Men’s Lacrosse to Improve on 2013 Success

The spring sports season is right around the corner, and with that comes the lacrosse season. In the two seasons before last, the team only won a combined eight games. Last season, however, was a major turnaround that put the team on the map. Last year, Frostburg State University’s men’s lacrosse team finished in fourth place with a record of 13-7. On top of finishing in fourth place in the overall standings, the team also placed second in the ECAC tournament last season. The team ended the regular season on a three game winning streak, but unfortunately lost to Mary Washington, a team they beat a week prior, in the first round of the CAC tournament.

Last season saw the team’s stats eclipse the previous two seasons by a great margin. As each period went by, the team’s goals increased. In the first period, the team scored a total of 45 goals. The number of goals increased in second period to 61 goals, then to 62 in the third period and finally to 66 in the final period. Those numbers indicate the team plays better as the game goes on, but the number of goals scored in the first quarter is lower than the number scored by the other teams in their division. The Bobcats started games slowly, but they heated up and finished strong. The team’s number of turnovers was also lower than their opponents with the team only turning over the ball 370 times. Compare that to their opponents who against the Bobcats turned the ball over 404 times. Overall, the team’s stats from last year were great and are hopefully a sign of things to come in the upcoming season.

The majority of last year’s team is back for this season, including leading scorer Ryan Serio. Last season Serio led the team with 43 goals and was fourth on the team in assists with 16. Along with Serio, the team returns point leader Spenser Love who tallied up 61 points on the year. Love not only led the team in points, but he also finished second in goals with 41 and third in assists with 20. Serio and Love ranked second and third respectively in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) in goals scored.

The other two stars returning this season are Chris Rios and Devin Colegrove who both finished in the top 4 in points, goals, and assists for the team. Colegrove and Rios recorded the third and fourth most assists in the CAC. Senior goalkeeper Tyler Haines led the CAC in saves (243) and ranked fourth in save percentage (59.9).

Another player to watch out for is junior Zack Burkhardt, a captain and defenseman. His 50 caused turnovers led the team last season. His 50 caused turnovers also tied for first in the CAC. Joining him on the defense is Paul Newman, who caused 23 turnovers. These two captain defensemen will be a formidable duo in the 2014 season.

With this five player nucleus returning with the other players on the team, Frostburg’s men’s lacrosse team will be in for another great season.

The Bobcat lacrosse team opens up the season at home, playing the Catholic University Cardinals at 2 p.m. on Feb. 15.