Marquette University Athletics
MLAX 2021 Season Preview: Defense
2/8/2021 5:43:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Returning starters lead the charge for MU defense
MILWAUKEE - Marquette men's lacrosse returns almost its entire starting defense from a season ago, including one of the top freshman in the nation, close defenseman Mason Woodward.
LSM
7 Aidan O'Donnell (R-Fr.)
32 Moey Lardy (R-Jr.)
38 Logan Kreinz (R-So.)
88 Billy Rojack (Fr.)
99 Anthony Courcelle (R-Jr.)
DEFENSE
26 Noah Verlinde (R-Fr.)
27 Zach Granger (R-So.)
30 David Lamarca (Fr.)
41 Ryan Kilcoyne (Fr.)
44 P.J. Cox (GS)
46 Kyle McNeill (R-Fr.)
48 James Amorosana (R-Fr.)
56 Quintin Arnett (R-So.)
77 Mason Woodward (R-Fr.)
89 Jack Kinney (Fr.)
The Golden Eagles' top coverman Mason Woodward is joined by returning starters Zach Granger and graduate student P.J. Cox on the defensive side.
"Mason Woodward, Zach Granger and P.J. Cox have really built a nice connection back there as a unit," Stimmel said. "They have a good understanding of what their strengths and weaknesses are, when they need to help each other and when they don't, and they do a great job of connecting both levels of our defense.
As far as depth, Stimmel and defensive coordinator Jake Richard have a number of players who are fighting for time at the defensive end.
"James Amorosana has pushed for time in the past and gotten some minutes here and there, but he's really making a strong case to get out and earn some minutes for us either up top or down low," Stimmel said. "Noah Verlinde is someone who was playing close defense and LSM a little bit last year, and we really felt like towards the end of the year, he started to get some big minutes."
At LSM, Marquette has a number of players to fill the rotation. Redshirt sophomore Logan Kreinz and redshirt junior Anthony Courcelle will switch between long-stick and short-stick defensive midfield, while Amorosana and Verlinde will all see time up top.
Freshman David Lamarca has impressed the coaching staff early with his lacrosse IQ and ability to pick up ground balls.
"David Lamarca has done a phenomenal job," Stimmel said. "He's great off the ground, he knocks down passes, he's got a really great IQ. There's certainly a lot of room for him to grow, but he's really stood out on the defensive end."
SSDM
2 Aaron Joseph (R-So.)
11 Jacob Hallam (R-Jr.)
38 Logan Kreinz (R-So.)
43 Elliott Yacu (R-Jr.)
49 Max Kruszeski (R-Fr.)
99 Anthony Courcelle (R-Jr.)
At defensive midfield, the Golden Eagles have to make up for the loss of Luke Anderson, an SSDM who tied for ninth in program history with 69 ground balls.
This season, redshirt junior Anthony Courcelle will lead the unit, while Jacob Hallam, Max Kruszeski, Logan Kreinz and Aaron Joseph will rotate in.
"It's going to be a group that absolutely has some depth," Stimmel said. "We're going to try to play as many guys as possible, and I think we'll see some guys in that offensive midfield group playing some D minutes as well."
FACE-OFF
3 Thomas Washington (R-So.)
4 Jack Devine (R-So.)
34 Luke Rios (Fr.)
37 Luke Williams (R-Fr.)
At the face-off dot, Marquette has an interesting situation due to the changing of faceoff rules. As a result, the Golden Eagles may need to take on the position by committee before deciding on their main option.
"Those guys have been competing throughout the fall and even the preseason," Stimmel said. "It's going to be a learning curve for everybody, as a staff and as a team. There's a gray area there, but I really am excited about the rule changes."
Factoring into MU's rotation will be a combination of returners and newcomers.
Returning starter Thomas Washington, who broke out in a number of games a year ago and who Stimmel said has the potential to be an elite face-off guy, and freshman Luke Rios, who Stimmel said is quick on the whistle, will likely take most of the draws.
But Stimmel mentioned Luke Williams and Jack Devine are pure athletes and can create havoc with the new rules.
GOAL
1 Jamie Grant (Fr.)
33 Gabe Stein (R-Jr.)
45 Michael Allieri (Fr.)
72 Sean Richard (R-Fr.)
91 John Hulsman (R-Jr.)
Between the pipes, returning starter John Hulsman will play big minutes.
"Last year he had some big minutes in big games," Stimmel said. "He's really dedicated himself this offseason, trying to take that next step in terms of his consistency."
Other options in the cage include Sean Richard, a more aggressive goalie option, Gabe Stein, an experienced stopper, and Jamie Grant, a high-level high school goalie who is getting used to the college level.
"They've all pushed each other," Stimmel said. "Each guy's had his day between the pipes and anytime you can do that, it creates a healthy competition. Every single guy that's in there understands that they have to show up every practice to make sure they earn that stop."
Marquette will open its regular season on Saturday, Feb. 13 against Cleveland State at Valley Fields at 11 a.m. Central time.
