencer Berman (Villanova, PA/Cheshire Academy, CT) and Mike Ruby (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park), and first-year Zak Miller (Old Lyme, CT/Cheshire Academy). Berman missed all of the 2006 season due to injury, and Ruby played in 16 games with 22 ground balls, two goals, one assist and 12 faceoffs taken. Miller was a New England prep senior all-star and an all-league honorable mention player in high school.

As the sticks shrink, so does the number of experienced collegiate players Elizabethtown has. The Blue Jays have a core of small-stick defensive midfielders consisting of sophomore Jeff Long (West Chester, PA/Henderson) and first-years John Day (Thornton, PA/Bishop Shanahan), Keith Staulters (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) and Phil Robinson (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown West) described by Corcoran as “a strong group of good athletes with good toughness and good speed.” Only Long among them has collegiate playing experience, and he totaled 18 ground balls and one goal in 14 games last year.

The Blue Jays’ offensive midfield will likely be led by senior Frankie Puzzangara (Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven), sophomore Brad Whitcomb (Taneytown, MD/Francis Scott Key), and first-year students Aaron Weber (Lititz, PA/Manheim Twp.), Josh Dougherty (Ocean City, MD/Worcester Prep.) and Kyle Huckle (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca).

Last year, Puzzangara re-wrote Elizabethtown’s single-season record book, setting new marks for most goals (47), ground balls (125), shots (236) and faceoffs won (156). He was named a 2007 Honorable Mention Pre-Season All-American by Inside Lacrosse, and he was the 2006 MAC Player of the Year as a junior. He needs just 18 goals, 68 ground balls and 31 points to tie the Elizabethtown career records in each of the aforementioned categories. Whitcomb totaled eight goals, four assists and 17 ground balls in 15 games last year. Weber was a first-team all-district and high school All-American at Manheim Township, and Huckle was a second team all-star at Ithaca High School.

Other midfielders joining the Blue Jays this year include first-year students Jesse Murphy Cabell (South Plainfield, NJ/Rutgers Prep.) and Peter Levengood (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts). Murphy-Cabell was an honorable mention all-state player, as well as an all-division and all-area honoree in high school.

On the attack, the likely starters are sophomores Andrew Wagner (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) and Ryan McCafferty (Orlando, FL/William R. Boone), along with first-year student Chris Senese (Leonardtown, MD/Unionville). Last year, Wagner totaled 11 goals, eight assists and 12 ground balls in 11 games played. McCafferty was a first-year student at Skidmore College in 2006, and he totaled one goal and 20 ground balls in 12 games for the Thoroughbreds. Additional members of Elizabethtown’s attack in 2007 include sophomore Max Felty (Elizabethtown, PA/Lancaster Country Day), who totaled two goals and 10 ground balls in nine games last year, and first-year student Bobby Freed (Quakertown, PA/Wyoming Seminary).

“Offensively,” said Corcoran, we have a lot of potential, and that will come with time as the younger players learn the college game.” Last year, Puzzangara scored 47 of the team’s 141 goals, and he took nearly half of the team’s shots. Opposing defenses knew exactly who to target. This year, Corcoran said, “we have the potential for a more balanced offense, which should make him more effective.” He continued, “As the younger players can step up and pick up more of the offensive load, that in turn can open up more for us because defenses won’t be able to key on one person.”