After losing to Middlebury in the finals for the last two seasons, the men’s lacrosse team is poised for another run at an elusive NESCAC championship. The Cardinals begin the year ranked 10th in the Inside Lacrosse/Face Off-Yearbook national poll.
The squad returns 22 players from last year’s 13-6 campaign, including first-team preseason All-American and tri-captain Glenn Adams ’06. Adams racked up 20 goals and 29 assists, including two scores and three assists against Springfield College in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. He eventually led the team with 49 points.
The Cards lost their second and third-highest offensive producers in terms of total points, but their attack should not miss a beat, as tri-captain Jordan Funt ’06 and returning players Mike Hines ’07 and Mike Vitulano ’06 appear ready to shoulder the load. Funt tallied 38 points last season while Hines and Vitulano scored the most goals of any returning player, notching 26 apiece. Recent scrimmages against Merrimack, Bryant, Springfield and the New York Institute of Technology gave the Cards some time to fine-tune their offense.
“The freshmen have had some trouble scoring as of late, especially Field Yates,” Hines said. “Everyone on the team is just looking for him to tuck a ‘G’ real soon and get over that hump.”
On the defensive side, 2005 second-team All-NESCAC goalie Charlie Congleton ’07 will look to build on last year’s breakout season. He ranked second in the conference in save percentage, stopping 64 percent of the shots he faced. Tri-captain Bob Diehl ’06 anchors a defense that was among the stingiest in the NESCAC last season, allowing just 8.26 goals per game.
The program’s consistent success continues to attract more and more recruits. This season, head coach John Raba brought in 15 freshmen, adding to an already deep and talented squad.
“Our freshman class is quite lofty,” Congleton said. “Just the sheer increase in the height of our team this year has to help our chances.”
The Cards begin their season at Endicott College on Mar. 11 at 1 p.m. followed by their home opener against Babson College on Mar. 13 at 3 p.m.
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