2008 Men's Lacrosse
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2008 MEN’S LACROSSE TABLE OF CONTENTS QUICK FACTS 2008 Outlook . 2 The University Head Coach . 3 Location . Philadelphia, PA 19131 Assistant Coaches . 4 Founded . 1851 Finnesey Field . 5 Enrollment . 4,150 The Hawk. 5 Denomination . Roman Catholic (Jesuit) 2008 Roster. 6 Nickname . Hawks Non-Conference Opponents. 7 Colors. Crimson and Gray MAAC Lacrosse League. 8 Athletic Affiliation. NCAA Division I Hawk Profiles . 9-12 Conference . Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Home Field. Finnesey Field (1,000) Newcomers . 13-14 The Team Hawks’ International Play . 15 Head Coach . Pat Cullinan (Lebanon Valley ‘79) 2007 Year In Review . 16 Men’s Lacrosse Office . 610-660-1733 2007 Statistics. 17 Career Record/Years . 43-74/7 years Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference . 18 Record at SJU/Years . 15-32/3 years MAAC Statistics . 19 Assistant Coaches. Matt Huskey (Gettysburg ‘96) – 4th year Record Book. 20-23 . Jack Morrison (Whittier-CA ‘00) – 4th year All-Time Roster . 24 . Stephen Milano (Marymount ‘01) – 1st Year All-Time Results . 25-26 Captains . Pat Maxey, Steve O’Brien, Steve Varga Administration . 27 Letterwinners Returning/Lost . 31/13 Saint Joseph’s University. 28 Starters Returning/Lost . 8/2 2007 Overall Record . 6-12 2007 MAAC Record . 5-3 WWW.SJUHAWKS.COM 2007 MAAC Regular Season Finish . T-2nd 2007 Postseason . 1-1, MAAC Runner Up SAINT JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY Athletic Communications ATHLETICS MISSION STATEMENT Asst. A.D./Communications. Marie Wozniak Assoc. Dir. of Athletic Communications . Jack Jumper The Mission of the Athletics Department at Saint Asst. Dir. of Athletic Communications . Joe Greenwich Joseph’s University reflects the Mission of the University by using the programs within Athletics as a Athletic Communications Assistant & way to develop the whole person and preparing men and women for Men’s Lacrosse Contact . Jeremy S. Fallis others. Email . [email protected] Athletic Communications Phone . 610-660-2601 • To educate the whole person by complementing the academic Athletic Communications Fax . 610-660-1724 experience with athletic and recreational programs and activities Saint Joseph’s University outside the classroom. President . Timothy R. Lannon, S.J. • To create an environment for personal growth through openness, Vice President for Student Life . Dr. Cary Anderson respect, and a concern for others. Assoc. Vice Pres./Athletic Director . Don DiJulia Asst. Vice Pres./Athletic Business Affairs . Jim Brown ! e • To communicate the value of community and family through team i Assoc. AD/Facilities. Al Pendleton D work and sportsmanship. Assoc. AD/Varsity Programs . Ellen Ryan r e Assoc. AD/Marketing/Corporate Partnerships . Tim Curran v • To provide opportunities for students to learn self-discipline, e responsibility, decision-making, and attainment of goals. Asst. AD/Rec. & Intramurals. Corey Shannon N l Exec. Director of Athletic Development . Katie Shields l i • To provide opportunities for students to participate and compete Equipment Manager . Joe DeLacy W in a first-class manner. k CREDITS w • To provide equitable opportunities for all students and staff, The 2008 Saint Joseph's University Men’s Lacrosse Media Guide was designed a by Jack Jumper and Jeremy S. Fallis, written and edited by Jeremy S. Fallis. H including women and minorities. Editorial assistance provided by Marie Wozniak, Joe Greenwich and Jack e h • To advance the University regionally and nationally through Jumper. Research assistance provided by John Saeger. Action and still pho- T tography by Greg Carroccio of Sideline Photos, LLC. Inside covers designed by intercollegiate athletics. Jefferey Martin. Printing by Smith-Edwards-Dunlap, Philadelphia, Pa. 1 2008 Men’s Lacrosse SEASON PREVIEW Excitement is high for the 2008 installment of Saint Joseph’s men’s lacrosse. Head coach Pat Cullinan will see 31 of his players return to Hawk Hill, including seven of his top nine scorers and eight starters from a team which was one game away from the NCAA Tournament. Leading the charge are senior tri-captains Pat Maxey, Steve O’Brien and Steve Varga. Maxey is a stalwart in the back in charge of the defensive unit, while O’Brien and Varga are the best offensive threats on the squad. In 2007, O’Brien’s all-around offensive effort from the midfield earned him the team’s Most Improved Player honors. He supplied 18 goals and 12 assists, good for 30 points. Varga was the team’s leading scorer with 24 goals including two game-winners. Complimenting the veteran offensive strength are junior Alex Lopes and sophomore Peter Slowik. Lopes led the team in assists with 19, while Slowik garnered the team’s Rookie of the Year honor with his 10-goal, six- assist effort. As important as the offense is to the team’s success in 2008, the defense will be bolstered by 2006 All-MAAC selection Erik Hotaling. The leader in career goals against average, Hotaling backed up his stellar freshman year with a solid sophomore campaign. Although slowed by an injury, he still led the team in saves (131) and save percentage (.522). While Hotaling was out, junior R.J. Bopf stepped up impressively for the Hawks. Bopf appeared in seven games, garnering a 10.12 goals against aver- age. Bopf’s play wasn’t limited to the pipes either as he played midfield for SJU in eight other games, making him the most versatile player on the team. Senior Tri-Captain Steve Varga The defense as a whole is very experienced with the services of Maxey, Tom Wengenosky, Chris Cole, Matt Ryan, Pat Williams, and Ben Osborne. The sextet accounted for 92 appearances, making 57 starts last season. The defensive unit, including the goalkeepers, picked up 204 of the team’s 403 groundballs in 2007. The midfield has notable experience as well with senior Sante Faustini and junior Ryan Tessler as the key face-off men. The duo split face-off duties, win- ning 130 of their face-offs. In addition to Faustini and Tessler—Sean Cullinan, Chad Dudley, Jeff Beall, and Laurent Dionot—have veteran experience and skills, which include not only defensive duties but offensive capabil- ities as well. The four provided 17 points out of the ! midfield in 2007 and will continue to give the Hawks e i that added spark on both ends of the field. D r Other important role players include attackmen e v Chris O’Neill, Geoff DeSoye, midfielder Joe D’Avanzo, e N and defensemen Paul Crisafulli and Dan Marraccoli. l l The Hawks face a challenging schedule, including a i W visit to nationally-ranked Colgate in addition to hosting k 2007 national semifinalist Delaware to open the sea- w a son. H SJU will play an eight-game schedule in the Metro e h Atlantic Athletic Conference with Siena, the MAAC T Senior Tri-Captain Steve O’Brien Championship hosts, tabbed as the favorites. 2 Saint Joseph’s University HEAD COACH Pat Cullinan Lebanon Valley ‘79 Fourth Season Pat Cullinan enters his fourth season as the head coach of the Saint Joseph’s men’s lacrosse program. He previously spent 15 years at West Chester University, the final four as the Rams head coach, twice earning New York Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors. At Saint Joseph’s, Cullinan has compiled a 15-32 record including a MAAC Championship appearance last year, which left the Hawks one game short of their first NCAA Tournament appear- ance. SJU was 5-3 in the MAAC last season, 6-12 overall. In 2006, Cullinan led the Hawks to a 6- 9 record (5-3 MAAC). For leading the program’s turnaround from 2005 (3-11 overall/2-6 MAAC), Cullinan was named the 2006 Anaconda Sports MAAC Coach of the Year. Cullinan was hired after serving one year as an assistant coach (2004) immediately following his five-year stint at West Chester (1999-2003). While at West Chester, Cullinan led the Golden Rams to the ECAC Division II Championship game in 1999 and 2002 and finished the 2003 season ranked ninth in the nation. Cullinan also received NYCAC Coach of the Year honors for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In addition to his on- CULLINAN’S RÉSUMÉ the-field achievements, Cullinan also was the director of the Golden Ram Boy’s Lacrosse Camp Head Coach Years Saint Joseph’s 2005-Present and organized both a coaches and players clinic for the West Chester 1999-2003 Chester County Youth Lacrosse Association. Glen Mills HS 1981-87 Prior to taking over as head coach at WCU in 1999, Assistant Coach Years he spent a decade (1989-99) as a Ram assistant. He Saint Joseph’s 2004 was instrumental in guiding West Chester to a pair of West Chester 1989-99 ECAC Division II titles in 1994 and 1998. Player Years Before making the move to the collegiate level, Lebanon Valley 1976-79 Cullinan started the lacrosse program at Glen Mills High School and was the head coach for seven years CULLINAN’S RECORD (1981-87). YEAR-BY-YEAR Cullinan is a 1979 graduate of Lebanon Valley College, where he was a two-sport standout in lacrosse Saint Joseph’s W L and football. An alternate to the North-South College 2005 311 2006 69 All-Star team as a senior, he was a four-year starter in 2007 6 12 the lacrosse midfield and two-time captain. After col- TOTAL 15 32 lege, Cullinan competed in the Philadelphia-based Central Atlantic Lacrosse League starting in 1980 and West Chester W L earned All-Conference honors five times. 2000 610 2001 6 7 He resides in West Chester, Pa., with his wife 2002 7 9 Donna and four children; Sean, Meghan, Scott and 2003 6 6 Sarah. Sean and Scott both play under TOTAL 25 32 their father at Saint Joseph’s while Meghan plays for OVERALL 43 74 SJU’s women’s lacrosse team.