2022 Season Outlook: Scots Looking to Youth to Fuel Success

There is no denying The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team will be young again in 2022 with 35 first-years or sophomores among the 47 student-athletes on the roster. Even the junior class is still lacking in game experience, as they have at most the equivalent of one full season of game play with the team getting in just 17 games – the number played in a normal year's regular season – over their careers. Even with the youth, there is plenty of optimism heading into the opener on February 23 with a wealth of talent sprinkled throughout the team.

"We are excited to see what our experienced young guys can do to help support the key members of the upperclasses and the leadership they can provide for other young players who are stepping into very important roles," stated head coach P.J. Kavanagh, who enters year eight at Wooster. "You can't say you are young every year, but I can definitely say that this year, and I mean that in a very positive way. The sophomore class, the first-year class, and next year's incoming class are all pretty nice."

Four first-years were in the everyday starting lineup in 2021, plus a fifth rookie handled faceoff duties. The good news moving forward for Wooster is the instant impact the class made. Jimmy Fisher won 64.2 percent of the faceoffs he took and scooped up 116 groundballs, with both stats marking new single-season program records. Vinny DiLeo slid right in as a featured attackman, leading the North Coast Athletic Conference in assists at 27 and the team in points with 45. Ben Byars scored 19 goals, a total fourth on the team, Casey Steffen caused a team-leading 20 turnovers, and Oliver Snow joined Steffen as a first-year starter in the defensive backfield.

"It's going to be more of the same this year," shared Kavanagh when shedding light on potential projected starters. "We're likely to start three sophomores on defense, a first-year and junior at long-stick midfielder, two sophomores, and potentially a third or a first-year at attack. We're excited about our youth taking the next step in their development."

DiLeo projects to anchor the offense and is someone who "can really demand a tremendous amount of attention and create his own shot," per Kavanagh. Byars is "great off ball and a strong complementary player" to DiLeo's style of play, according to the Scots' staff, and that was evident with noticeable chemistry between the two from the get-go in 2021. Ben Kennedy is the senior leader in the attacking and midfield groups, and will be counted on for more physicality on dodges, according to Kavanagh.

Elsewhere, the third starting spot on attack is between junior Teddy Berner, sophomore Ben Huntington, and first-year Colton Beaudoin, per Kavanagh. Charlie Ballou, who started as a first-year in 2020 is back with the program, and other returning attackmen include sophomore Sam Cook, sophomore Pat Hrabak, and senior Grant Sorensen.

Wooster was "incredibly lucky" with Fisher's development last year, per Kavanagh. The then-first-year ranked 11th nationally in groundballs per game and 36th in faceoff winning percentage. First-year Rory Zahren joined the program this year and Kavanagh noted "the competition between the two is making them both stronger."

Junior Tucker Joseph and first-year Bill Holtzer are among the prime candidates on the wings from the long-stick midfielders, according to Kavanagh, who also sees senior Tyler Schroeder, sophomore Henry McMahon, and first-year Grant Rivera, all short-stick midfielders, playing key roles.

Steffen, Wooster's returning all-conference defenseman is the prime candidate to anchor the backfield, while sophomore Mitch Shelman "secured a spot there following a really great offseason," according to Kavanagh. Kavanagh sees Snow and sophomore Seth Owens battling it out for the third starter spot and noted the team is lucky to have junior Mason Poisson, a starter in 2020, back with the program.

"We hope the early experience for the defenders can really push us over some of the close losses we had last year, whether they be third quarter scores or final scores," summed up Kavanagh. "We hope to keep the games that got away from us in the past close and be on the winning side of them this spring."

A three-headed race between sophomore Paul Chandler, junior Adam Meyer, and first-year Jason Astle is ongoing for the starting 'keeper position. The overall development of Wooster's short-stick defensive midfielders will be a "key component of our success this spring," per Kavanagh. Leading candidates there include Schroeder, sophomore Rowan Keesser, first-year Aidan Sheil, first-year Aidan Hyatt, and senior Atticus Moats.

McMahon and first-year Will Fink are expected to join Kennedy on the first midfield line, per Kavanagh, who sees McMahon's role expanding on offense the year. Junior Ryan You is the likely frontrunner to lead the second midfield unit.

"Will provides a big, physical, lefty dodging presence on our first midfield," shared Kavanagh. "Who will join Ryan on the second midfield is an open competition right now."

Other returning defenders, midfielders, long-stick midfielders, and goalkeepers include sophomore Shane Epstein-Petrullo, junior Max Fletcher, junior Joey Harris, sophomore Jimmy Paranzino, sophomore Earl Stephens, sophomore Jacob Van Der Hyde

Seventeen first-years are part of this year's roster and they have "great camaraderie among themselves, which has folded seamlessly into the entire team," according to Kavanagh.

Wooster's season opens at John Carroll University on Wednesday, February 23. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. Three days later, Otterbein University is in town for a 1 p.m. start in the home opener.