M. Lax | Seniors seek successful sendoff

All of a sudden, last year's weakness has become this year's strength.

Last season the men's lacrosse team struggled to find senior leadership. But with a senior class of 10 -- -double the number from last year - this year's squad may finally have the appropriate mix of talent and experience to make a run at the Ivy League's elite.

"It's tough when you don't have a big group of senior leaders," senior co-captain Craig Andrzejewski said. "We have four senior captains, but beyond that we have six other guys that are leaders on the field and off the field. They're doing a really good job keeping everyone up, getting everyone ready for the season."

And while Andrzejewski is quick to point out that youth was no excuse for the team's disappointing 6-7 (3-3 Ivy) campaign last year, it definitely played a role. Only one player from that team's starting 10 - defenseman Max Mauro - graduated in 2008.

All indications point to the team thriving on offense. Andrzejewski, sophomore Corey Winkoff and senior Alex Weber started nearly every game last season and combined for 53 of the team's 113 goals and 42 of 62 total assists. Winkoff led the Ivy League in assists, while Andrzejewski was a first team All-Ivy pick.

But coach Brian Voelker is quick to point out that past successes don't necessarily indicate a strong upcoming season, even for preseason All-American honorable mention selection Andrzejewski.

"It's an advantage, but the bottom line is those guys still have to go out and play," Voelker said. "You can't really take anything for granted. Craig has to go have the kind of year he had last year and the year before. It's not going to just happen."

Helping them out on the attack will be a host of freshmen. Voelker brought in nine new recruits this year, and says that while he is hesitant to put them in "gigantic" roles right away, a number of them should see playing time from the get-go. He specifically mentioned John Conneely on attack and Dan Savage in the midfield.

If they are nearly as successful as last year's group, opposing defenses should be scared. Winkoff and midfielder Al Kohart were both essential to the Red and Blue's offensive firepower last year and their continued development - along with that of the other sophomores - should be crucial again.

Experience "definitely helps. As a freshman class, we got a lot of playing time and it helped our class throughout our four years here," senior co-captain J.J. Lian said. "The more playing time these kids get, the better. There's nothing like game experience."

In contrast to their offensive security, the Quakers have a number of questions on defense. They lost their anchor in Mauro and changed goalkeepers, as senior co-captain Greg Murray will take over for junior Chris Casey. Depth also proves to be a problem, with only seven players listed on the roster as defensemen.

Although the offense seems to be the unquestioned strength of this year's team, it will take a complete team effort to make a run at the Ivy League championship. With perennial powerhouses Cornell and Princeton and last year's surprise Brown all returning strong squads, an automatic NCAA berth - in the last year the Ivy League's representative will not be determined by a conference tournament - will be as tough to come by as ever.

But as early season optimism usually dictates, Penn is unquestionably focused on the ultimate prize.

"It's tough to win the conference," Andrzejewski said. "But overall our biggest goal is to make the [NCAA} Tournament, like we did when we were freshmen."

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