As one of the nation’s elite programs, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team needs no added motivation for success. Last year’s controversial snub by the NCAA tournament committee, however, as well as the loss of a number of All-Big East players to graduation, have left the Hoyas especially anxious to make their mark on the field.
Despite a 20-8 loss to No. 3 Maryland this past weekend, which dropped the previously No. 14 Hoyas out of the national rankings, the team has shown many positive signs that offer hope for a successful season, including a 15-12 win over Jacksonville in the season opener. Behind their strong senior leadership and a wealth of returning talent, the Hoyas hope to reassert themselves as the season gets into full-swing.
“We got beat by a very good lacrosse team,” head coach Dave Urick said. “We’ve got to be able to put that behind us, and realize that the season is still very young.”
The process of improving begins with the five senior captains who set the tone both in practice and in games. The unusually high number reflects the bond among the team and the strength of the leadership.
“Our guys voted, and it was very close. It seemed to be the right thing to do,” Urick said. “I think it’s a good sign that there’s that many guys in the senior class that players look up to.”
Among the captains, the Hoyas will look to senior attackman Rickey Mirabito and senior midfielder Max Seligmann to spear their offensive attack. Mirabito has been a valuable starter and put up 24 goals and five assists last season, while Seligmann plays both sides of the field extremely well for a midfielder. Against a tough Maryland defense, Seligmann scored three goals. Their fellow captains David Shriver and Ryan Shuler help to round out the team’s offense. Urick feels that Shriver especially brings a leadership mentality to the team.
“He’s held in pretty high regard by all these guys. His approach to the game is pretty impressive,” Urick said of the attackman. “I think he’s very interested in coaching someday himself and I think he’d do a very good job at it.”
Dan Hostetler is the lone junior captain and the only one on the defensive end, but he is joined in the back field by graduate student and Preseason All-Big East defenseman Barney Ehrmann. As arguably the two best natural athletes on the team, both Hostetler and Ehrmann were chosen in the Major League Lacrosse draft this past January. While Hostetler had a stellar year this past spring with 40 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers, Ehrmann was forced to redshirt the entire 2010 season due to injury. He’s off to a fast start this year though, with 10 ground balls already.
“You get a guy like Barney Ehrmann back, he could easily be the Big East Defensive Player of the Year,” Shriver said. “That’s definitely nice to have.”
In addition to their upperclassmen, Georgetown will also look to an extremely strong sophomore class to contribute. Preseason All-Big East selection Travis Comeau, who scored a freshman-record 25 goals, saw a significant amount of time last season, along with classmates Davey Emala, Brian Casey, Dan McKinney, and Brennan Bicknese. The sophomores have an impressive 12 goals between them in the first two games, which account for over half of the team’s total.
“We’re expecting contributions from that sophomore class who played a lot last year,” Mirabito said. “They need to step into that role and start taking leadership for this team as well.”
The Hoyas continue their season in Queens on Saturday against their first Big East foe, St. John’s.
