Men’s Lacrosse: 2022 Men’s Lacrosse Season Preview

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – It is the dawn of a new era in men’s lacrosse at Gettysburg College with a new coaching staff looking to lead the Bullets to the top of the Centennial Conference and into the national playoffs this spring.

 
Peter Toner was named the program’s new mentor following the retirement of long-time head coach Hank Janczyk following the 2021 campaign. Toner is just the fourth head coach since 1969 and inherits one of the most successful lacrosse programs in Division III history, which includes 26 NCAA Division III Championship appearances, 11 trips to the national semifinals, and 21 total conference titles. Toner and assistant coaches Erik Holt and Nick Cardile plan to keep the Bullets in contention for both conference and national recognition.  

“I think this team has some lofty goals in both the conference and nationally and has been putting in a lot of hard work to maximize every opportunity we have to compete this spring,” said Toner, who spent the previous 11 years on the coaching staff at Penn State University. “We’ve had great leadership by our captains and upperclassmen and everyone is fully buying into our team culture. I believe it will allow us to achieve many of the goals we have set forth as a team.”

In the shortened 2021 season, Gettysburg posted a record of 4-2 and tied for second in the Centennial Conference behind Franklin & Marshall College. The lack of games on the schedule kept the Bullets out of the national playoffs for just the sixth time since 1989.

The coaching staff has worked hard through the fall and into preseason shaping a robust roster that includes a mix of experience, talent, and relative youth. Some student-athletes have competed in each of the last three years, while others are stepping onto the turf in a competitive environment for the first time in almost two years. With 60-plus players, Toner and his coaching staff have sought to bring the team together through a range of activities, both on and off the field.

“We had a great fall in the classroom and in the community and are excited to build on that momentum during the season as we take the field,” said the head coach. “The team and staff spent a ton of time this fall focusing on relationship building with so many new faces. We really tried to emphasize the importance of being a great teammate in all situations and tried to provide as many visuals as we could to these guys about what that looks like.

“We talk to these guys on a daily basis about our ability to maximize our potential as a team and to control what we can control and that will continue to guide us through the spring as coaches and players.”

 
Offense

The offense will welcome back a number of proven goal scorers. Topping the list is junior midfielder Kyle Howard (Skillman, N.J./Montgomery), who was first-team All-CC and honorable mention All-America in 2021. Howard posted 11 goals and eight assists in six contests last season, including a nine-point outburst against Washington. Senior Kieran Ward (Malvern, Pa./Malvern Prep) was tagged second-team all-conference after notching a team-high 25 points and 15 assists to go with 10 goals. Junior McCain Wnek (Wilmington, N.C./New Hanover) tallied eight goals in his first season after transferring from Furman University, while junior Aidan Wykoff (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) and senior Connor Hume (Elkridge, Md./Loyola Blakefield) each lit the lamp seven times in 2021. Senior Griffin Gallagher (Ardmore, Pa./Shipley School) and sophomore Quinton Mather (Avon, Conn./Avon Old Farms) were also multiple-goal scorers a year ago.

Senior Spencer Knife (Venice, Calif./Winston Churchill) will look to be a major contributor after playing in just one game in his first two seasons at Gettysburg. The transfer from Towson University scored a goal and assist in his first game of 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury. Also returning to the fold are juniors George Raymond (Darien, Conn./Suffield Academy) and Connor Koch (Glenview, Ill./Loyola Academy). Both Raymond and Koch scored three goals in the shortened 2020 season with the latter netting the overtime game-winner against No. 9 York (Pa.) College. Another newcomer taking the field for the first time will be sophomore Ryan Cernuto (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan).

 
Defense

The Bullets took a hit defensively with the graduation of All-American Andrew Horn, all-conference defenseman Pat Cosgrove, and three-year starter PJ Dettor. It will be a new-look defensive backfield in front of senior goalie Scott MacMillan (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga). MacMillan was first-team All-CC in 2019 and was tagged Preseason All-America Honorable Mention by Inside Lacrosse this spring. For his career, he has logged a record of 18-6 with a goals against average of 9.23 and a save percentage of .549.

Among the returners, junior Zack Kinsella (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) saw time in all six games and tallied two goals while leading the squad with 28 ground balls. Senior Nate Capriglione (New Milford, Conn./New Milford) and juniors Zack Puckhaber (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) and Michael Zima (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) appeared in nearly every game a year ago, while Tate Kienzle (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) played in all 19 games in 2019, totaling 14 ground balls and four caused turnovers. 

Juniors Dominic Yorio (Summit, N.J./Summit) and Declan Harrigan (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck) will be looking for increased playing time after playing in a few outings two years ago and the coaching staff expects immediate contributions from several newcomers, including freshmen Andy Marquet (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga), Thomas Ciccarone (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga), and Frank Barbera (Chatham, N.J./Chatham).

 
Face-Offs

Gettysburg won 56.8 percent of its face-offs last season with All-American Alex Ulrich ’21 winning over 60 percent of his attempts. With Ulrich gone, the duties will go to senior Joe Persche (Summit, N.J./Summit) and junior Jonathan Moshe (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Earl L. Vandermuelen). Moshe was Ulrich’s back-up a year ago and won 15-of-32 attempts over five games. Persche had some big games as a first-year, including winning 17 face-offs and grabbing 10 ground balls against McDaniel in 2019. Over his career, he has won 57.4 percent of his face-offs.

 
Schedule

The pandemic limited Gettysburg to just a total of 13 games over the last two seasons. This spring, the team will hit the turf for a total of 17 regular-season outings, including match ups with six teams ranked among the top 20 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Gettysburg, which enters the regular season ranked 16th in the national poll, will take on No. 2 Salisbury University, No. 4 York (Pa.) College, No. 5 Christopher Newport University, No. 8 Franklin & Marshall College, No. 13 Stevenson University, and No. 20 Amherst College this season. The games with Stevenson, F&M, and York will all take place on the friendly turf of Shirk Field.

The run through top-tier non-conference opposition will help strengthen Gettysburg’s approach to the competitive Centennial slate. The Bullets have gone without a conference title since winning back-to-back crowns in 2015 and 2016. The Orange and Blue have finished runner-up in each of the four seasons since its last crown.

“We have one of the toughest schedules in the country which we are all really excited about,” Toner stated. “We’ve got some great opportunities both here and on the road to compete and measure ourselves against several of the top-ranked teams in the country and it will no doubt help to shape us as we move through the season. The Centennial Conference looks to be as competitive as ever and we will need these hard fought games and lessons to prepare us for the Centennial gauntlet.”

 
CC Preseason Poll

Gettysburg finished in the runner-up spot in the coaches’ preseason ballot. The Bullets totaled 52 first-place votes and finished behind defending champ Franklin & Marshall, which accumulated 63 points and seven first place votes. Muhlenberg and Dickinson scooped up the remaining first-place votes to finish third and fifth, respectively, while Ursinus slide between the Mules and Red Devils at No. 4.

 
Season Opener

Gettysburg begins its season at home against Eastern University on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. The Bullets have won 16 consecutive season openers dating back to 2006 and the team owns a perfect 8-0 record against the Eagles all-time. Spectators are welcome to Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium and masks are not required outdoors. The game will also feature live video and live stats.

This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.