After posting a 10-5 record in 2014, the future looks bright for second-year Head Coach Jay Owen and his Wittenberg men’s lacrosse program. Owen hopes that the future is now.
The Tigers welcome 28 letterwinners back to the roster in 2014, including six players who finished with at least 10 total points on the season. Leading the charge is a 10-player senior class, which features top players and key team leaders throughout the line-up.
The offense will once again be led by the junior tandem of Thomas Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) and Andrew Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln). The twin attackmen led Wittenberg in scoring for a second consecutive season, with Thomas Fuss entering the season with 53 goals and 30 assists for 83 total points, and Andrew Fuss checking in with 44 goals and 35 assists for 79 total points. Both players are on track to break into the top five in all three categories by the end of their third collegiate season.
Help on the attack will come from senior Matt Hugdahl (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), who heads into his final year in the Red & White with 26 career goals, senior Lewis Thompson (Sandy Hook, Conn./Newtown), who missed 2014 due to injury after scoring 17 times as a sophomore, and junior Anthony Becker (Galloway, Ohio/Wellington). In addition, a host of midfielders are proven scorers, including seniors Sean Kelleher (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), who contributed 23 goals and seven assists a year ago, and Ryan Spitzer (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson), who added 11 total points and a team-high 54 ground balls from his defensive midfield position.
Sophomore midfielder Zach Shy (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) was also solid in his collegiate debut, chipping in with 14 total points in 15 games off the bench, as was sophomore attacker Joseph Crawford (Arlington, Va./Yorktown), who dished out six assists a year ago. Freshman Ryan Roll (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) and Sam Gress (Granville, Ohio/Granville) provide depth up front as newcomers to the attack.
The Tigers will rely on senior midfielder Riley Boehm (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) and senior defender Brett Wilson (Lenaxa, Kan./St. James Academy) for face-offs, with both boasting plenty of success in the circle battling for possession as collegians.
Also in the midfield mix senior Will Stocker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin), juniors Jeff Sherman (Atkinson, NH/New Hampton School) and TJ Smith (Atlanta, Ga./The Marist School), sophomores David Strahm (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington), Creighton Stephens (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) and Austin Brady (Pickerington, Ohio/North), and freshmen Connor McDunn (Hilliard, Ohio/Bradley) and Brendan Rigney (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley).
The Tigers are well-stocked, although relatively inexperienced, as the long-stick midfield position. Senior John Haeling (Briarcliff, N.Y./Briarcliff) and sophomores Ryan Parmater (Granger, Ind./Penn) and Alex Dankowski (Pickerington, Ohio/North) are among the leading contenders for playing time, along with freshman Danny Lowe (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest).
On defense, Owen will rely heavily upon senior Nick Bergenty (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) and junior Matthew Klever (Lebanon, Ohio/Moeller), both of whom picked up All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors following the 2014 season. Also vying for playing time on defense are junior Conor O’Brien (York, Maine/York) and sophomores Reid O’Neil (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech) and Seth Caudill (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Pickerington North).
Senior Jay Dolan (Andover, Mass./Phillips Andover) made 14 starts a year ago in goal, finishing with an 8.81 goals against average and 139 saves. He will battle with sophomores Aaron Blossey (Rocky River, Ohio/Rocky River) and Nick Gregory (Mukilteo, Wash./Kamiak) for time between the pipes again in 2015.
Written By: Ryan Maurer