Recently in Men's Lacrosse Category

 Eight-time champs are never threatened, snap Warriors' streak

SALISBURY, Md. - The Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team went 47 minutes with just one goal as eight-time NCAA Division III national champion Salisbury University swamped the Warriors, 20-6, Sunday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.

The win is the eighth this year without a loss for No. 3 nationally-ranked Salisbury, which has captured five of the last seven national crowns. Eastern (3-2) had a three-game winning streak snapped and has now been outscored 37-14 in road losses to two nationally-ranked teams this year.

Last year, with two eventual All-Americas and a four-year starting goalie, the Warriors represented themselves well in a 15-7 loss at Salisbury. With all three of those players gone this time, the Warriors trailed 10-0 26 minutes into the match and 18-1 with 12 minutes left before scoring five goals in the final 12 minutes.

Twelve different Salisbury players had either a goal or assist and all four of the team's goalies received time in the net. Attackmen Grant Albertson (New Canaan) and Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) - both newcomers to the program - each had two goals for Eastern, with senior midfielder Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) coming up with six ground balls. Freshman goalie Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) stopped 14 shots over the first 44 minutes. Junior Eric Vasil (Southington) won a career-low 46.4 percent of 28 faceoff attempts. Last year's national leader in that department, Vasil brought an 81.5 winning mark into the contest.

Honorable mention All-Americas Matt Cannone and Mike Von Kamecke combined for eight goals and six assists for Salisbury, with Jake DeLillo adding two goals and three assists. Winning goalie Johnny Rodriguez turned aside seven shots, giving up only one goal.

Salisbury outshot Eastern 54-23 and capitalized on seven man-up situations by scoring six times. Eastern potted just one goal on six extra-man tries.

Eastern visits Goucher College (5-2) Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Gophers have won five straight and are unbeaten this year on their home field.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Freshman Berube makes 14 saves, Warriors' man-down stymies Amherst

  MANSFIELD, Conn. - Freshman goalie Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) recorded double- digit saves for the first time in four collegiate appearances and the Eastern Connecticut State University man-down unit killed eight of nine opposing extra-man opportunities as the Warriors downed Amherst College, 14-12, Tuesday afternoon at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

At right: Salieu Bolivar

The win is the first for Eastern (3-1)  in three tries against Amherst (0-2) and gives Eastern three straight victories at home in seven days by a total of four goals.  The triumph follows one-goal wins over Babson College, 12-11, in its home-opener and an 11-10 overtime verdict over Montclair State University Friday night.

Although the final margin was only two goals, Eastern  trailed only twice by one goal each time in the first quarter and was never behind throughout the final three periods. Sophomore midfielder Salieu Bolivar (Norwalk) and senior midfielder Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) connected on the team's third and fourth shots of the game to provide the hosts with an early 2-0 lead and after senior attack Matt Kellman gave Amherst its second and final lead of the game late in the first period, Eastern took the lead for good. The Warriors tied the game with 57 seconds left in the first quarter on a goal by senior midfielder Zach Malouf (Norwich), and freshman attack Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) and Albertson beat Amherst freshman goalie Steve Levy 13 seconds apart to make it 6-4. Janssen's goal came in a man-down situation after the Warriors were whistled for a slash with 19.8 seconds left in the first period.

The Warriors carried a three-goal lead into the fourth period and fattened that lead to five, 14-9, with nine minutes left when 6-foot-7 inch first-year junior transfer Grant Albertston (New Canaan) stuck in a man-down goal - his fifth of the game.

Eastern successfully killed the next seven minutes before Amherst (0-2) answered with three goals in 57 seconds to knock the lead down to the final two-goal margin. The Warriors turned the ball over with time running out but Berube made his 14th and final save in the final seconds to keep Amherst from making it a one-goal agme.

Bolivar followed Albertson with three goals, with six additonal players adding a goal each. Junior attack Brendan Hoppey (Shoreham, NY) handed out two assists.

Eastern's opponents had converted nine of 20 extra-man tries heading into the game but the Warriors successfully killed off eight of Amherst's nine power-play situations. Amherst was 0-for-4 in the first half and couldn't capitalize on two man-up advantages when it tried to rally in the fourth period

Amherst sophomore midfielder Alex Fox contributed to ten of Amherst's 12 goals by scoring seven and assisting on three. Fox took one third of his team's shots..

Eastern junior midfielder Eric Vasil (Southington) won 20 of 28 faceoffs and collected 15 of the team's 33 ground balls. In four games, Vasil has won 88 of 108 faceoffs (81.5) and picked up 68 ground balls. Albertson tops Eastern this year wtih 13 goals and 18 points and Janssen has scored eight goals and added five helpers. Berbue is 2-0 with a 9.87 goals-against average and .538 save percentage.

 Eastern plays the first of six consecutive road games Sunday at No. 3 nationally-ranked Salisbry University at 1 p.m.

Five players cited for their performances for the week ending March 14

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. --  Five Eastern Connecticut State University lacrosse players were recognized with weekly honors by the Little East Conference in the first week of the honors program.

Eastern athletes were selected as the conference's Defensive Player-of-the-Week and as the Goalie-of-the-Week in both men's and women's lacrosse and as the men's Rookie-of-the-Week.

Senior midfielder Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, MA) and junior midfielder Eric Vasil (Southington) were named women's and men's Defensive Player-of-the-Week, respectively, while freshmen Nancy Ibrahim (Lindenhurst, NY) and Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) were cited with their respective Goalie-of-the-Week honors. Freshman attack Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) was tabbed as the men's lacrosse Rookie-of-the-Week.

MacDonald, the LEC's two-time Defensive Player-of-the-Week, led Eastern to a win in its only match, a 16-11 decision at Salve Regina University. MacDonald had six ground balls, won three draws, and caused two turnovers. Ibrhim stopped 11 shots against Salve to record her first collegiate win.

On the men's side, Vasil won 88.2 percent of his faceoffs (45-for-51) and picked up 33 ground balls as Eastern won a pair of one-goal decisions at home: 12-11 over Babson College and 11-10 in overtime over Montclair State University. A pre-season All-America, Vasil led Division III last year in faceoff percentage and ground balls.

Berube registed his first career win in his second career start against Montclair, making seven saves and giving up only four goals after the intermission.

Janssen collected ten points in two matches, scoring six goals and assisting on four others. Against Babson, Janssen scored an unassisted goal to give Eastern an 11-10 lead with eight minutes left, and assisted on senior attack Vinny Tornatore's (Norwalk) game-winning goal in sudden death overtime.

MacDonald received a weekly LEC award for the seventh time in her four-year career. She was named top weekly rookie once in 2007, twice top defensive and once top offensive player as a sophomore and once top offensive and once top defensive player last season. Vasil was accorded top defensive accolades three times last year. The Rookie-of-the-Week recognition was the first by a men's lacrosse player since goalie Kyle Savage was honored in the third week of the 2006 season.

The Eastern men (2-1) host Amherst College Tuesday at 4 p.m. while the women (1-2) visit Vassar College Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Senior Tornatore strikes 2:24 into sudden-death in comeback victory

  MANSFIELD, Conn. -- In a battle of 2009 NCAA tournament teams and conference champions, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team snapped a three-game losing streak at the hands of Montclair State University with its second one-goal triumph in three days, 11-10 in overtime Friday night at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex

Above: Vinny Tornatore

Senior crease attackman Vinny Tornatore (Norwalk) scored his second goal of the match 2:24 into sudden-death overtime with a shot from in front of the cage on an assist from freshman attack Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) to end the match. The lead was only Eastern's second of the match and first since the Warriors led 5-4 with 3:20 left in the first half, and the shot was the Warriors' only one in overtime.

Montclair led 4-1 late in the first quarter and 9-7 with nine minutes left in the game after  sophomore attack Tyler Meth scored his team-leading 11 goal of the season. Trailing 10-9, Eastern tied the match for the fourth time in the match when senior midfielder Zach Malouf (Norwich) scored on a pass from junior attack Grant Albertson (New Canaan) with  just 85 seconds left in regulation.

Montclair started the overtime period with possession and a man up after Eastern was whistled for a push with eight seconds left in regulation. The Red Hawks were unable to capitalize on three overtime possessions, however, with two of their shots blocked by Eastern defenders.  Eastern cleared the ball successfully, then called time out to set up the winning goal.

Making his second career start, Eastern freshman netminder Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) recorded  seven saves to earn his first career win in his first career decision. Eastern junior faceoff specialist Eric Vasil (Southington) won 22 of 24 faceoffs to improve his nation-leading percentage to .850 (68-for-80) and also picked up 13 ground balls. Vasil, the team-leader with 53 ground balls,  led Division III last year in faceoff percentage and ground balls.

Above: Donald Berube 

Eastern survived 31 turnovers to gain its second one-goal home win in as many home matches this year.In its home-opener Wednesday afternoon, Eastern trimmed Babson College, 12-11.

Montclair's special teams scored six goals in the match - the man-up unit striking for five goals on nine chances and the man-down unit scored once. The man-up unit scored twice in the first quarter to held the Red Hawks into a quick 3-0 lead halfway through the period and that group scored one additonal man-up goal in each of the final three quarters. With Eastern leading 5-4 late in the first half, , Montclair's man-down tied the match with 2:10 left, and the extra-man unit scored just over a minute later to give the visitors a 6-5 halftime lead.

Junior attack Mike Corsetto contributed four assists for Montclair,, setting up senior attack Patrick Nann for the team's go-ahead goal with five minutes left in regulation. Albertson, a 6-foot-7 inch first-year Division I transfer, netted six points for Eastern with four goals and two assists, while Janssen chipped in two goals and two assists and junior attack Brendan Hoppey (Shoreham, NY) registered his first two goals of the year.

In three games, first-year players Albertson and Janssen have combined for 23 of the team's 48 points, 15 of its 31 goals and eight of its 17 assists.

Eastern hosts Amherst College Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Eastern Conn. 11, Montclair State U. 10

Montclair State U. (1-3)          4    2    2    2    (0) -- 10
Eastern Conn. (2-1)                2    3    1    4    (1) -- 11

Goals: M-Matthew Prongay 2, Tyler Meth 2, Taylor Bonner 2, Robert Sinicola, Patrick Nann, Ryan Kloss, Patrick Ferry; E-Grant Albertson 4, Matthew Janssen 2, Vinny Tornatore 2, Brendan Hoppy 2, Zach Malouf.
Assists: M-Mike Corsetto 4, Meth, Nann, Prongay, Sinicola; E-Albertson 2, Janssen 2, Maxim Fantl.
Shots: M-33, E-39; Saves: M-Andrew Rosado 5, E-Donald Berube 7.

In home-opener Warriors respond after giving up four-goal lead, 12-11

MANSFIELD, Conn. -- First-year junior attack Grant Albertson (New Canaan) scored his second goal of the game on a pass from sophomore midfielder Salieu Bolivar (Norwalk) with 18.7 seconds left to give the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team a 12-11 victory over Babson College Wednesday night in the 2010 home-opener at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

Above: Alberston (left), and Janssen

Ranked in a tie for 11th in the first New England Division III poll, Eastern (1-1)  led 9-5 midway through the third quarter but Babson outscored Eastern 6-2, tying the game on junior Armand Wilson's goal with just under a minute left. After a timeout,  Eastern junior midfielder Eric Vasil (Southington) won the ensuing faceoff to give Eastern possession. Eastern maintained possession after the ball went out of bounds, and with 18.7 second left, Running from left to right, Bolivar fed un unmarked Albertson stationed at the left of the cage. Vasil, last year's national leader in faceoff percentage and ground balls, then won his 23rd faceoff in 27 tries, scooping up his 20th ground ball and making one pass before the final horn sounded..

Freshman attack Alex Patinkin scored three of his game-high five goals to ignite Babson's second-half rally. Eastern freshman attack Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) scored two of his team-high four goals in the fourth quarter. His first goal of the quarter gave Eastern a 10-8 lead and his second came on an extra-man opportunity and lifted Eastern into an 11-10 lead with eight minutes left in the game. Neither team scored for the next seven minutes until  Wilson scored from in close on a pass from junior defenseman Christian Ebert to tie the game at 11-11 with 52 seconds left.

The Warriors allowed Babson only three extra-man opportunites after the first quarter and was not whistled for a penalty over the final 21 minutes. Babson scored twice on man-up tries in the first quarter in taking an early 3-1 lead. Eastern gave up the first goal of the second quarter and trailed 4-1 before striking for the next five goals and eight of the next nine to move out ot its 9-5 lead. Senior midfielder Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) was credited with his first three goals of the season to ignite that 8-1 rally and senior attack Vinny Tornatore (Norwalk) added two goals and Janssen two assists.

Sophomore Jamie Tommins (Fairfield) played the second half to receive his first collegiate victory in relief of starter Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA). Berube made eight saves over the first 30 minutes and carried a 6-4 lead into the half, but lost his bid for his first win when the visitors tied the match, 10-10, with 8:34 left.

The contest was the first for Eastern on the new synthetic turf at the Mansfield Complex. The win was the fifth straight and tenth in 14 meetings in this series for Eastern, ranked in a tie for 11th in the first New England Division III poll.

Eastern hosts Montclair State University Friday at 6 p.m.

Men tied for 11th in first NEILA poll (March 9).pdf

Men unanimous No. 1 selections, No. 2 women nab three first-place votes

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. -The Eastern Connecticut State University and Keene State College men's and women's lacrosse teams are expected to be among the serious contenders for their respective 2010 Little East Conference regular-season championships, according to the coaches' pre-season polls.

Above: Maxim Fantl

For the second-straight season and seventh time overall, Eastern men's lacrosse has been predicted to capture the Little East men's lacrosse regular season championship after a unanimous vote by the conference's eight coaches. The Warriors earned all eight first-place votes and 64 total points.Keene State College, the second-most successful program behind Eastern in conference men's lacrosse competition, was the clear-cut No. 2 contender. The Owls earned each of the eight second-place votes for 56 points.

Keene State College came in atop the women's lacrosse preseason poll, narrowly edging the three-time undefeated regular-season champion Warriors for the distinction. In votes cast by the conference's seven head coaches, the two schools garnered three first place votes apiece. The Owls took the overall vote by a narrow six point-margin, taking 45 points to the Warriors' 39. After winning its first playoff title a year ago with an overtime triumph over top-seeded Eastern, Keene State finds itself selected as preseason favorites for the first time since the poll's inception in 2002.

The women's survey's results reflect a budding rivalry between the two-top vote getters heading into the 2010 season. In 2009, the Owls and Warriors split two head-to-head contests, each of which were decided by a single goal. While Eastern Connecticut grabbed a 14-13 victory last March, Keene State countered with a thrilling 9-8 overtime victory last May to claim the 2009 playoff title on the Warriors' home field. The Owls and Warriors headline the first day of this spring's conference play with a head-to-head matchup at Keene State at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 3. This much-anticipated matchup will be broadcast on Littleeast.tv.

Under the direction of third-year head coach Justin Axel, Eastern captured the program's seventh LEC regular-season and sixth LEC playoff championships in 2009, defeating Keene State, 12-8, in the conference final at Thomas Nevers Field. The Warriors received their sixth NCAA Division III Tournament berth and earned the program's first victory in the championship field with an overtime win at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Axel led the Warriors to an overall record of 15-4, including the program's seventh undefeated (7-0) conference record. In nine seasons of conference competition, the Warriors are 52-2 in regular-season matches and 14-3 in the conference playoffs for an overall mark of 66-5 (.930).

The Warriors have welcomed back 20 letterwinners this year, including junior faceoff ace Eric Vasil (Southington). Vasil, senior midfielder Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) and sophomore long-stick midfielder Tommy Flynn (Mineola, NY) are the team's three returning all-conference selections. In 2009, Vasil led the nation and established new single-season program records for faceoff percentage (.714) and ground balls (221). The Warriors opened the 2010 schedule with a 17-8 loss at No. 17 Stevens on March 3.

At right: Brooke Wayte

In each of head coach Christine Hutchinson's three seasons, the Warriors reached the ultimate game of the LEC tournament, claiming titles in 2007 and 2008, and coming in second  to Keene State in 2009. In 2010, Eastern will feature a two-headed offensive attack in senior attack  Brooke Wayte (Bellport, NY) and senior midfielder Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, MA), both returning first-team all-conference players. MacDonald has been voted the conference's  Defensive Player of the Year  in each of the last two seasons. MacDonald is also a former LEC Rookie-of-the-Year and tournament MVP while Hutchison has been voted conference Coach-of-the-Year in two of her three seasons in charge.

The Little East sponsors a seven-game conference schedule with the top-six squads advancing to the 2010 Little East Championship. The tournament will begin with two first-round matchups on Tuesday, May 4 with the two winners advancing to play at the top-two seeds two days later. The Little East champion will be crowned on Saturday, May 8 and earn the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Tournament.

2010 Little East Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank  Institution  First Place  Total Points

1  EASTERN CONNECTICUT  (8)  64
2  Keene State College     56
3  Plymouth State University     36
   Western Connecticut State University  36
5  University of Southern Maine     35
6  Salem State College     25
   University of Massachusetts Dartmouth  25
8  University of Massachusetts Boston   11 

2010 Little East Women's Lacross Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank  Institution  First Place  Total Points
1  Keene State College  (3)  45
2  EASTERN CONNECTICUT (3)  39
3  Plymouth State University  (1)  31
4  University of Southern Maine     25
5  University of Massachusetts Dartmouth  21
   Western Connecticut State University  21
7  Rhode Island College  14

Warriors muster only one first-half goal as they are dumped by Ducks

HOBOKEN, N.J. --  The Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team allowed five goals in the final eight minutes of the first quarter in dropping a 17-8 decision to No. 17 nationally-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology in the 2010 season-opener Wednesday afternoon at DeBaun Athletic Complex.

At right: Eric Vasil

Featuring a starting lineup of two seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and one freshman, Eastern could not dig out of an early 12-goal deficit in falling to the nation's 17th-ranked team. Stevens (3-0), a winner of two of the last three ECAC Metro/South championships, was making its home debut after posting two consecutive one-goal wins, one of which came against No. 20 Endicott College. The Warriors were coming off a 15-4 campaign and NCAA tournament appearance.

Five of Eastern's goals came by players making their Eastern debuts: first-year Division I junior transfer Grant Albertson (New Canaan) scored twice and freshmen Dan O'Reilly (Southington), Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ) and Jonathan Nessa (Dedham, MA) once each. Senior midfielder Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) added two assists.

Junior midfielder Eric Vasil (Southington) - last year's Division III national leader in ground balls and faceoffs, won 23 of 29 faceoffs (12-for-13 in the second half) against five Stevens Tech faceoff men and picked up 20 ground balls.Vasil won 13 of 17 against Stevens senior or Bobby Steinhauser.

Stevens junior goalie Dave Decker - a first-team pre-season All-America -- turned aside 12 of 16 shots before giving way to his backup with nine minutes left. After coming off the bench in seven games behind Kyle Savage last year, sophomore Jamie Tommins (Fairfield) surrendered 13 first-half goals in his starting debut before freshman Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) stopped four of ten shots on goal in his debut in the second half.

Four Stevens starters combined for 12 goals and nine assists. Junior Chris Laurita had three goals and five assists and sophomore Alex Hofrichter four goals and a helper. All-America defenseman Zach McHugh scooped up a team-high six ground balls for Stevens.

Eastern hosts Babson College Wednesday at 4 p..m. in the first of three straight home matches.

Stevens Tech 17, Eastern Conn. 8

Eastern Conn. (0-1)          1     0     3     4 --   8
Stevens Tech (3-0)            5     8    2     2 -- 17

Goals: E-Grant Albertson 2, Salieu Bolivar, Zach Malouf, Matthew Janssen, Jonathan Nessa, Dan O'Reilly, Vinny Tornatore; S-Alex Hofrichter 4, Chris Laurita 3, blair Koontz 3, Rich Dupras 2, Brandon Faubert 2, Dan Prakopcyk, Taylor Brown, Nicolas Philipi.

Assists: E-Maxim Fantl 2, Albertson, Bolivar, Brendan Hoppey, Eric Vasil; S-Laurita 5, Dupras 2, Koontz 2, Hofrichter, Tom Iadanza.

Shots: E-33, S-47; Saves: E- Jamie Tommins 6 (13 goals allowed, 30:00 min.), Donald Berube 6 (4, 30:00), S-Dave Decker 12 (4, 50:45), Eric Yando 2 (4, 9:15).

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Warriors anticipate continued success under third-year head coach Axel

Coach Justin Axel

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The Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team opens its third season under head coach Justin Axel Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. when the Warriors visit No. 17 Stevens Institute of Technology at DeBaun Athletic Complex on the campus of the Hoboken, N.J. school.

At right: Eric Vasil's .714 faceoff percentage was Division III's best in 2009.

The Warriors return 19 letterwinners from last year's team which equaled the program record for wins (15-4 record), won its sixth Little East Conference playoff championship in nine years, went undefeated in regular-season conference play for the seventh time in nine years, and  achieved a landmark NCAA Division III tournament win - its first ever.

Eastern has lost its top two defenseman, starting goalie, and  top two scorers from that squad which carried a nine-game winning streak into a closely-contested 8-4 loss at Wesleyan University in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

However, it may be pre-mature to write the 2010 season off to growing pains. In fact, the Warriors might just be getting started under Axel as they chase their seventh NCAA tournament berth this decade.

While there are a number of holes to fill - including replacing four-year starting goalie Kyle Savage and 2009 USILA honorable mention All-Americas Steve Lane (a defenseman) and midfielder DJ Simmons  -- a combination of improved returning players and promising newcomers are intent on making the season just as memorable.

In Stevens Tech, Eastern will face a team ranked 17th in the first USILA Division III rankings. The Ducks are coming off their second ECAC regional championship in the last three years and already have two (one-goal) wins under their belts. They feature first-team pre-season All-America goalie Dave Decker, last year's Empire-8 Goalie-of-the-Year, as well as pre-season honorable mention All-America defenseman Zach McHugh.

Stevens is one of three nationally-ranked teams that Eastern will face in the first 18 days of the regular season. The Warriors will  play seven contests before opening their conference season April 3 at the University of Southern Maine.

Tangibly, Eastern's biggest strengths this season may be its size, depth, conditioning and its ability to win faceoffs. Its biggest areas of concern in the pre-season are inexperience on defense and in goal.

At right: Brendan Hoppey, top returning scorer.

"I tell our guys all the time that we just want to improve a little bit each day," said Axel, a former Salisbury University assistant who took over a program which was coming off its first losing season in program history. "This team has the capability of beating anyone on any given day because the offense is so good, because we have a faceoff guy who can get us the ball 75 percent of the time.  So even if we are giving up goals, if our offense is clicking, we can trade goals back and forth with most teams all day.  It will be interesting to see how far this team goes."

While Eastern got off to an encouraging start last year against its traditionally competitive non-conference opponents, the ability to practice outdoors extensively for the first time ever in pre-season may make for an even more productive start this season.

Sophomore Jamie Tommins (Fairfield) and freshman Donald Berube (Tewksbury, MA) are waging a healthy neck-in-neck battle for the starting goalkeeper spot vacated by stalwart Kyle Savage, with senior Douglas Hackenyos (West Suffield), juniors Daniel Dowling (Hamden) and Ryan Schneeloch (Glastonbury) and sophomore Tommy Flynn (Mineola, NY) expected to see most of the time on the back line. Dowling will also provide depth at long-stick midfield, where he will join junior Sean Leary  (West Hartford) and injured sophomore Andrew Sonnet (New Providence, NJ). The starting offensive midfielders are likely to be seniors Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) and Zach Malouf (Norwich) and faceoff specialist Eric Vasil (Southington). Rotating at attack will be junior Brendan Hoppey (Shoreham, NY), 6-foot-7 inch first-year Division I junior transfer Grant Albertson (New Canaan), and freshman Matthew Janssen (Hillsborough, NJ), with depth provided by senior Vinny Tornatore (Norwalk),  junior Brian Fechtmann (Levittown, NY) and freshman Jonathan Nessa (Dedham, MA).

Top defensive midfielders are sophomores Salieu Bolivar (Norwalk), Mark Vincent (Norwalk) and John Epley (Mystic).

"I actually think that we're better (offensively) already this year than we were last year, despite losing (Simmons and Matthew Savage), who were two great players," observes Axel. "We have 10-12 guys who can go in and play offense and score goals at any point in time. It is on the defensive end where it will take a little bit of time. But it's just a matter of getting the (defensive) guys playing together more. We had had the same defense down there for three years. They were all on the same page. It's just a matter of getting our new guys feeling each other out and getting comfortable with each other.  And we've seen a magnificent improvement from Day 1. Our defense is now playing great team defense. They just have to continue improving.They've been taking it to heart, they know that they can't relax." 

Bolivar, Brian Fechtmann and Nessa will also contribute at offensive midfield, as will senior Michael Glennon (Walpole, MA), sophomore Kyle Bainton (North Attleboro, MA) and freshman Dan O'Reilly (Southington), who missed last season with a broken jaw suffered in the pre-season. Additional defensive midfielders are senior Morty Bouchard (Cold Spring Harbor, NY) and junior Lee Mascolo (West Hartford).

Vasil was incomparable at the 'X' last year, leading Division III in faceoff percentage (.714) and ground balls (221). He set season records for faceoff percentage, faceoffs won and attempted and obliterated the season ground ball record. For his performance, he was named an honorable mention pre-season All-America this year.

"As good as Eric was last year, he worked twice as hard in the off-season," points out Axel. "His shot and stick have gotten better, and his defense is incredible. People cannot beat him on defense, because he's so strong. He should be," notes Axel, "the best faceoff guy in the country again."

Although Eastern lost its top two scorers in Matthew Savage and Simmons, every other player to harvest double-digit points returns. Hoppey leads the returnees with 39 points despite missing the first four games of last year with a hand injury. Malouf added 29, Brian Fechtmann  and Fantl with 28 each.

The luxury of having a synthetic turf field available throughout pre-season has  vaulted Eastern several weeks ahead of its usual schedule. The results were noticeable immediately in the team's two pre-season scrimmages against Wesleyan University and Connecticut College.

"We're going to be better earlier on," says Axel. "We won't see that (traditional) peak later in the year when we were previously just getting outside.  We will have a much slower (improvement)  curve and it won't be dramatic. Even though we lost nine guys, we feel that we can still be competitive in our conference, and hopefully, get another chance to go to the NCAAs."

Current Eastern Connecticut State University head women's soccer coach Chris D'Ambrosio (at center in ltop photo) and former Eastern men's lacrosse coach Rick McCarthy (at center in bottom photo) were honored Sunday with induction into a Hall of Fame. D'Ambrosio was recognized by the Connecticut Girls' Soccer Coaches Assocation (CGSCA) during ceremonies as the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville. McCarthy, who coached the first seven seasons of the Eastern men's lacrosse program from 1996 through 2002, was enshrined by the  Connecticut Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame at the Commons at Woolsey Hall on the campus of Yale University. Both D'Ambrosio and McCarthy are the winningest coaches in the history of their respective Eastern programs. McCarthy was inducted into the Eastern E-Club Hall of Fame in the fall of 2008. Helping D'Ambrosio celebrate his induction were Joe Erardi (far left) and Beth Regan (far right) -- two of the three previous coaches in women's soccer program history. Regan, the program founder who coached the program through the first six yeaers, currently serves as chairman of the NSCAA Region I All-America Committee, while Erardi was a founding member of the CGSCA and past president. Joining McCarthy at Yale were four of his former players. From left: Christopher Strycharz, Ryan Cavanaugh, Thierry Francois and Ryan Rose.

     Rick McCarthy to be cited by Conn. Lacrosse Foundation Sunday

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -   Eastern Connecticut State University Hall of Fame coach Rick McCarthy will be enshrined as a member of the second class of inductees into the Connecticut Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame January 10.

McCarthy, who has played and coached at the high school, college and club levels for 50 years, is one of seven individuals slated for induction during a reception at dinner ceremony from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in The Commons at Woolsey Hall on the Yale University campus.

A 1968 graduate of Yale, McCarthy is a Marblehead, MA native and Stonington resident has served as head men's lacrosse coach at Babson College, Eastern and Western Connecticut  State University for a total of 13 years and is currently in his fifth year as an assistant coach at Wesleyan University.

McCarthy began the Eastern men's and women's lacrosse programs on the club level in 1995 before taking over the men's program for seven years on the intercollegiate level. After leading the Eastern program to a 91-19 record and 11 conference regular-season and playoff championships, McCarthy was named first head coach for the newly-formed Western Connecticut program. He coached the Colonials in 2004 and '05, with that second team winning 11 of 16 matches and qualifying for the ECAC New England Division III tournament. McCarthy build the foundation of that program which would go on to win the Little East Conference championship three years later.

In the fall of 2008, McCarthy became the first representative of the Eastern men's lacrosse program to gain induction into the Eastern Connecticut State University E-Club Hall of Fame.

Under McCarthy, Eastern featured six USILA Division III All-Americans and 26 All-New England players. Four were named to the prestigious USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game, and 13 to the New England East-West Senior All-Star Game. At the conference level, 12 were selected All-Little East Conference and 19 Pilgrim League all-division. McCarthy also boasted one ECAC New England Player-of-the-Year, three LEC players of the year, one LEC Rookie-of-the-Year, and two Pilgrim League rookies of the year.

A past president of the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association,  McCarthy was named Assistant Coach-of-the-Year by the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaching Association in 2006.

After leading Phillips Exeter Academy to the New England prep lacrosse championship as a high school player in 1964, McCarthty lettered four seasons in lacrosse and ice hockey at Yale between 1964 and 1968. He began his current 37-year coaching career as an assistant varsity and head freshman lacrosse coach at Yale and later went on to coach at the Choate School and Avon Old Farms.

McCarthy has served on a multitude of regional and national lacrosse committees and in addition to college and high school coaching, has coached numerous youth and college-age club team throughout New England. In addition to serving as an assistant coach at Wesleyan, McCarthy serves as director of the Connecticut Cardinals club lacrosse program.

Additional inductees Sunday include Pat McCahill, Bob McHenry, Lee Pinney, Mike Pressler, Bonnie Rosen and Dee Stephan. The induction dinner will be the culminating event of the Connecticut Lacrosse Foundation's annual Connecticut Coaches' Convention and Clnic, which also be held at Yale throughout the day.

Tickets for the induction dinner and ceremony are priced at $60 and must be reserved by Saturday at www.ctlacrosse.org