ANNVILLE, Pa. - It has been nearly a year and a half since Lebanon Valley College announced it would field men's and women's lacrosse teams in spring 2010, for the first time since 1985. Since the announcement in October 2008, both teams have had to find coaches, find players, find opponents, and find equipment - in short, they had to be built from the ground up.
So when the LVC men's team takes to the field on March 6 at Mount St. Mary (N.Y.) for its first varsity game in 25 years, it's safe to say that nobody will be happier than head coach
John Haus, who has spent the better part of the past year and a half building his team from scratch.
His Dutchmen, picked 11th in the Middle Atlantic Conference preseason coaches' poll, aren't necessarily expected to win a lot as a first-year program - but that's not really the point for a team that, Haus says, improves leaps and bounds every day he has them together.
"We've made a lot of progress in terms of the skill level and the fundamentals," Haus explains. "We tell them, they're building the foundation of the program. Not at any point during the course of the year can they not give effort, not try to get better, and not try to build the team. Winning and losing is what it is - it'll take care of itself. Maybe not initially, but it will. That's the biggest key."
Bringing a diverse group of student-athletes together has been a challenge for Haus and assistant coach
Dylan Sheridan, but one that he's enjoyed. His team includes 25 men who range from high school lacrosse standouts to LVC multi-sport athletes to first-time players, with everything in between.
"It's been great," Haus says. "For me, the biggest thing is in terms of the make-up of the team. There are so many different factions - kids who have never played before, kids who haven't played in a few years, kids who are right out of high school. To bring them all together and get them on the same page has been the biggest challenge."
Quick Hits
- LVC previously sponsored men's lacrosse from 1965 to 1985 and had success, winning an MAC title in 1968.
- Coach
John Haus is a 14-year coaching veteran with previous stops at Washington College (where he won a D-III national title in 1998) as well as Division I Johns Hopkins and North Carolina.
- After their opener on the road, the Dutchmen will debut at home, weather permitting, on March 10 against Husson University at Arnold Field at 3:30 p.m.
- Lebanon Valley will compete in the Middle Atlantic Conference and be immediately eligibile for postseason play.
- The LVC roster includes 25 student-athletes total, with 12 freshmen, five sophomores, four juniors, and four seniors. Fourteen of the 25 are multi-sport athletes at LVC with either the football, ice hockey, or men's soccer teams.
- The Dutchmen have been on the field once this spring, with a scrimmage against Chesnut Hill, a fellow first-year program, back on Feb. 20.
- All home games will be played at Arnold Field, also home to LVC's football and track & field programs. Admission and parking are free for all games.
Team Unit Breakdowns
Goalkeeper
The starting job will fall to
Ethan Hilberg, the only goalkeeper on the roster for 2010. Hilberg is a sophomore transfer from Cazenovia, where he played in six games with a 3.60 GAA as a freshman last year.
Defense
The Dutchmen defense will be led by a core group including
Jason Dougherty,
Brian Semkiw,
Ian Repko, and
Michael Hull, all of whom are freshmen. Haus, who was an all-American defenseman as a player himself, describes the group as extremely coachable with a high lacrosse IQ. The four freshmen will be joined by
Colin Thompson,
Rich Drazin, and
Aaron Amin, all two-sport LVC student-athletes who can contribute after recently joining the team for pre-season practice following the conclusion of the ice hockey season. The short-stick defenders will include seniors
Carmen Forte and
Andrew Brandt, sophomore
Mike Manubay, and freshman
Colin McKenna, who will be key to the transition game for LVC.
Midfield
Things will start with speedy freshman middie
Scott Sutton, who is expected to be LVC's face-off man and a scoring threat. Three other middies will be offensive threats as well with sophomore
CJ Adams, freshman Steven Wildberger, and senior
Brendon Cummings all possessing size and speed. Senior
JT Fredlund will be a second option at face-off, and a pair of junior lefties,
Brad Surdam and
Jimmy Black, will be able to give Coach Haus a different look in midfield.
Attack
Four true attackers will provide the scoring punch up front for the Dutchmen, with an interesting mix of quickness and big bodies among them. Freshman
Ian Schmid will be a playmaker for the team, and freshman
Ty Fosnacht and sophomore Kyle Stewardon can both attack hard and feed.
Sean Foley will be able to use his size to create match-up problems with opposing defenses and play inside.
MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. FDU-Florham 128 pts. (8)
2. Widener 124 pts. (3)
3. Lycoming 115 pts. (1)
4. Elizabethtown 104 pts.
5. Messiah 94 pts.
6t. Manhattanville 72 pts.
6t. DeSales 72 pts.
8. Eastern 70 pts.
9. King's 57 pts.
10. Misericordia 42 pts.
11. Lebanon Valley 40 pts.
12. Alvernia 28 pts.
() denotes first-place votes
