A Young Franklin Pierce Team Searches for Consistency in 2008

The Franklin Pierce University men’s lacrosse team looks to build on last season’s 3-11 (0-9 NE-10) campaign behind a strong core of returning scorers and a talented and deep freshman class.

Head coach Kevin Pezanowski returns for his second season at the helm of the men’s lacrosse team after guiding the team to a 3-11 record in his first year, tying a program-high for wins in a single season. Despite fielding a young team this season, as only eight of the team’s 23 players are upperclassmen, Pezanowski is optimistic about the Ravens’ chances in 2008.

“With the balance of the team's numbers coming from the freshman and sophomore classes, I feel that the upperclassmen have bonded into more of a single unit with this year’s incoming class,” Pezanowski said. “We have really begun to work well together as a team.”

Junior Ryan Boller is the Ravens' leading returning goal scorer from last season after his 22-goal effort in 2007.

ATTACK

The Ravens set new single-season records for goals, assists and points in the 2007 campaign, and the team returns three of its top five scorers this year to take aim at that mark. Junior Ryan Boller (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) will lead the way after scoring 22 goals and adding seven assists for 29 points in 14 starts. His goal total ranked second-best on the team, while his 29 points tied him for third on the Ravens.

Senior Luke Ferreira (Farmington, Maine/Mount Blue) and freshman Jack Scanlan (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck North) should be the team’s other two starters from the attack position this year. Ferreira tied Boller for third on the team with 29 points on 19 goals and 10 assists, while Scanlan will look to make an immediate impact in his first season with the Ravens.

Junior Pat Colburn (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) and freshman Ryan Palmer (Hinesburg, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) are also expected to see playing time up front. Colburn scored twice with three assists in limited action coming off the bench in 2007.

Junior midfielder Jason Flanigan recorded 14 goals off the bench for the Ravens last season and will look for similar production again this year.

MIDFIELD

One area in which the Ravens do have experience is in the midfield, as the team has eight midfielders with at least one year of college play returning this season, including junior Jason Flanigan (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) and sophomore Lucas Hamory (Canton, Mass./Canton). Flanigan finished fifth on the team in goals with 14 and had three assists for 17 points last season, while Hamory made 13 starts in 14 games last year and should improve on his nine points (six goals, three assists) from a year ago.

Sophomore Devon Dupuis (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Classical) and freshman Jon Martinez (Waterbury Center, Vt./Rice Memorial) are the early favorites to grab the other starting midfielder positions alongside Hamory. Dupuis appeared in 11 games last year, recording one goal and one assist in limited action.

Senior Russell Hodson (Chillmark, Mass./Martha’s Vineyard) and sophomore Kyle Roy (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) each played in at least 11 games apiece in 2007, and both will likely see expanded roles in the Raven midfield this year as well. Junior Jon Priest (Burlington, Mass./Landmark School), sophomore Kurt Vaughan (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y./Croton-Harmon) and incoming freshman Mike Hagerty (Canton, Mass./Canton) will also vie for playing time in the Raven midfield.

DEFENSE

Senior captain Matt Sampson will provide leadership and experience in the Raven backfield this season.

Franklin Pierce returns two of its three defensive starters from last season, as senior captain Matt Sampson (Scituate, Mass./Scituate) and sophomore Spencer Murray (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville North) are back this year. Murray led all defensemen with 33 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers in his freshman season, while Sampson picked up 24 ground balls and will provide senior leadership in the back for the Ravens.

Sophomores Andrew Othot (Nashua, N.H./Nashua) and Dennis Greene (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) also return this season, and will combine with freshmen Mike Pennella (Lebanon, N.J./Voorhees) and Ken Stubbolo (Greenlawn, N.Y./ Harborfields) to sure up the Raven backfield.

GOALKEEPER

Junior Ryan Hulse (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) is the Ravens’ sole returnee in net from last season, after appearing in six games with one start in his first season at Franklin Pierce in 2007. Hulse recorded a 1-0 record with a 13.47 goals against average and a .396 save percentage in limited action last season.

Freshmen netminders Shea Campbell (Centerport, N.Y./Harborfields) and D.A. Ivie (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity) will compete with Hulse for the starting spot in their first seasons with the team.

SCHEDULE

Pezanowski has put together a challenging 14-game regular-season schedule for the 2008 season, including 10 Northeast-10 Conference matches and four non-conference tilts. The Ravens will also play every game against Div. II competition, only the second time in the program’s history the team will not play at least one Div. III team.

“The move to an all Division II schedule is one of many steps that the program is taking in the pursuit of becoming a competitive force within the Northeast-10 and Division II lacrosse as a whole,” Pezanowski said.

The Ravens will begin the 2008 season on March 5 at Dowling College, then will return home for its home opener against Dominican College on March 8 at 4 p.m. before heading south for a pair of games in Florida against Rollins College and Saint Leo University.

Franklin Pierce commences its NE-10 conference slate with a March 22 matchup at American International College, and plays its first home conference game of the year the following Saturday on March 29 against Pace University, beginning at 3 p.m. on Sodexho Field.