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| Matt Pullara |
The College of Wooster had four of its players recognized on the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team for men's lacrosse, headlined by senior midfielder Matt Pullara on the first team, as announced by the conference office on Thursday.
In addition to Pullara, senior Bryan McDonald was voted as a second-team defender and junior Nick Spittle and senior Graham Zimmerman were tabbed with honorable mention at long-stick midfield and specialty, respectively.
Pullara, now a three-time all-NCAC standout having earned second-team as a junior and honorable mention as a sophomore, served as the Fighting Scots' No. 1 face-off specialist and one of their top offensive threats again. This spring, Pullara won just under 60 percent of his face-off attempts (.587; 84-for-143), corralling many groundballs in the process as he ranked fourth in the league with 4.4 per game (62 total). Pullara pulled off the rare feat of also leading Wooster in scoring with 24 points on 15 goals and a squad-high nine assists, capping his career as a 100-point scorer with 105 (76 goals, 29 assists).
McDonald secured his first all-conference award after anchoring a defensive backfield that limited opponents to less than nine goals per game (8.86). As a team, the Scots yielded six goals or less in six of 14 contests, including three of the last four, and statistically, McDonald was credited with 31 groundballs as well as seven caused turnovers. A three-year starter, McDonald played in 49 career games.
Spittle, another first-time all-NCAC recipient, had a breakout season. A long-stick middie, he also played a key role in the team's defensive proficiency that saw Wooster rank fourth in the league with an overall goals against average of 8.55. Spittle often lined up on the side boundary during face-offs, helping the Scots to an advantage with many of his 38 groundballs coming in those situations. He ranked second on the team in that category and tied for first in caused turnovers (9), and also produced five points (1 goal, 4 assists).
Zimmerman, who garnered an honorable mention nod as a specialty player last spring as well, utilized his speed to make an impact on both ends of the field. A short-stick defensive midfielder, he excelled at successfully clearing the ball from the backfield into the attack area. Despite missing four games this year, Zimmerman tied for a team high with nine caused turnovers while also racking up 18 groundballs. For his career, Zimmerman came up with 143 groundballs and five assists over 49 games.
Wooster, with a very young group of attackers, finished 5-9 during 2011. The Scots showed improvement, splitting their last six games, highlighted by a six-overtime loss to Ohio Wesleyan University, which won an NCAC tri-championship and participated in the NCAA Div. III Men's Lacrosse Championships.