St. John's Lacrosse 2011 Season Outlook

1/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse

Jan. 21, 2011

QUEENS, N.Y. - Heading into his fifth season as head coach of the St. John's lacrosse team, Jason Miller has assembled all of the elements needed for an exciting season in the BIG EAST Conference. He has constructed a schedule that includes a program-record eight games against teams ranked in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook preseason poll. Five of those teams will be playing St. John's on its home turf. The Red Storm will also gain national exposure from an appearance in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic, playing Rutgers in the New Meadowlands Stadium in a game broadcasted on ESPN3.com.

Last season, St. John's finished 5-9 overall, yet lost four games by three goals or less in the final minutes. Miller brings back talent at every position group, including three of last year's top five scorers, two three-year starters at close defense, sophomore specialists at the faceoff X and at the long-stick midfield position, and the team's starting goalkeeper at the end of the season.

Finally, the Red Storm will welcome its most talented recruiting class in Miller's tenure in 2011. Six All-Americans and three players ranked in Inside Lacrosse's position rankings headline a class that promises to produce at both ends of the field from the season's first game.

"This spring should be pretty exciting for our players and fans," Miller said. "We certainly have our work cut out for us with this kind of schedule, but I think our talent pool is a little better than it has been in the past and we've got a great opportunity to play on a big stage at the Meadowlands. In the end, if the goal of our program is to be competitive on the national scene, we're optimistic that it's well within reach."

ATTACK

The Red Storm returns last season's leading scorer and a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection in junior Harry Kutner at attack. Last season, Kutner tallied 20 goals and six assists and was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll twice for his two games with hat tricks.

"Kutner had a pretty solid sophomore year, and got some great experience up in Canada over the summer," Miller said. "We are excited about where his game is at right now, but also really counting on him to continue to progress. We really need to get him in the 40-point range for us to be better as a team."

Kutner's classmate Charlie Holenstein will be called upon for continued production after earning his first start midway through last season. He finished the season with 15 goals, six assists and a nod to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after scoring two goals in the season finale against Syracuse.

Miller expects new freshmen Kieran McArdle (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) and Kevin Cernuto (Neshanic Station, N.Y./St. Joseph's Metuchen) to see significant minutes and put up big offensive numbers. McArdle was Long Island's leading goal-scorer, while Cernuto was named first team All-State in 2010. Freshman Keith Switzer (Hillsdale, N.J./Bergen Catholic) will see the field on extra-man opportunities.

MIDFIELD

With the departure of Tom Manes and Garrett Mitchell, two of the team's top three scorers in 2010, Coach Miller will move senior Terence Leach back to the midfield in order to provide more leadership and athleticism to that group. Leach has battled injuries throughout his career but has averaged over a point per game played the last two seasons.

Sophomore Alex Lagodich netted 13 goals last year including two game-winners, one in overtime against Vermont. Senior Ryan Herits and sophomore Jarrett Carr also contributed points and physicality in the midfield. They will battle for the final starting position and lead the second midfield.

"We are really pleased with how Terence has transitioned to the midfield," Miller said. "Coach Brian Jacovina has done a really good job working with him at both ends of the field, and it gives us the ability to get our six best offensive players on the field at the same time. Alex saw considerable minutes last year and is one of our best outside shooters, while Herits really finished last season on a high note and put in a tremendous amount of work over the summer. Jarrett's confidence gets a little stronger every day and we are hopeful his contribution will increase this spring."

Like most positions on the field, the Red Storm have a talented group of newcomers who can push the upperclassmen and see playing time early in their careers. Ryan Fitzgerald (Cortland Manor, N.Y./Putnam Valley) was a NY Section I All-America selection in 2010 and Joe Granata (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) earned a spot on the Newsday All-Division team. Drew Viscusi (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial) and Donal Flaherty (Eastport, N.Y./Avon Old Farms) add depth to the rotation.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD

Senior Dan Kalata is the lone returner on the short-stick defensive unit after the departures of Reggie Davis and Nick Messinger. Kalata saw time in every game last season and tallied two assists in the Red Storm's dramatic win at Rutgers.

Sophomore Brandon Ayers will be moved to the defensive midfield unit in order to better utilize his athleticism and toughness. Junior Matt Hurst will also be asked to take more of a role at the defensive end of the midfield, adding experience and depth to that unit. Freshman Connor Mullen (Romansville, Pa./Downingtown West) should have the opportunity to contribute early.

DEFENSE

Senior co-captains Dan Cremens and Mike Sherry return to lead the close defensive unit. They have combined to play in 79 games over the course of their careers and have been consistent anchors of the Red Storm defense. Sherry has tallied 43 caused turnovers over the last two seasons, while Cremens picked up 38 ground balls last year.

"These two guys are poised for a big year. I think they are pretty underrated in terms of the defensemen in our conference," Miller said. "They have been covering the best attackers we face for two years now, and we are counting on their experience and leadership against the best schedule we've ever played."

Sophomore Parker Bratton saw time at close defense last season and will compete for the third starting spot with classmate Colin Canty and freshman James Lang (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville), a US Lacrosse All-American in 2010. Junior Mark Jackson, Jr. and freshman John Bello (Somers, N.Y./Somers) add depth to an already talented group.

SPECIALTY

Sophomore Dillon Ayers returns as the squad's top long-stick midfielder, finishing second on the team in ground balls (47) last season. Ayers plays with a physical style that created a team-leading 22 caused turnovers and earned him a nod on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after tallying two points and collecting seven ground balls against Providence. Freshman Joe Addona (Springfield, Pa./Springfield-Delco) adds talented depth to the long-stick midfielder mix after earning All-America and All-State honors last season. Inside Lacrosse ranked him 33rd among incoming long-stick players.

Sophomore Jordan Rothman returns to take the face-offs for the Red Storm. He won 152-of-303 balls at the face-off X last year, and a strong offseason should propel him to continue to get better.

Sophomore Jeff Lowman expects to have a strong second-year campaign in goal after winning the starting job midway through the 2010 season. Lowman made 108 saves in eight games started for a save percentage of .562. His 16-save effort at Rutgers earned him BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll accolades. Freshmen Tommy Cox (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) and Daniel McQuillan (Bellmore, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) will provide depth in goal. Cox was named to the All-Nassau County team in 2010, while McQuillan was a US Lacrosse All-American last season.

"When you look at our roster and see 26 freshman and sophomores out of 37 players, it's a little deceiving. We're definitely young, but it's also where our best players are, especially at the specialty positions," Miller said. "Jeff Lowman really came on strong at the end of the year, and I feel he will establish himself as one of the best goalies in the BIG EAST Conference. We hope the same holds true for Jordan at the face-off X. Dillon Ayers gave us everything we hoped he would when we recruited him - toughness, a great competitor and a relentless motor. Joe Addona is as talented a player as we've been able to recruit here which gives us a great 1-2 punch at the pole."

SCHEDULE

St. John's will play its statistically strongest schedule in program history in 2011 as eight of the team's 14 opponents were ranked in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook's Top 20 Poll. Four Red Storm foes - Syracuse, Notre Dame, Stony Brook and Hofstra - were placed in the top 10 of the poll, also a program record.

"We remain committed to playing as strong a schedule as we can," Miller said. "It's obviously a big undertaking, but we see huge dividends in terms of our program's growth, our players' development, our recruiting, and the overall excitement that surrounds our team. At the end of the day, I think competitive players want to play a great schedule, and we feel we have that here."

The Red Storm opens the season at Holy Cross on Feb. 19, before playing consecutive home games against Yale, last season's Ivy League champion, and BIG EAST rival Georgetown. Road games at Siena and Vermont come amongst the team's regional bouts with nationally ranked Stony Brook and Hofstra. The game against the Pride will be held in primetime on March 22 and broadcast via tape delay on Verizon FiOS1.

After a home match with Sacred Heart, the Red Storm will take part in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic on April 3 at the New Meadowlands Stadium, facing conference rival Rutgers. The game will broadcast live online at ESPN3.com.

Following conference road games at Providence and 2010 national runner-up Notre Dame, St. John's hosts Villanova on April 23. The Red Storm will celebrate its seniors the following week against Drexel, and conclude the regular season at Syracuse on May 7.

St. John's enters the season picked fifth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll. Reigning league champ Syracuse was picked first, while national runner-up Notre Dame was picked second.

The Red Storm begins play on Jan. 29 when the team hosts UMass in an exhibition game at 1 p.m. on DaSilva Memorial Field.