2008 Men's Lacrosse Season Preview
Feb 18 | Men's Lacrosse
Hopes are high "On the Banks" as the Rutgers men's lacrosse team enters the 2008 season with a plethora of young talent. After ending the 2007 season with three wins in their last four games, the Scarlet Knights are prepared to make a charge in 2008.
Bolstered by the return of 27 letterwinners and eight starters, a young Rutgers squad is quickly gaining valuable experience. In addition to the returners, RU welcomes eight talented freshmen that are expected to make an immediate impact.
Head coach Jim Stagnitta has led the Scarlet Knights to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in his six years at the helm and is closer than ever to leading the Scarlet Knights toward their ultimate goal of being a perennial top-10 program.
The 2007 squad, which faced four ranked opponents, won two more ECAC contests than the previous year to finish with a 7-6 overall record and a 4-3 mark in conference play. It was the first winning season for the program since 2004 and earned Rutgers a final ranking of 18th in the USILA Poll and a No. 19 spot in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse rankings. The Scarlet Knights also went 4-0 in one-goal games, compared to the team's 2-4 record in one goal games during the 2006 campaign.
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PENNINGTON |
In individual accolades, three players earned All-ECAC honors, highlighted by Justin Pennington's Rookie of the Year award. Pennington had one of the most successful rookie campaigns in recent Rutgers history, scoring 19 goals, good for second-best on the team, and handing out eight assists, also the second-highest total for Rutgers.
Defender Chris O'Dougherty also had a phenomenal year in 2007, being named Second Team All-ECAC, after helping hold opponents under 10 goals in six games, including three-straight contests from March 31-April 7.
Both Pennington and O'Dougherty received numerous Preseason accolades, with both being named 2008 Preseason All-ECAC and to the Faceoff Yearbook Preseason All-Conference team. In addition, O'Dougherty was picked as a Preseason Third Team All-American and Pennington garnered Honorable Mention All-American accolades.
The team has added depth at nearly every position and despite having a young roster, Stagnitta likes the group of guys he has and is excited to see how far the combination of youth and experience will take the team this season.
ATTACK
"I think a lot of people can step up and contribute at attack for us this season," said Stagnitta. "We are very young and still have some room to grow. I think it's going to depend on how quickly a couple of these young guys come around."
Stagnitta will rely heavily on Tad Stanwick, who is returning from an ACL injury. He hopes Stanwick can provide leadership and the scoring essential for a potent offensive attack. Stagnitta also see's a great deal of potential in junior Mike Dugan, who returns after tallying 15 goals and eight assists in 2007. Dugan is the team's second leading returner in goals, assists and points. A name that Rutgers lacrosse fans will quickly become familiar with is that of freshman Kory Kelly. Stagnitta refers to Kelly as "a force" who has all the tools to be a top attackman. With being able to play around Stanwick and Dugan, Kelly's development should come quickly.
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ROMMEL |
MIDFIELD
"I think the midfield is probably the second strongest area of the team," said Stagnitta. "There's a lot of depth and experience there. Even though it's young experience, its still experience because all of the sophomores played a great deal last year. It is an athletic group that we are going to count on. I don't know if it's the most polished group, but it's definitely an athletic group and I think we want to use that athleticism to dictate the pace we play and how we play. I also think a lot of our success on the offensive end is going to depend greatly and significantly on how that group plays."
Sophomore Justin Pennington is expected to lead the group as he is the team's leading returner in goals (19), assists (8), points (27), and groundballs (49). Stagnitta says that he has the ability to impact and dominate all aspects of the game. Pennington is so athletic that the coaching staff tends to use him in almost every situation.
Jeff Rommel, the team's third leading returner in goals, assists and points will also be relied on heavily at the midfield spot. A three-year starter, Rommel has gained a wealth of experience and now haw a vast knowledge of the game. Sophomore's Taylor Bottar and Hunter Burnard will also see significant action at the midfield position. The duo played in a combined 25 games as freshmen and Stagnitta believes that experience will lead to greater production from both players in 2008.
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O'DOUGHERTY |
DEFENSE
"Defense is our strongest unit entering the year. We have a great amount of depth and experience out there. A lot of junior and senior leadership will prove valuable to the entire team."
Preseason All-American Chris O'Dougherty will prove to be a force to be reckoned with once again in 2008. Stagnitta calls him "one of the premier defenders in the country" as O'Dougherty routinely plays against the other team's best attackman. Stagnitta notes that his stickwork has improved greatly and he has grasped the team defense concept that paced the 2007 squad.
Senior leadership is also expected to play a major factor as the Scarlet Knights return both Nick Filippone and Mike Sissler. Filippone has seen significant playing time in each year of his career at Rutgers and has really developed into a leader with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Stagnitta says "he's improved dramatically individually and I think he's playing the best lacrosse of his career right now. Sissler, a fifth-year senior who has started since arriving at Rutgers, played excellent for the Scarlet Knights in 2007.
Will Stone, who Stagnitta called the most improved player last year, will also be an added threat on the defensive side of the field. Stone has terrific speed and can handle the stick extremely well. Sean Hover and Chris Gammello also have potential to provide a great deal of depth.
GOALIE
"We had three people play in goal last year, so it's wide open. It's going to be very interesting to see who can step up and be the most consistent. At times all three played great last season."
Sophomore Billy Olin led the team with six wins and an 8.12 goals against average in 2007. Stagnitta said that he really stabilized the team and separated himself. Olin gave the squad someone that they could count on because of his consistency throughout the year. Junior Peter Pantages appeared in six games for the Scarlet Knights and senior Lyle Farrar saw action in five contests and picked up a win.
