MLAX 2022 Season Preview: Offense

MILWAUKEE - Last season, Marquette men's lacrosse boasted an experienced offense, with five graduate students leading the charge.

But the COVID-19 pandemic forced a grueling schedule, facing each BIG EAST team twice in the regular season. The Golden Eagles finished with just a 4-8 record and three conference wins, not enough to earn a BIG EAST tournament berth.

"The record does not show our true capability," attackman Devon Cowan said. "We had a few one-goal games that completely changed our season."

This year's roster boasts youth, and everyone has their eyes set on a BIG EAST title.

"It's a step-by-step process, because you can talk about winning the BIG EAST Championship or these other goals, but it starts with winning the day and winning practice," head coach Andrew Stimmel said. "As a young team, we're starting to figure out what habits you need to have to win those games. It doesn't just start with the preparation that week or when the whistle blows, it's everything that you put into it."

And this year, Marquette has that dedication in droves.

"I've never seen a collective group work so hard," Cowan said. "In the offseason, especially over break, everyone's been sending videos of them in the weight room, on the field getting shots, hitting the wall, and I'm just impressed with how fired up and motivated everyone is. There's going to be some pretty special things that happen this year."

ATTACK

Leading the way offensively for the Golden Eagles will be an attack group that combines experience with a good deal of youth.

"It starts with Devon Cowan and Russell Melendez at attack," Stimmel said. "Devon had a great year last year and returns as our headliner. Outside of getting injured, Russ was well on his way developmentally to being a big player for us. Those guys are really leading the way."

Returning as a starter is Cowan, a redshirt sophomore captain who earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors a season ago. The New Jersey native became the first MU underclassman to ever reach 30 goals, and finished with a team-high 38 points.

Melendez showed flashes of greatness in his freshman year, playing in seven games before missing the rest of the year to injury. One of the most highly regarded recruits in program history, Melendez totaled seven goals and four assists while earning four starts.

Outside of the two returners, the rest of the attack is an infusion of youth.

Freshman Bobby O'Grady projects as the third starter, having scored seven goals over two fall scrimmages. Fellow freshmen Nolan Rappis and Will Foster have also impressed early in their MU careers.

"The style that we play, it's whoever shows up and wants to give it their all are the ones that are going to be on the field," Cowan said. "These younger guys who are stepping into those roles know what needs to be done, they know right from wrong, and they're just giving everything they've got to fill those roles to the best of their ability."

Redshirt junior Holden Patterson looks to slot in once again as the team's man-up specialist, with five extra-man goals to his name last season.

"I believe that we have the best attack in the conference," graduate student and team captain Garrett Moya said.

MIDFIELD

The Golden Eagles lose their entire first midfield line to graduation in Ryan Fazio, Peter Henkhaus and Connor McClelland.

Looking to fill that gap are classmates Griffin Fries, Chris Kirschner and Jake Stegman, three redshirt sophomores with a good deal of experience at MU.

"Those three have played a lot of games for us," Stimmel said. "Over their last two years, they've had some big games where they've scored some goals and put up some good points."

Fries, who hails from Kansas, has scored five goals in 13 total games. Kirschner was MU's leader in goals as a true freshman with 16 and played in 12 games a season ago. Stegman has earned eight starts and cashed in 18 points while appearing in 17 games over the past two seasons.

"No one has grinded harder this offseason than Griffin Fries, he's going to be a huge factor in the midfield," Moya said. "Chris Kirschner is going to have a huge bounce back year - he has something to prove - and Jake Stegman is one of the most athletic guys on the team."

As far as the second midfield unit, there are a number of candidates who may factor in, including sophomores Ellison Burt-Murray, Justin Mintzer and Pierce Washburn, as well as freshman Hayden Miller.

"We'll be a young unit, but we're excited about that. Those guys don't know what they don't know, they play fast and keep the game simple," Stimmel said. "Those guys come in and we try to convince them every day that, although this is college lacrosse, it's still the same game. The game doesn't know the difference, there's still two nets and a ball out there."

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