12/22/2008
Inside Lacrosse Ranks Clark Fifth in Pilgrim League Pre-Season Poll

WORCESTER, MASS. 12/16/08 - Clark University's men's lacrosse team received its highest pre-season ranking in Inside Lacrosse magazine's 2009 Face-Off Yearbook, it was announced on Monday. The Cougars sit in fifth place on the Pilgrim League pre-season poll.

The magazine also listed sophomore Tim Roche, a long-stick midfielder, a 2009 All-Conference pre-season favorite. Roche, whose brother Shawn earned the team's first All-Conference honor since 2002 last year, played in all 15 games as a freshman and scooped up a team-high 61 groundballs.

"It shows that all the hard work we have been doing over the past years is paying off. This is the first time that we have been ranked in the top 5 in over 10 years," Davis said. About Roche, Davis said, "Tim is very deserving of this honor. I believe that he will use this to motivate himself even more."

The Cougars, who were ranked 7th in last year's pre-season poll, welcome back seven starters, including three of their top four scorers from last year's 4-11 team.

After completing the 2008 campaign with a thrilling overtime victory over Lasell College, ranked fourth in the pre-season poll, Coach Davis believes that the win helped the team see its potential.

"We no longer have to talk about having the ability to win games," he said. "Now, we can talk about how to keep the momentum and success going. We have rededicated ourselves to doing what it takes to win."