2007 Season Preview
After a sluggish 2006 campaign in which the team posted a 4-10 overall record and managed just one win in the Centennial Conference (one of the toughest in Division III men's lacrosse) the 2007 Swarthmore men's lacrosse team is looking to rebound.. The team is stacked with experienced veterans as well as a solid defense to fuel the turnaround.
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| Senior midfielder Jay Charles led the Garnet with 17 goals in 2006. |
The Garnet will be led by midfielder Jay Charles '07 (Chadds Ford, Pa. / Tatnall School), a second-year captain and the leading goal-scorer in 2006. Charles tallied 17 goals last season, shooting a team-best 34.7% and while winning 51.2% of his face-offs. Charles got off to hot start in 2006 with his first career hat-trick, including the game-winner, to lead the Garnet to a 8-7 triple-overtime win at Goucher. Two games later, Charles pumped in four goals in a 15-4 blowout of Richard Stockton. He added another hat-trick vs. Dickinson on April 15.
Swarthmore will also look for increased offensive production from attack Stelios Wilson '09 (Moorestown, N.J. / Moorestown), who put together an impressive freshman campaign with 12 goals and seven assists--he tied Charles for the team-lead in points (19). Senior midfielders Gavin Nurick '07 (Wilton, Conn. / Phillips Exeter Academy (N.H.))--13 goals in 2006--and Ryan McKenna '07(Oakdale, N.Y. / Connetquot)--team-leader with nine assists, are vital cogs in the Garnet attack. Midfielders Adam Miller '08 (Freehold, N.J. / Freehold Township), second on the team with 41 ground balls, and Todd Friedman '09 (Coral Gables, Fla. / Miami-Palmetto) will also be relied upon for necessary offensive firepower.
On the other end of the field, junior captain and goalkeeper Frank Mazzucco (Redding, Conn. / Joel Barlow) serves as the anchor of the Garnet defense. Mazzucco has started all 28 games he has dressed in a Swarthmore uniform, recording a goals-against average of 8.50 and 55.7 % save percentage in 2006. Mazzucco's quick hands kept Swarthmore in many games, including a 17-save effort in a 7-5 win at Franklin & Marshall.
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| Junior goalie Frank Mazzucco has started all 28 games in his career. |
Playing in front of Mazzucco will be captain Anthony Orazio '07 (Farfield, Conn. / Fairfield), Richard Jaronczyk '07 (Manhasset, N.Y. / Manhasset) and juniors Danny Sartori (Darien, Conn. / Darien) and Drew Bonessa (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shady Side Academy). Orazio led the Garnet with 52 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers while Bonessa listed third on the squad with 40 ground balls. The experienced long-poles look to improve upon the 8.40 goals-against average (fourth-best in the conference) and 6.79 caused turnovers per game.
Swarthmore will have its work cut out for them; this year's Centennial Conference looks to be as strong as in past years. Last year three of the nine teams in the conference, # 2 Gettysburg, # 9 Washington (Md.) and #15 Dickinson, finished 2006 in the top-15 of the final the Division III USILA-STX Coaches Poll. The Garnet battled then third-ranked Gettysburg closely, falling 7-4 in Gettysburg, Pa. as Mazzucco posted 10 saves.
The Garnet open the season at home on March 3, welcoming Goucher for a 1:00 game on Clothier Field. Swarthmore defeated Goucher 8-7 in three overtimes in last season's opener in Towson, Mary. The Garnet will travel to Yale University on March 17th, facing Amherst at 12:00 p.m. and then return to Philadelphia to open up Centennial action with a home game vs. Ursinus on March 21 at 7:00 p.m.