Photo By Logan Moyer, Sports Editor
By Darin Martin
Coming off a 14-win season, the best in program history, the men’s lacrosse team is looking to continue its run as a powerhouse in the Landmark Conference.
Head coach Stewart Moan, entering his 18th season at the helm in Selinsgrove, says his team has been working on the fundamentals as they prepare for their Feb. 15 opener at Penn College.
“I think we have a pretty veteran team,” Moan stated. “Even with that said, we are working on the fundamentals, which you can never do enough of.”
“One of our keys is I’m not asking the guys to play harder; we are trying to play smarter,” he added. “It starts with work ethic and concentration. Staying humble, that we all can still improve on every aspect of the game. We always talk about being within a fourth-quarter chance.”
Practice performances in preseason have left Moan feeling very confident in his team’s ability to remain a force this upcoming season.
“I think we have some very talented players, and a lot of our players have played together for the past couple of years, so they are familiar with each other and their tendencies and can anticipate each other’s plays, which makes a big difference,” he said. “That’s been really nice.”
Among those talented players is defending Landmark Conference Player of the Year Brennan Lorence, who will be leading the attack. Lorence led the conference in goals last season with 57, averaging a little over three per game. He was also fifth in total points with 63. He will be joined by fellow attacker Jack Gaillard, who was second in total assists with 49.
Other All-Landmark players returning include first-team selection Kieran Thomas in midfield as well as first-team nod Aiden Kennedy and honorable mention Marshall Woodrosky in defense.
The latter of which helped the River Hawks only 132 goals last season, the lowest in the conference by a wide margin.
“We have All-Conference players in all positions,” stated Moan. “It’s nice that they are spread out throughout the field.”
The team’s conference play opens on March 22 against Drew. The team will make sure to leave nothing on the table against any opponent, but the marquee matchups that the team is looking forward to are against the other three of the “big four” lacrosse schools in the Landmark.
“Scranton, Catholic, and E-Town are all games that go right to the end,” Moan said. “All good teams.”
Last year’s team was a junior-heavy squad; Moan is hoping that experience can take his team to the next level.
“We know how to compete in games like that and know how to win close games,” he said. “Learning from the close games that we lost, gaining valuable experience in everything we do, and success from last year leads to a hunger to repeat that success.”