2014 CCC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll Release

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) released their annual Preseason Men's Lacrosse Coaches' Poll which listed Endicott to finish second behind Western New England in the 2014 standings. The poll, which is voted upon by the league's head coaches, saw two first place votes go to the Gulls who are looking to reclaim CCC Championship glory for the first time since the 2011 season.

Endicott (74 points, two first place votes) trailed the two-time defending conference champion Western New England (79, seven first place votes) by just two points in the poll. Roger Williams (63) and University of New England (63), both semifinalists in last year's CCC Tournament, came in at third and fourth place, respectively. Wentworth (44), Salve Regina (34), Gordon (23), Nichols (19), and Curry (17) round out the standings.

The 2014 version of the Endicott men's lacrosse team appears to have all the tools it needs to make another run at their eighth CCC title with eight All-CCC, three All-Region, and two All-American players returning this spring. The Gulls, however, are coming off a 13-6 season in 2013 that ended with a loss in the CCC Championship and Endicott's leadership is more focused on what needs to be fixed to get back into the NCAA Tournament. 

"I never looked at it in terms of those accolades but more in terms of what our needs are," said 17^th-year head coach Sean Quirk. "We have to replace arguably the best faceoff man in all of Division III so we'll have to be creative at the 'x'.  We also lost our leading goal scorer and two starters down low on defense."

Despite the losses, Endicott's expectations remain high and the core group of returners will be tasked with providing leadership on and off the field. The team has already set a standard of a 7.0 goals against average and with a group of veteran, physical defenders backed by one of the nation's premiere goalies, the defensive will fuel Endicott's up-tempo offensive style.

Both of Endicott's returning All-American starters are on defensive with senior Breck Merritt and sophomore goalie Cameron Bell with juniors Chris Cooney and Ian Knechtle primed for big roles. Christopher Summers moves down low for his senior season to provide depth and experience. Endicott will also look to senior Austin Burke, familiar with the Gulls system, and sophomore Conor Billings, who turned in a strong non-tradition and off-season.

Backing up and pushing Bell between the pipes will be senior Nick Triano, who has proven to be a leader for his young teammates, and several freshmen looking to make an impact in their first seasons.

Junior Will Farfalla will transition into a long-stick midfielder role and will be joined by sophomore Division I transfer from Manhatten Sam Izzarelli as well as sophomore Ben Katzen.

Endicott's entire midfield will go unchanged from a year ago with All-CCC juniors Harrison Cotter and Joshua Tordik leading the group. The team's lone captain, graduate student and All-CCC winner Peter Erickson, also represents the midfield as a talented, two-way player with tremendous leadership qualities. Senior Chris Murphy is also a leader and powerful midfielder with great experience. Junior Jonathan Morgan and his brother Jeremy, who suffered a season-ending injury after just three games, are back, and Endicott welcomes junior transfer from Quinnipiac Sam Scoba. Senior Chris Janelle headlines a talented crop of defensive midfielders that also includes sophomores Peter Field and Dominic Martinelli.

The Endicott attack boasts the most depth the program has ever seen highlighted by All-CCC juniors Kyle Weber and Nick Pinciaro - the leading point-getter in 2013. Mitchell Tapley gained experience as a freshman last season, and rookies Colin Bannon and Bobby Perez will push for starting roles. Freshman Washington College transfer Will Jennings is expected to make an impact as well.

For the first time since 2010, Endicott will see a new number on faceoffs with freshman Tommy Hughes stepping in for two-time All-American Sam Ozycz. Hughes has shown ability, and could have an efficient rookie year after having worked with Ozycz and former Endicott faceoff masters John Ortolani '08 and Joe Gugino '09.

The Gulls return an incredibly strong coaching staff with Mike Sciamanna (7^th year), Eric Hagarty (4^th year), and Lars Keil (3^rd year). The continuity that the staff is so important to the team's success on and off the field, and Quirk knows his staff will prepare and lead the 2014 squad.

Looking ahead to the 2014 schedule, the Gulls take on their usual suspects of top-20 teams including 2010 NCAA Champion Tufts and 2013 NCAA Second Round qualifier Stevens. The Gulls have also added two strong teams in Middlebury and Connecticut College, who finished 1-2 in the NESCAC regular season standings last season. The goal, however, remains winning the conference championship.

"The days of there being any weak teams in our conference are over," said Quirk. "All lacrosse coaches are full-time, which has made a big difference. Our conference is gaining a lot of respect and there is greater likelihood of the second CCC team getting an at-large bid. Our goal, however, is to get the conference championship year in and year out."   

2014 CCC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll