The Golden Eagles have high expectations for themselves entering their seventh season
By: Communications
Coming off a 6-8 season and attempting to replace two all-conference performers at the most important positions on the field may not seem like a recipe for success, but for the Marquette University men's lacrosse program head coach Joe Amplo sees numerous reasons for optimism entering 2019.
"I know we're inexperienced (at faceoff and goalie) based on guys who have worn the Marquette jersey but the other positions we're not," Marquette head coach Joe Amplo said. "We have experience at most positions, defense obviously we return a bunch. On the front line, attack, we have experience with Johnny (Wagner) and Tanner (Thomson). The good thing is we have depth at the midfield, we have depth on the offensive end."
Last season, the Golden Eagles knocked off No. 4 Ohio State on their way to a 3-0 start before suffering a demoralizing double overtime setback to Bellarmine two days later. That loss was the first of three-straight for MU entering BIG EAST play, and although it took down then-No. 16 Georgetown in the conference opener, it could not string together consecutive victories for the rest of the campaign.
MU's three BIG EAST overtime wins surrounded a five-goal home loss to No. 8 Villanova and a heartbreaking 7-6 defeat to No. 14 Notre Dame in which the Golden Eagles led with a minute remaining.
Much of that uneven play could be attributed to an inexperienced offensive cast outside of All-BIG EAST First Teamer John Wagner, who notched five game winners in either overtime or the final 10 seconds of regulation. Wagner became just the fourth player in program history to reach 30 goals in a single season and led the league with 15 tallies in conference action.
"He's a winner," Amplo said of Wager's propensity of producing in pressure situations. "He's probably one of the most competitive players I've ever coached. Probably our best player in terms of production and performance last year. He's turned into what I consider one of the best clutch players in the country."
Tanner Thomson
The Golden Eagles' offensive attack will be bolstered by the return of fifth-year senior Tanner Thomson, who sat out last season. Thomson, a highly ranked NLL draft prospect, is the craftiest and most skilled offensive player on the MU roster and will help alleviate the scoring burden from Wagner.
"He's a wizard with the ball in his stick," Amplo said. "He's creative and sometimes he's too crafty. He's capable of doing anything on the field, but the biggest thing for him is he's got to play with a sense of urgency and understand that sometimes he can be a little careless. That might not be carelessness as much as confidence, but he's got to be a game manager. If he does that, he can be great."
Thomson posted 20 goals and 14 assists as a junior in 2017 and played key roles in both of MU's runs to BIG EAST tournament titles and NCAA Championship appearances in 2016 and 2017. The righty is expected to move up from his previous spot in the midfield to counterbalance the left-handed Wagner in the attack unit.
Who ultimately joins them as the X attackman remains to be answered, though Amplo and offensive coordinator Stephen Brundage have several intriguing options at their disposal.
Redshirt sophomore Griffin Fleming, who showed his mettle last season with his ability to initiate from behind the cage, had 10 goals and nine assists while starting all but one game.
Freshman Holden Patterson started the exhibition games and impressed the coaching staff during the fall.
"Holden is extremely talented and can get to the goal," Amplo said. "Really good eyes, creative and has confidence above his years. He's going to be a good one, but I'm curious to see how he does against some other good teams."
Junior Ryan Fazio started nine games last season (six goals, five assists) and made a sizable impression on the coaching staff during the fall.
"Ryan Fazio has played with an unrelenting energy and that is going to get him on the field," Amplo said. "He's just come to practice every day with an attitude that you can only dream of as a coach."
The coaching staff is also working to find room for sophomore Anthony Orsini, MU's second-leading scorer last season (16 goals, 7 assists). Orsini, MU's big right-handed sniper, possesses the team's hardest shot, so getting him in the lineup even in the midfield will be important to the Marquette offense.
Despite the move of Wagner and Tanner Thomson from the midfield in recent seasons, the Golden Eagles will have the luxury of fielding two solid midfield lines, something that has eluded them in the past.
The combination of midfielders they end up using will likely vary, but Orsini will join an experienced cast.
Junior Connor McClelland ended last season with 14 goals, the third-highest total on the team, after posting four tallies in the season opener against Jacksonville. Another slick Canadian who grew up playing box lacrosse, McClelland played with the Thomson brothers, Tanner and fellow midfielder Keaton, at St. Michael's College in suburban Toronto.
Outside of McClelland, redshirt senior Jack Zerrillo owned the most starts in the midfield last season with 12 and was the squad's third-leading point producer with 11 goals and 10 assists. He will be joined by former MU and high school teammate Andrew Romagnoli, who transferred back to Marquette from Delaware, where he posted 91 points (60 goals, 31 assists) in 34 career games. Romagnoli redshirted as a freshman at MU in 2015 before leaving to play for the Blue Hens.
"The beauty of who we are right now is that we have a bunch of guys at that position who can play," Amplo said. "'Romo' is certainly the most productive, but when you put him in spots with Zerrillo and Keaton Thomson, that's three really crafty players on a line. And then throw McClelland and (Colin) O'Donnell on the other side and they're lefties who can do some things with Wagner. We've got some unique options."
Junior Peter Henkhaus started seven games after St. Patrick's Day last season and recorded seven goals while being one of MU's shiftiest offensive players. Seniors Mikey Zadroga, Bob Pelton, Matt Del Duca, Luke Vassos and Colin Strange also add depth to the midfield along with redshirt freshman Jordan Schmid.
Defensively, it begins with senior Noah Richard who was the BIG EAST's unanimous choice as the league's top long-stick midfielder last season. Richard led the Golden Eagles with 48 ground balls, despite playing just 11 games after missing MU's early season losses to Bellarmine, Robert Morris and Michigan, defeats which kept MU out of the NCAA tournament mix.
"Noah Richard just plays with such confidence," Amplo said. "He's big, he's athletic, he's long. And now he's turned into a lacrosse player and he understands the defense. He is so good on the ground – he's as good as anyone we've had. Which is great to say because (former MU All-American) Liam Byrnes is as good as anyone out there."
Behind Richard, sophomores Zach Granger and Moey Lardy are physical athletes whom Amplo believes are just scratching the surface of their potential. Granger played in five games last season, while Lardy only played in one game at Detroit Mercy. He became the first former Wisconsin high school player to play for MU when he did so (Lardy spent two years at Cedarburg High School before transferring to Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.)). Luke Anderson
The short-stick defensive midfield group lost Colin Riehl to graduation but returns what Amplo feels may be one of the most athletic groups in the country. Junior Luke Anderson (6-foot-3, 220 pounds), redshirt sophomore Anthony Courcelle (6-2, 195) and freshman Logan Kreinz (6-2, 200) will be joined by Nick Singleton, Jacob Hallam, Aaron Joseph and Jace Whelan.
"I think our rope unit is going to be a strength of our team. We're pleased defensively with who we can become," Amplo said.
On close defense the Golden Eagles return one of the more experienced groups in the BIG EAST with Brendon Connolly and Jackson Ehlert starting alongside two-time All-BIG EAST selection Nick Grill. Ehlert and Grill have each started every game they have played since arriving on campus in the fall of 2016, while Connolly has played in 45 of a possible 46 games in three years.
Connolly, who played as an LSM during his first two seasons, added length to MU's backline last season and posted a team-high 17 caused turnovers to go along with 22 ground balls.
"I think Connolly and Grill are two potential shut-down cover guys - they've turned into really good defensemen," Amplo said of his group on defense. "Just really, well rounded. Jackson Ehlert is a perfect glue guy. With the right matchup he is excellent, knows our system, tough kid and has been in a lot of moments for us."
That leaves the two positions where Marquette is looking to fill its biggest vacancies – face-off specialist and goalie.
"We've got more competition at those positions than we've ever had," Amplo said. "There's depth, competition and tremendous potential, so I'm excited to see how those positions grow. Whoever emerges as the leader in each of those respective positions is going to be pushed, they're going to be challenged and they're going to be well seasoned before the season even starts."
At the face-off X, junior Jared Hershman returns after a summer spent playing with Team Puerto Rico at the FIL World Championships in Israel. Hershman went 21-of-45 at the X for Marquette during his sophomore campaign, including an 11-for-20 mark against Georgetown in the BIG EAST opener. He'll compete for time with freshmen Thomas Washington and John Underwood.
In net, the Golden Eagles have four solid options who each showed their worth during the fall and spring exhibition slate. Sophomore Gabe Stein and junior Chris Rolfing are the returnees, while sophomore transfer John Hulsman and freshman Carver Skarnulis are new to Marquette. Hulsman started MU's scrimmages against Maryland and Johns Hopkins and was fourth in NCAA Division I last season in save percentage at Bellarmine. Keep up with the Marquette men's lacrosse program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteMLax) and Instagram (@MarquetteMLax) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteMLax).
