Feb. 20, 2008
Washington, D.C. - The goals each season are to win the ECAC Championship and to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with the hope of winning a national championship. They are lofty goals for sure, but they are the expectations that everyone associated with the Georgetown men's lacrosse program have come to expect.
Last year's team reached the NCAA Tournament for the 11th year in a row, advanced to the quarterfinals for the sixth-straight season and won 12 games for the second year in a row. In the process, the Hoyas were ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time ever during the regular season, went undefeated in the ECAC and posted a thrilling overtime win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament over Princeton.
Despite the loss of a senior class that reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in four-consecutive years, Head Coach Dave Urick and his staff feel the pieces are in place in 2008 for Georgetown to win its seventh ECAC title in nine years and make a run for the program's second Final Four appearance.
Led by a pair of All-American and Tewaaraton Trophy candidates - senior attackman Brendan Cannon and defenseman Jerry Lambe - the Georgetown men's lacrosse team could be poised to make a run for the national title.
The 2008 squad returns eight starters from a team that went 12-3 last season, tied for the second-most wins in a season and one shy of the school record set by the 1999 Final Four team. The Hoyas went 7-0 in the ECAC and won their sixth league title, and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Overall, 38 lettermen from last year's squad return to a team that was picked to win the ECAC for the ninth-straight season and is ranked No. 4 in the preseason United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Top-25 poll.
ATTACK
Cannon, the ECAC Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-America selection, leads an offensive unit that should not be short on fire power in 2008. A quick attackman who has great field vision and feeding ability, Cannon will be joined up front by senior Andrew Baird, junior Jake Samperton and sophomores Craig Dowd and Ricky Mirabito.
Last year, Cannon continued his attack on the Georgetown offensive record books. He earned First-Team All-ECAC honors and second-team All-America honors after leading the team in scoring for the second-straight season, finishing with 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points. Cannon enters his senior campaign ranked 14th all-time in points scored (113) and eighth all-time in assists (63).
Baird, who has appeared in every game since coming to the Hilltop, finished the 2007 season second on the team in scoring with 30 points, scoring 20 goals and tallying 10 assists. A crafty player who is a skilled shooter and has a great feel for the game, he is expected to assume his starting role once again. A smart and steady player, Samperton saw an increased role in his second season, finishing fifth on the team with 10 goals and seventh with 13 points. He started 14 of 15 games and should press for time in a starting role.
Dowd had an outstanding freshman season, tallying 17 goals and eight assists to finish third on the team with 25 points. Dowd, who scored eight goals and had four assists in the final five games of the season, should press for a starting role this season as well.
Sophomore Ricky Mirabito redshirted last year and will compete for a starting role. Senior Sean Bailey and freshmen Ryan Shuler, David Shriver and Nick Heitz will add depth and could see time this season.
MIDFIELD
Georgetown lost a pair of valuable players with the graduation of seniors Trevor Casey and Garrett Wilson, who had combined for more than 100 games played during their careers.
Chris Taylor, the first junior captain for Georgetown since 1999, is one of the best defensive midfielders on the team and should lead the midfield unit. He will be joined by some talented athletes who are looking to be impact players.
Sophomore Andrew Brancaccio, who earned honorable mention All-America and second team All-ECAC honors last season, started 12 of 15 games and senior Dan D'Agnes, who also earned honorable mention All-America honors, will help to anchor the unit. Brancaccio, who has one of the hardest shots on the team, was second on the squad with 20 goals and 89 shots and could develop into one of the best middies in the nation. D'Agnes played his first full season last year coming back from shoulder surgery during his freshman season and was solid, finishing with nine goals and three assists for 12 points.
Junior Cullen Molinari will compete for a starting spot. An athletic middie, he appeared in every game last season, starting five times and scored eight goals with seven assists for 15 points.
Sophomore Scott Kocis had a significant impact last season, scoring seven goals and an assist for eight points, and should be a big contributor this season and will certainly compete for a starting spot.
A trio of freshmen - Dan Hostetler, Max Seligmann and Stu Shannon - will compete for time as will seniors Scott Kahoe and Chase Gahan.
SPECIALISTS Georgetown has had the comfort of having the all-important "X" handled by a pair of veterans who rank among the school's all-time leaders in the category over the last four years in Andy Corno and Christiaan Trunz. Corno graduated in 2005 as GU's all-time leader in career face-off wins (624), attempts (965) and percentage (.641), while Trunz, a 2007 graduate, ranks third in wins (329), fourth in attempts (602) and seventh in percentage (.547).
Replacing Trunz, who handled the position the last two years, will be no easy task, but the coaching staff is confident that a combination of players can fill the void. Freshman Brian Tabb, a two-time All-Met selection out of Georgetown Prep, and seniors Rob Dubas will battle it out for the first spot, and often will share responsibilities.
Seniors Dan Vinson, Scott Kahoe and Michael Shotwell will also be available to contribute when needed.
DEFENSE
The back line of the Georgetown lineup has long been considered one of the most dominant in college lacrosse and that should not change in 2008.
Led by Lambe, the 2007 ECAC Defensive Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy recognizing the top player in Division I lacrosse, the Hoyas are again poised to have a strong defensive unit. Lambe earned second-team All-America honors and picked up 30 ground balls. He is an excellent one-on-one defender and could be the best defensive player in the country.
Joining Lambe on the back-line will be a core of battle-tested veterans who could be among the best Georgetown has ever assembled. Seniors Clayton Hall and Craig Stevenson have extensive experience and will bolster the unit.
Hall, who appeared in 15 games last season and started six times, is a strong and athletic player who has experience at both long-stick middie and close defense. Stevenson, who has appeared in 29 games and started 20 in the last two seasons, picked up 19 ground balls last year. A big, strong defender at 6-4 and 225 pounds, Stevenson is an excellent team defender and will compete for a starting spot once again.
Junior Steve Bauer started the final seven games of the season and was a major player for the Hoya unit as the season went on. He finished the season with 20 ground balls and will be looked upon to expand his role this season.
Sophomores Barney Ehrmann and Chris Nixon played in every game last season and gained valuable experience. Ehrmann, who was a second-team All-ECAC selection, was fourth on the team with 44 ground balls.
Nixon, who was selected as the preseason ECAC Rookie of the Year in 2007, had an outstanding season with 48 ground balls. Both sophomores can play up top or down low and will be a major part of the Hoya defense. Senior Chris Early will battle for time at long-stick middie, while sophomore Eric Bicknese will compete for time at close defense.
GOALIES
Senior Miles Kass will once again anchor the back line for the Hoyas. Kass earned second-team All-ECAC honors last season, has superb athletic skills and is a tremendous communicator on the field and a great team leader. He started every game last season and posted an 8.16 goals-against average. Kass led a defensive unit that limited 12 opponent to 10 or fewer goals last season. A strong core of capable players will be waiting in the wings to back up Kass if needed in junior Christian McCormack, sophomore Jack Davis and freshman Matt Winter.
SCHEDULE
Georgetown's schedule is annually among the most competitive in the country and the 2008 slate features many of the same challenges. Seven opponents this season are ranked among the preseason top 25 by the USILA and five competed in last year's NCAA Tournament. The home slate at the Multi-Sport Field includes seven games, including the season opener against local rival Maryland, a non-league game against perennial power Duke and ECAC contests against St. John's, Hobart and Massachusetts.
The Hoyas are also slated to appear on television six times this season. The season opener against Maryland will be shown on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the team's game against Duke will appear on ESPNU, a road game against Syracuse will be shown on Time-Warner in New York and league games against Fairfield and Rutgers will be shown on CN8/Comcast and the Navy game will air on CSTV.
