LANCASTER, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's lacrosse team was picked to finish third in the Centennial Conference preseason poll.
The defending champion Bears received one first-place vote from the league's head coaches, who tabbed Franklin & Marshall (58 points, 4 first-place votes) as the preseason favorite and runner-up Gettysburg (56 points, 3 first-place votes) as the second choice. Dickinson was fourth with one first-place vote and trailed the Bears by six points with 46.
Muhlenberg was picked fifth (33), followed by Washington College (31), Swarthmore (21), Haverford (19), and McDaniel (8).
Ursinus brings back six regular starters and a host of primary contributors from the history-making squad that delivered the program its first Centennial championship last spring.
Even with the departure of Peter DeSimone, the Bears' all-time leader in goals and points who is now on staff as an assistant coach, the attack is primed for another big year. Senior Bobby McClure, a preseason All-American, is on the cusp of overtaking first place in both categories following a 59-goal, 22-assist explosion in 2019 that resulted in a second-team all-conference nod. Junior Hakan Atillasoy matched McClure nearly point for point with 55 goals and 25 assists, receiving honorable mention All-CC accolades. Sophomore Tommy Reinhart (7G/6A) came on strong down the stretch, posting three goals and two assists in the CC title game against Gettysburg and the NCAA Tournament clash with Springfield.
Senior Evan Scott, a two-time All-CC performer, is back for a final run as the leader of the midfield unit after posting career highs in goals (10) and assists (7) a year ago. Classmate Sam Mutz scored 15 goals in his first season as a transfer from McDaniel, including an OT dagger to beat F&M in the regular season, and junior Joe Mercurio matched Scott with 10 goals of his own. Senior Ben Minardi was one of the heroes of the playoff run, scoring eight goals – including three each in the CC championship and NCAA Tournament contest – after appearing in only three regular-season games.
With a bevy of returning stars, Ursinus figures to be one of the top defensive teams in the conference. Senior Nolan Sachs, an All-CC selection a year ago, is a three-year starter, and classmate Noah Frantz has been a reliable long-stick midfielder over the past three seasons. Junior Andrew Malicki made 12 starts in 2019, and Ben Goetz played in every game.
Junior Aiden Baltz has 223 faceoff wins and 132 ground balls over the last two years, and fellow junior Rei Lopez (90 FO, 53 GB) has seen plenty of time in the circle.
Ursinus will have to find a replacement for graduated goalkeeper Nick Kirk, the MVP of the CC championship game with a finals-record 22 saves. Senior Matt Nunziata and sophomore Chris Porzelt each saw limited action in 2019, and the Bears brought in a pair of freshmen net-minders.
The men's lacrosse team opens the 2020 season at home against No. 20 Stevenson on Saturday.