Feb. 19, 2003

"Be The Best!"

That phrase has been the epitome of the Maryland men's lacrosse program for decades as the Terps cheer it as they break every team huddle. The 2003 edition of the Maryland Terrapins has a chance to be the best team in a long time at Maryland as head coach Dave Cottle has assembled a veteran team with several new key ingredients.

The Terps return 12 seniors from last season's team that was four goals away from being undefeated in the regular season. That team, Cottle's first at Maryland, went 9-4, losing all four games by one goal, including three in overtime.

With those dozen seniors adding experience and leadership, Cottle has added a pair of graduate students who led their respective teams in scoring in their last seasons of action.

The backbone of the Maryland team for the last few years has been defense and this year will be no different with two preseason first team All-Americans on close defense. But the 2003 Terps should score more than they have in the past with infusion of three veteran newcomers and several talented freshmen.

Attack
The starting attack will be a mix of something old, something borrowed and something new (sorry, nothing blue here in College Park). Junior honorable mention All-American Dan LaMonica returns after a 2002 season in which, he finished second on the team in scoring with 39 points on 15 goals and 24 assists, which tied for the team lead.

Joining LaMonica up top will be preseason honorable mention All-American Brian Hunt, who is a graduate student at Maryland after finishing his career at Yale. Hunt, who missed all of last season after suffering a broken ankle just prior to the start of the Bulldogs' season, was the fourth-leading scorer in the nation in 2001. He pumped in 28 goals and assisted on 30 more for 58 points (4.46 per game) as he was named an honorable mention All-American at Yale. He graduated the Ivy League school as the program's 10th all-time leading scorer with 125 points in just three seasons of action.

Freshman Joe Walters is expected to start in his first collegiate season after a star-studded career at Irondequoit High School in Rochester, N.Y., where he was an All-American. Walters is a left-handed attackman, who finished his career with the Indians as the school's second all-time leading scorer with 268 points on 143 goals and 125 assists. That mark stands second to Terp All-American Andrew Whipple, who played at Irondequoit in the mid-1990s before helping Maryland to three NCAA championship games.

Redshirt-senior Matt Urlock will be in the mix on attack as he is now in his fifth year at Maryland after a career with many ups and downs. Urlock has a rifle shot that has been cited by Inside Lacrosse as one of the nation's best.

Junior J.R. Bordley, who started 10 games on attack last season, will be a key contributor with his speed and quickness. Sophomore Andrew Schwartzman will see some time on attack coming off his first season at Maryland when he was named the team's Most Outstanding Freshman.

Freshmen Bret Caretsky, who was a high school All-American at Northport High School will contribute along with freshman Michael Hartofilis, who can also play midfield, and sophomore Dave Matz could see some time.

Midfield
The Terps are incredibly deep at midfield. Cottle expects to rotate many players on his top three lines throughout the season.

Preseason second team All-American and senior captain Mike Mollot returns after his first season as a college midfielder. He led the Terps in scoring with 46 points on 23 goals and 23 assists on his way to being named a USILA second team All-American. Mollot was honored as the Terps' MVP in 2002 and recognized for his transition to the midfield after playing attack as a freshman and sophomore he has become a more complete player according to Cottle. Mollot enters the season with 133 career points, 20th all-time in Maryland's storied history and is sure to add to that and move up the list as the year progresses.

Along with Mollot, the other returning starting midfielder is another player who made a major position transition last season in senior captain Ryan Moran. After playing as a face-off specialist and a defensive midfielder for most of his first two years in College Park, Moran stepped it up and racked up 15 goals and 19 points - the first goals and points of his career. He was a key contributor throughout the season and will be counted again in 2003 to add leadership and scoring punch.

Now for the fun, where Cottle has his chance to mix and match a multitude of midfielders.

Seniors Matt Brock, Jamie Daue, Sean Leary and Willy Passavia are all in the mix for playing time. Brock is coming off his best season when he tallied eight goals. Cottle has cited Daue and Leary, the two tallest Terps at 6-5, as two of the most improved players in preseason camp. Daue will be looking to rebound to his form of 2001 when he tallied seven goals. Passavia posted three goals last season and is expected to contribute in 2003.

Two veteran newcomers who led their teams in scoring last season will be keys this season as graduate student Joe Parker comes off a 48-point season at Colgate in his first year as a collegiate lacrosse player after an All-American football career for the Red Raiders. Junior transfer Justin Smith returns to his hometown to play for the Terps after two seasons at UMBC. Last season he led the Retrievers in scoring with 24 points, including 18 goals. Smith broke out once he was moved to midfield, and scored 17 goals in the final seven games including a career high four against Maryland in the 2002 finale.

The Healy brothers, redshirt-sophomore Ian Healy and freshman Brendan Healy, will be factors in the midfield. Ian is returning to action after undergoing hand and wrist surgery, which forced him to miss all of the 2002 season. Brendan was a star at the No. 1 high school in the nation, Landon, and helped the Bears to their 22nd conference championship last season with a perfect 19-0 record.

Highly touted freshman Bill McGlone was a two-time All-American at Ridley High School in Pennsylvania. He was rated as the No. 4 overall incoming prospect by Inside Lacrosse and will be a factor this season with his size and athleticism. Cottle says the "the sky's the limit" for this freshman who is a member of the United States U-19 national team that will compete this coming summer.

Sophomores Matt Aksionoff and Peter Ellis will be valuable players off the bench.

Freshman Ryan Lang will see some time while fellow rookies Brent Hargest, Patrick Howell and Scott Slosson are expected to redshirt this season to gain experience.

Defensive Midfield
Two of the Terps' most unsung heroes man the long-stick and short-stick defensive midfield positions. Senior captain Brett Harper returns for his fourth season and third as the starting long-stick. He has been a consistent and steady performer throughout his career. He enters the season with 99 groundballs. Senior Frank Luciano and junior David Wagner will see time at long-stick as well.

Junior Paul Gillette, the winner of the 2002 "Big Man Award" as the player who exemplifies selfless and positive qualities of former coach Dick Edell, was one of the Terps' best all-around players last season. He added intangibles that helped the Terps' outstanding defense and provided key groundballs to jumpstart the offense.

Competing for the back-up short pole position are a trio of players in senior Jim Sbarra and juniors Alex Melzer and Drew Virk. All three drew limited playing time last season but will contribute this season.

Face-Offs
Maryland lost one of the nation's best face-off specialists in Brian Carroll, who won 159 draws in 2003 - second most in the country. The Terps will primarily use two players on face-offs this season in junior Jeremy Pastula and senior captain Ryan Moran, who doubles as an offensive midfielder.

Pastula, who has only taken nine face-offs in his first two collegiate seasons, returns to action after missing most of the 2002 season with a broken thumb suffered after fifth game of the season. Pastula has worked hard with new assistant coach Paul Cantabene - one of the nation's premier specialists for the last decade - to improve his skills.

For Moran, he returns to a position he played for most of his freshman and sophomore seasons at Maryland before moving to offense last season. Over those two years he took 210 face-offs and won 51 percent as a sophomore.

Senior Jim Sbarra will also see time on face-offs based on match-up situations.

Freshman David Tamberrino could also see some time on the draws.

Defense
The Terps return the nation's top defense, allowing just 6.88 goals per game in 2002. Defense has been the backbone of Maryland for the past few years and this year will be no different.

Maryland returns two preseason first team All-Americans in senior captain Michael Howley and junior Chris Passavia. Howley is one of the nation's premier close defenders and was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy as the sport's top player. He piled up 48 groundballs last season as he earned USILA second team All-American honors. Last summer he earned a gold medal playing for Team USA at the 2002 World Championships.

Passavia was a USILA third team selection last season as he continued his sensational play. He is a strong, ferocious and aggressive defender who has been recognized by Inside Lacrosse with the "Ginsu Award." Cottle says he might be the most gifted player on the team.

Lee Zink, the unheralded member of the close defense, had a strong first season as a starter. The big, rugged defenseman has been lauded by Howley and Passavia for his great contributions and by Cottle for his understanding of the game.

Senior Frank Luciano and junior David Wagner will battle for playing time as the fourth defenseman this season. Both will also see time as the back-up long-stick.

Sophomores Tyler Hereth and Gavin Webb add depth and continue to gain experience.

Goalie
Senior captain Danny McCormick filled the shoes of first-team All-American Pat McGinnis very admirably in 2002 as he posted the nation's top goals against average with a 6.73. McCormick himself earned USILA honorable mention All-American honors after his first season as a starter and is a preseason All-American this season. He has great quickness and character, as he is a vocal leader of the defense from the cage.

Sophomore T.C. Behm and freshman Teddy Murphy will battle for the back-up role this season. Behm saw action in six games as a freshman and allowed just five goals. Murphy was a high school All-American at Glastonbury in Connecticut and is expected to contribute during his career. He has good size and field vision according to Cottle.