Season Preview
Men’s lacrosse looks to take next step

The 2008 Muhlenberg men’s lacrosse season could be viewed as the culmination of four years of program-building by a tremendous group of seniors, who took a team that went 0-8 in the Centennial Conference three years earlier to one that qualified for the playoffs.

That’s not how the 2009 team wants to look at last season, however. This year’s Mules, who open up at Stevens on Sunday, hope it was a stepping-stone to bigger things.

“We want to prove that what we did was no fluke,” stated senior Dan Dugan.

What Muhlenberg did was win its final eight regular-season games to make

DeLuca was named a preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse in December, part of a month in which he was selected as an All-American in two sports and an Academic All-American in football.

the playoffs in one of the top men’s lacrosse leagues in Division III. The Mules finished with a 10-5 record, received votes in the national poll for the first time ever, and had their first two All-Americans.

“We definitely want to go farther than we did last year,” said Dugan. “We learned a lot and want to build on that and keep moving in the right direction.”

The cornerstone of any program that sustains success is defense, and Muhlenberg returns its entire defense, led by honorable mention All-American John DeLuca. The senior co-captain, who also earned All-America honors in football in the fall, picked up 31 ground balls and scored 6 goals last year.

“John is a super-competitive player who brings intensity like no one else,” said Dugan. “He is clearly one of the best players in the country.”

Joining DeLuca on defense are junior captain Matthew Schroeder, a leader on and off the field, and fellow juniors Ivan Brown and Will Garrity. All are talented, experienced and athletic. Sophomore Tom Brant had an impressive first year with 34 ground balls as a longstick midfielder, second only to Schroeder’s 37.

Returning for his third year as a starter between the pipes in junior Andrew Bell, who raised his save percentage from .521 (in 2007) to .542 last year.

The offense also returns all three starters. Senior co-captain Andrew Lolley

Fletcher leads all active Mules and is tied for ninth in team history with 16 career assists.

has played a significant role on the offensive end for the past two seasons at Muhlenberg, scoring 38 goals. Sophomore Brent Siebold enjoyed a fantastic first year with 23 goals and 7 assists in 2008, and his consistency will play a pivotal role in the team’s success this season. Junior Paul Munday will look to build on his 7-goal, 9-assist season in 2008.

That leaves the midfield, where the Mules were hit hardest by graduation losses, including their all-time leaders in goals and assists. The development of a strong and consistent midfield will probably be the determining factor in Muhlenberg’s 2009 season.

“We have some guys who played in the past and are ready to take on bigger roles,” said Dugan. “And we have freshmen who will play right away.”

The midfield will be led by senior captains Dugan and Nick Fletcher along with junior Ari Jacobson. Dugan is a big, strong faceoff man who won 57 percent of his faceoffs last year. Fletcher finished the 2008 season with 13 goals and 7 assists. Jacobson was injured for the majority of the season, but was one of the most athletic and talented players at the position before his injury.

Senior Cade McCarthy along with juniors Sean Delany and Al Carpetto will compete with sophomores Zachary Armstrong and Charlie Helm for consistent playing time in the midfield.

Whoever winds up playing in the midfield will get tested right away against some tough competition. Stevens was ranked 11th in the Inside Lacrosse Division III preseason poll, one spot behind Lynchburg, the Mules’ second opponent. After a game against FDU-Florham, Muhlenberg will open up CC play against No. 8 Washington, No. 2 Gettysburg and No. 14 Haverford.

“It’s a tough start but it really prepares us well for the conference, which is a real fight every game,” commented Dugan. “Each of those games is an opportunity for us.”