Feb. 13, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - It's the dawn of a new era for Maryland men's lacrosse as the third-active winningest coach in the sport, Dave Cottle, takes the helm of the Terp program after the ACC's all-time winningest coach, Dick Edell, retired in September of 2001 due to health-related issues.

Cottle comes to College Park for his "dream job" with a winning attitude and competitive nature that helped him guide Loyola College to the last 14 NCAA Tournaments. He would like to continue his streak here with Maryland.

The Terps finished with a 13-3 record and a No. 3 ranking after playing in the NCAA quarterfinals last season. The Terps also spent some time as the No. 1 team in the nation during last season.

"Of course our goals for the season are to win the ACC championship, make the NCAA Tournament, the national semifinals and to win the championship," said Cottle, now in his 20th season on the college sidelines. "We are aiming to continue the winning tradition here at Maryland. This school has such a rich history."

Attack
Cottle has instituted some changes in the Terps' offense this season, beginning with the attack. He will be using many players in a variety of roles, rotating between the attack and the midfield.

"We will be moving players around to get the most out of them," the coach said. "We want to keep the best players on the field as often as we can and make them more complete players." The starting attack will consist of the LaMonica brothers, Dan and Mike, both of whom are preseason All-Americans. They will be joined by sophomore J.R. Bordley.

Senior captain Mike LaMonica returns for his fourth year after a solid season in 2001, when he finished with 15 goals and five assists for 20 points.

Sophomore Dan LaMonica is the team's leading returning scorer with 51 points (25 goals and 26 assists) as a freshman last season. He shared the team's outstanding freshman award in 2001 and finished fifth in the nation among all first-year players in scoring.

"Mike LaMonica is a cagey veteran," said Cottle. "We will also move him back to midfield, where he will run with the second unit. Dan LaMonica has a great feel for the game and sees the field very well. He has great hands and great feet."

Bordley has emerged on the depth chart after seeing limited time as a freshman last season. He did show his scoring prowess in high school, leading The Landon School to the No. 1 ranking in the nation and the conference championship as a senior.

"J.R. Bordley is the quickest player in the program and his success will be a real key for us this season. I feel once he establishes his confidence he can have a great year."

Preseason All-American Mike Mollot, who has been the attack's quarterback for the past two seasons, has been moved to the first midfield, but will continue to see some time on attack. Also in the mix on the attack are senior captain Mike Morsell and redshirt junior Matt Urlock, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL.

"Morsell is a smart player and hard worker, who plays well off the ball," said Cottle. "Urlock is a great finisher, who moves well with the ball and has a good shot."

Freshmen Mark Foster, the Terps' first-ever recruit from Colorado, Dave Matz, the first Terp from Vermont, and Andrew Schwartzman, who led Pikesville to the Maryland high school crown last spring will also see time on attack.

Midfield
With some new philosophies on offense, junior Mike Mollot will run on the first midfield along with returning senior linemates Nate Watkins and Alex Poole.

"We want to utilize the best players as often as we can," said Cottle. "Mike can become a more complete player. He sees the field very well and understands the game and has tremendous awareness."

An honorable mention All-American last season, Mollot is the Terps' second-leading returning scorer with 40 points (19 goals and 21 assists). He will surpass the 100-point plateau early in the season as he enters the season with 87 career points.

Poole and Watkins will provide stabilizing forces on the first midfield. Despite not scoring much last season (Poole had 13 points and Watkins had seven), Cottle expects this pair of senior veterans will be instrumental in the team's offensive success.

"Alex has a great feel for the game and is a clever, versatile player, who we will use on the wing," said the coach. "Watkins has worked harder on his shot than any individual on the team. He has outstanding size and speed which we will need to use to our advantage."

Poole will also play a key role on the team's man-down defense as a short-stick defender. The second midfield will feature Mike LaMonica with juniors Jamie Daue and Ryan Moran.

Daue saw time on the second midfield last season and tallied seven goals in his action. For Moran, he will be moving to offensive midfield after primarily playing defensive midfield along with his face-off duties over the last two seasons.

"Daue is a veteran now with two years in the program," said Cottle. "He can be a key contributor who could score 20 goals for us. Moran is an explosive dodger and could score in the 15-20 goal range as well."

The third midfield is composed of senior Craig Hochstadt and juniors Matt Brock and Willy Passavia.

"All three could play key roles as the year progresses," said Cottle. "Matt has been a pleasant surprise while Willy has great skills and Craig has a strong right hand." Junior Sean Leary, who has a size advantage - redshirt-freshman Peter Ellis, an athletic player, and freshman Matt Aksionoff, from Long Island, will also see time in the midfield. Junior Ian Healy (wrist injury) and Tommy Augustyn (mononucleosis) will redshirt this season.

Defensive Midfield
Junior Brett Harper returns for his second season as the starting long-stick midfielder. He ranked among team leaders in groundballs and is a strong takeaway player.

Harper will be backed up sophomore Lee Zink and senior captain Andy Burman, both of whom will play on close defense.

"Brett has an incredible competitive nature that really adds to his tenacity and aggressiveness with the long pole," said Cottle.

The short-stick chores will once again be handled by senior Carrington King and sophomore Paul Gillette, who was one of the team's award-winning freshmen last season.

"Both Carrington and Paul have experience," said Cottle. "They know their roles on the team and fill them very well."

Sophomore-transfer Drew Virk and sophomore Alex Melzer will also be utilized in defensive midfield sets.

Face-Offs
Senior Brian Carroll returns for his third year as the Terps' primary face-off specialist. Cottle is expecting a big year from Carroll with the graduation of many of the nation's top face-off men. Carroll, who won 51.4 percent of his draws last season, is one of a few face-off veterans among the nation's top teams and that could be a huge advantage for the Terps.

"We are in the fortunate position of having a veteran senior when it comes to face-offs," said Cottle. "It will be key for us to have a big year in the face-off circle."

Ryan Moran will be the second-string face-off man and will see more limited time this season as compared to the last two years. Also in the mix on face-offs are long-stick midfielder Brett Harper, junior Jim Sbarra, sophomore-transfer Drew Virk, and sophomore Jeremy Pastula.

Defense
Close defense is the Terps' No. 1 strength heading into the 2002 season. Maryland features two top All-American candidates in junior Michael Howley and sophomore Chris Passavia. Last season the defense led Maryland to a 6.31 goals against average, second best in the nation.

"What else can you say when you have a World Team player and returning All-American in Howley and a preseason All-American in Chris Passavia," said Cottle. "We will be solid with them leading the defense. They are both very gifted players."

Howley, who was a second team USILA All-American and All-ACC selection last season and led the team in groundballs with 57, is also a weapon on offense with full-field rushes. A preseason first team All-American by several publications, Howley will represent the United States in the World Games this summer being held in Perth, Australia.

Passavia is perhaps the nation's fiercest and fastest checker, and was named one of the team's outstanding freshmen last season.

Joining the tough Long Islanders on the starting defense will be sophomore long-stick Lee Zink, who has earned the starting nod with hard work.

"He's our best position defenseman on the team" said Cottle.

Sophomore Dave Wagner and senior captain Andy Burman, who are both solid defenders will battle for playing time as the fourth and fifth defensemen on the depth chart.

Senior Rob Hoffman will play as a man-down specialist along with Burman. Juniors Andy Capelle and Frank Luciano will also see time in the close defense.

Freshmen Tyler Hereth and Gavin Webb offer a lot of size and will gain valuable experience in their first college seasons.

Goalie
Two seasons ago, the Terps entered the season with a goalie that had been a two-year backup with limited playing time. That player, Pat McGinnis, went on to be a first team USILA All-American in 2001.

Maryland is hoping for similar results with junior Dan McCormick, who has played just 121 minutes over the last two seasons as the backup to McGinnis.

"Dan has been very consistent between the pipes," said Cottle. "We are looking for him to have a good year. He has big shoes to fill but is ready for the challenge."

In his short stints, the natural southpaw has allowed just 6.50 goals per game.

Freshman T.C. Behm and junior Matt Rzepkowski, a transfer from Mount St. Mary's, will back up McCormick.