Men's Lacrosse
2007 Season Recap
A program on the rise, the Clark University men’s lacrosse team completed the season with the second-most wins in the program’s 17-year history. After setting a new mark for victories in a season (7) in 2006, the Cougars posted a 6-7 overall record this spring.
Winning a pair of games to open the season, Clark earned its first 2-0 start since 2000. The squad went on to secure victories over Mitchell College (20-2), Nichols College (8-7), Becker College (15-2) and the lone conference victory over Norwich University (10-8) to cap its six-win season. Notable player accomplishments include a new record for groundballs in a season by Dan Rosenak (283), a Pilgrim League Player of the Week nod for first-year attack and team-leading scorer Garrett McAdam (32-8-40) and All-Academic league all-star honors to Rosenak, Sam Musen, Chris Sataline and Alex Craven.
The Cougars most prized initiative is their community service commitment to Americans Supporting Americans (ASA), an organization that provides aid to United States troops in Iraq. The Clark squad, who foster a military unit out of Fort Hood, Tx. made two shipments of food, clothes, magazines and health care items to the 135-soldier division. Clark’s efforts were recognized in the January 29, 2007 national publication of the NCAA News. The Cougars plan to continue supporting their fostered company until the troops come home.
2007 Season Outlook
The Clark University men’s lacrosse team (7-8, 1-7 Pilgrim) returns to the turf fresh off the success of its record-setting spring, where they set a new school mark for wins (7) in a season and sketched a pair of players in the Cougar record-books. Although 2006 was the best season in program history, fifth-year head coach Evan Davis anticipates another breakout year.
“It’s all about momentum,” said Davis. “That’s something this program hasn’t had in the past. The talent level is better – we have two high school All-Americans, and that shows how much this program has taken off. I’m expecting to have our best year ever.”
Facing off in the highly competitive Pilgrim League, which boasts two of the top teams in the nation, Coach Davis believes mental toughness will determine the Cougars’ success this spring. “The key is to go into games knowing that we can win,” Davis said. “There’s not a game on the schedule that we can’t compete in if we played our best game.”
“This team has all of the potential in the world,” he added. “The ball is in their court.”
While the Cougars will miss Scott Foglietta, who joins the coaching staff, Devon Kinnard (30-3-33) and Mike Myers, the school record-holder in career groundballs (263), they return 16 letter-winners and seven starters, not to mention a strong recruiting class, which will combine for a deep bench and a potent line-up.
According to Coach Davis, the strength of this year’s team will be in the backfield, where first-year starter Tyler Campbell will be the Cougars last line of defense. The sophomore net minder, who split goaltending duties last season, returns to take over the top job this year. Senior Chris Sataline will back him up. Tri-captains Dan Rosenak, who owns the mark for most groundballs in a season (106), and Dave Breglio are back to anchor Clark’s defensive unit. First-year Tim Cole, a second-team All-State player at Pennridge High (PA) last season, is also expected to make an immediate contribution, while senior Grant Tremelling will provide veteran presence. “We have the ability to have a high scoring offense,” Davis said. “But if we can’t stop teams, we aren’t going to win. It starts with our defense.”
Sophomore Matt Fram (19-15-34) is projected to build on a fine freshman campaign and lead the Cougar midfielders this spring. Sophomore Drew Silverman, graduate student Sam Musen, and rookie Scott Wheeler, an All-State midfielder from Totino-Grace High (Minn.) will battle for the face-off position, and freshman Ben Collins will be in contention for the remaining slot. Senior tri-captain Matt Arnold will be looked upon to contribute offensively, while top midfield recruits Alex Craven, JC Tsagarakis, Nick Olear and Chris Adams will also be in the midfield mix. Led by two-year starter Mike Fuchs, the Cougars’ long stick midfielders include junior Andrew Sheen and freshman Taylor Morono, a dual-sport athlete at Clark.
The return of Shawn Roche (30-26-56) and Andrew Webber gives the Cougars a formidable scoring threat up front. The team’s top scorer last season, Roche also tied the school mark for points (13) in a game, while Webber, who topped the squad in points (43-12-55) two years ago, is hoping to return to form after sitting out last spring. One of Coach Davis’ top recruits, high school All-America Garrett McAdam should also give Clark an offensive boost. The Cougars will also tap the talents of Jon Ponte (19-10-29) and first-year Jeremy Urquhart.
Coach Davis knows it would take the team’s best lacrosse to beat the Pilgrim League’s top squads, but the Cougars are in a position to scoop up a few more conference victories this season. The increased talent, coupled with experience and a consistent game plan, will elevate Clark’s play in 2007. “Our goal every year is to make the conference playoffs,” said Davis. “I feel like our team is one step closer to obtaining that goal.”
For more information about Clark University Men's Lacrosse, please contact head coach Evan
Davis at (508) 793-7729 or by email at rdavis@clarku.edu
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