BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's lacrosse team is slated to begin its 2018 season on Saturday, February 24 with a non-conference road match at Alfred University.
Third-year Head Coach Dave Carty, who is beginning his 15th year as a college head coach, returns 24 players from last year's squad that finished with a 6-8 record and played its first Landmark Conference season since 2010.
Coach Carty returns all of his scoring from last spring including junior attack Mark Laratta, who led the team with 47 points on 29 goals and 18 assists, and junior midfielder James Carroll, who had a team-high 38 goals to go with four assists. Laratta also had 40 ground balls and nine caused turnovers a year ago while being named to the Landmark All-Conference Second Team, and Carroll contributed 25 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.
Junior midfielder Alec Oriolo returns for a third season after adding 22 goals, 10 assists and 12 ground balls last season while junior midfielder Austin Adams had 19 goals, seven assists and 15 ground balls in his first collegiate season after an injury had him sidelined all of 2016. Junior attack Jack Gozzard had 11 goals, two assists and 20 ground balls last spring while sophomore attack Cade Siddron added six goals and four assists in his debut season. Junior midfielder AJ Cioffi had seven assists and nine ground balls last season while junior midfielder Dominick Gurreri had three goals, three assists and 10 ground balls.
Sophomore long stick midfielder Jimmy Schicke returns after being named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team last spring with 46 ground balls, 17 caused turnovers, 12 face-off wins and one goal in his debut season. Junior midfielder Hayden DuPont contributed two goals, two assists, 18 ground balls and 11 face-off wins while junior midfielder Rick Guerra added one goal, three assists and team-highs of 71 ground balls and 133 face-off wins. Sophomore midfielder Kevin Darling had one goal and one assists while sophomore midfielder Brandon Sisk and junior midfielder Robert Gellatly each had one goal. Sophomore midfielder Peter Degnan, sophomore defender Stas Lembryk and sophomore defender Brian Darling all had one assist last spring with Darling adding 25 ground balls and eight caused turnovers and Gellatly scooping up 13 ground balls.
Defensively, juniors John Polich, Anthony Pontone and Brian Biase return for their third season as starters. Polich had 42 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers in 2017 while Biase had 17 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers and Pontone added nine ground balls while limited to half the season by an injury.
Junior goalie Kurt Dick returns for his third season in the crease after posting a 4-6 record last spring with 123 saves and a 10.05 goals-against average in 585 minutes of action. Sophomore MacLean Lincoln played 192 minutes last season with a 1-2 mark, 36 saves and a 9.98 goals-against average.
Moravian has added nine players to the team for the 2018 campaign as coach Carty looks to challenge for a Landmark Conference postseason berth.
