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Coach Sothoron’s outlook on the 2008-09 season
The WJU men’s lacrosse team had a successful fall on many levels. With a new coaching staff the fall served more as an evaluation period. Coach Sothoron was very happy with the talent level and work ethic. The Cardinals have a very difficult schedule this spring playing numerous ranked opponents. “In order to become a top team you have to play top teams,” says Sothoron.
We have a great group of kids that work very well together. They are a tight knit group that plays for one another. We have put together a very tough schedule that will test us week in and week out. We are a team that will surprise a lot of teams. As long as we can stay healthy we should be very successful. Cardinal lacrosse plays its first home game on February 19th at home against top ranked Mercyhurst College.
Attack Unit
The WJU attack is very well rounded. The attack returns two starters from the 2008 season. Junior Jack Malone is a crafty player who will be the quarterback of the unit. He is a finesse player who is very multi dimensional. He dodges well and creates for everyone around him. We look for him to have a breakout season. Eric Jenkins is the other returning junior attackman. He has a blue-collar work ethic. He can dodge and score but he is dangerous off the ball. He is very tough on rides making it difficult on opposing teams trying to clear. The third spot will be split between two guys. Colin Jack is a sophomore who has good size and can go either way. He operates very well inside and he will be an impact inside on the man up unit. Kyle Lucas a freshman might be the most athletic attackman of the group. He is a natural lefty who is very powerful and shoots very well with either hand. He will rotate and play midfield and attack this season. Rounding out the attack unit is sophomore Dan Petraglia. Dan is a hard working kid that gets better everyday. Dan will push for time in the 5th spot.
Midfield Unit
The midfield unit returns all of its goal scorers from the 2008 season. We are pretty deep in the midfield position looking for them to create a lot of offense from up top. Senior Captain John Miller will lead the first midfield with his size and speed. John is one of the most athletic kids I have ever coached. Senior Captain Mike Jacques is a great team guy who is great in between the lines and has a great work ethic. Senior John Dunbar is coming off a red shirt season due to a shoulder injury. If he can stay healthy he should put up some good numbers. Junior Jeff Arneson is a big middie with a hard shot. If he can be consistent he should be a threat to opposing teams. Sophomore Phil Mergner is a transfer from Essex Community College in Maryland. Phil is a throwback middie who plays at both ends of the field very well. His speed and heart will make him an immediate impact. Sophomore Charles Joyce and Freshman Justin Baltzer both played well this fall and should contribute this spring.
Defensive Unit
The defense did well this fall and should be a big factor in the team’s success. Senior Captain Trevor Veres will cover every team’s number 1 attackman. He is a versatile player that can cover any type of attackman. He has a hard nose approach and likes to create transition from the defense. Sophomore Nate Nelson is a big strong defenseman who gets better everyday. He likes to oppose his will on his opponents. He is a good takeaway guy who matches up well against any teams top player. The third spot will be split between Senior Captain Kip Stoffel and Junior Chris Sanford. Kip will play both close defense and long stick middie this year. He is a very versatile defenseman who plays in your face. He is a guy who wants to out work his attackman pressing the action. Chris Sanford will see a lot of playing time at close defense. He has good size and is improving every day. If he can be consistent he will pose a threat to any teams bigger attackmen. Sophomore Josh Ringling and Freshman Austin Grimes both showed promise this fall and will be pushing to see time.
LSM Unit
Sophomore Mark Davitt will split time with close defender Senior Kip Stoffel this year. Mark has good speed and is great on groundballs. He has been working hard and is getting better everyday. Freshman Andrew McMannis will look to push for playing time after a much-improved fall.
Short stick D middie Unit
Senior Captain Ryan Ferris and Junior Joel Basso will anchor the defensive midfield position. Ryan works as hard as anyone on the field and is a great team leader. Joel really made great strides this fall and exceeded all of the coaching staffs expectations. He improved more then any player we have. He is smart and is learning our defensive system very quickly. Sophomore Evan Kasper and Will Walton have worked hard and they should push for time this spring.
Face off Unit
We are young and inexperienced in the face-off category but our guys are working everyday to get better. Sophomore Luke Janssen will take the majority of the draws this spring. Luke showed this fall that he could be successful. He is a kid that gets better every day. Sophomore Shawn Grimm is a new addition to the face-off X. Shawn has worked hard all fall and winter and we should see him taking some draws this spring. Junior Jeremy Prettiman and Freshman Andrew McMannis will look to take some draws as well.
Goalie Unit
We have 3 solid goalies and they have all competed hard this fall. Joe Simms is the returning starting goalie from last season and is looking to have a breakout year. He played very well in fall ball and has improved significantly since the beginning of the fall. Back up Tony Tatro had a good fall and pushed Simms. Tony has the potential to be very good. His biggest weakness is consistency. If he can improve on that he will be hard to score on. Junior Tim Priskey is a great team guy and good leader. He works hard and tries to improve on a daily basis. Tim will push Tony and Joe for some time this season.
Key losses from 2008
Sean Smith-Defense
Tom Herzog-LSM
Joe Joliat-Midfield-F/O | 
