MORAVIAN MEN’S LACROSSE TEAM PICKED 10th IN MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL

ANNVILLE, PA --- The Moravian College men’s lacrosse team has been picked to finish tenth in the Middle Atlantic Conference in a preseason poll of the conference’s coaches released Thursday.

The Greyhounds received 26 points. Widener University was selected first with 97 points and received seven first-place votes while Messiah College was picked second with 93 points and four first-place votes. FDU-Florham was third with 77 points. The remainder of the poll included Elizabethtown College, Drew University, Lycoming College, King’s College, the University of Scranton, Susquehanna University, Moravian and DeSales University.

Moravian team looks to continue to build the program in just its fourth year as a varsity sport in 2007. Head coach Fran Meagher returns 27 letterwinners and nine starters from 2006.

Senior midfielder Ken Blom (Rochelle Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic HS) led Moravian with 21 goals and 15 assists for 36 points including five man-up goals to go with 35 ground balls and 23 of 72 face-off wins last season while senior midfielder TJ Hirsch (Putnum Valley, NY/Walter Panas HS) had 24 goals and ten assists for 34 points this season. Hirsch, who had seven man-up goals, led the team with 87 ground balls, and he won 104 of 208 face-offs.

Sophomore attack Jason Tosches (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor Plainsboro South HS) netted 21 goals and added eight assists for 29 points to go with 26 ground balls and three man-up goals while sophomore attack Christopher Danni (Macungie, PA/Emmaus HS) found the back of the cage 13 times and added one assist for 14 points to go with 14 ground balls. Sophomore attack Keith Danner (Laurys Station, PA/Parkland HS) contributed ten goals and ten assists for 20 points, and he had 14 ground balls while sophomore midfielder Brian Cleaver (Allentown, PA/Parkland HS) had six goals to go with 27 ground balls.

Senior attack Daniel Larson (Dover, DE/Dover HS) scored a goal and an assist before an injury sidelined him for the season in the second match of the year. Sophomore midfielder James Messler (Allentown, PA/Emmaus HS) had an assist and 17 ground balls.

Sophomore defender Steven Carroll (West Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell HS) had 37 ground balls last spring while sophomore defender David Poppe (Simsbury, CT/Simsbury HS) added 41 ground balls. Senior long-stick midfielder Rocco DiPoalo (Keyport, NJ/Academy of Marine Science) had one assist, won 12 of 40 face-offs and added 20 ground balls while sophomore defender Brian Reckenbeil (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) had nine ground balls in limited action.

Sophomore keeper Benjamin Larson (Dover, DE/Dover HS) had a 3-10 mark with an 11.43 goals-against average, 155 saves and 38 ground balls in 698 minutes of action this season. Junior goalie Peter Coutros (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks West HS) had a 1-2 record with an 11.17 goals-against average and 53 saves in 263 minutes of action.

Moravian has already begun its 2007 season with a 0-1 record, and the Greyhounds will return to action on Saturday, March 3rd in a non-conference match at McDaniel College beginning at 1:00 p.m.

2007 Middle Atlantic Conference Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll