The Mary Washington College men's lacrosse team had another very successful season in 2003, winning ten games and advancing to the Capital Athletic Conference championship game for the second consecutive year. Along the way, Head Coach Kurt Glaeser's Eagles saw four players earn All-Capital Athletic Conference honors, with one, sophomore Mark Fiore, breaking the school's season assist record.
Coming off its most successful season ever in 2002 and the bulk of its young roster returning, hopes were high as the 2003 season began. The young Eagles, with seven seniors on the roster, found out early that the only thing more difficult than getting to the top is staying there. Early non-conference opponents such as Virginia Wesleyan College, Dickinson College, and Hampden-Sydney College were extremely motivated against the Eagles based on their success in '02 and came out on top in games this Spring.
But the Eagles righted the ship after a disappointing loss to Hamilton College, an eventual NCAA Tournament team, by winning five straight games, and seven of their final nine. Included in that run were conference victories over Catholic University (10-6), Goucher College (7-6 in overtime), St. Mary's College of MD (9-8), Marymount University (17-6), and York College of PA (17-2). The Eagles also handled nonconference foe Neumann College in the run by a score of 18-4. During the late season run, the Eagles outscored their opponents by a 78-32 margin. MWC was seeded second in the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament and opened play with an 18-5 win over Catholic University at the Battleground in the quarterfinals, and then followed that with a thrilling 13-12 overtime win over St. Mary's in the CAC semifinals in what was one of the most memorable wins in school history. Trailing by four goals in the fourth quarter, junior Chris Doddridge sparked a comeback that sent the game to overtime and netted the on a feed from Matt Wiles to send the Eagles to the CAC title game for the second straight season.
Despite a loss to eventual national champion Salisbury University in the conference championship, the Eagles took a major step toward consistent respectability in 2003 with their second straight double figure win season. Sparking the Eagle offense were All-CAC performers Matt Wiles (33 goals, 12 assists) and Mark Fiore (21 goals, school record 34 assists). Rising senior Chris Doddridge also turned in an excellent season, scoring 27 goals and adding eight assists. Freshmen Adam Castellani (seven goals, six assists), David Morris (six goals, three assists) and Greg Rose (three goals, one assist) provided depth at the attacker position in 2003 and will look for more minutes this Spring.
The midfield will lose two-time All-CAC performer Paul Schutzman as well as Catesby Beck, Jeb Boland, and Jamie Test to graduation, but returns a strong group for 2004. Mark Malone, Lee Thompson, Drew Hebble, and Dave Justen lead a group of returnees that will solidify the midfield. Sophomores Nick Martino and Matt Johnston also return, as do the face-off corps of Ryan Brown (who had several outstanding performances in '03), Ziggy Lenchert, and Brian Fuller. An infusion of talent from the newcomers will also be expected to maintain the level of excellence and depth in 2004. Returning long-stick middies Ryan Zdanowicz and Jamie Stoddard will provide leadership and skill on the field.
The defense will see All-CAC defender Tony Ridpath lost to graduation but returns several strong performers such as Drew Cartwright and Manny Niaz, who will look to fill the void, with Chris Burton, Doug Frew, and Tim Melecka also pushing for playing time. Veteran goalkeepers Mike D'Eredita and Tim Boon will look to again share time in the Eagle goal, as both turned in solid campaigns last spring. D'Eredita, who ranked among national leaders in goals against average during the 2002 season, averaged 8.66 goals against last spring, while Boon, who saw action in eight games, allowed just 6.17 goals per sixty minutes.
If the Eagles are to remain among the top teams in the highly competitive Capital Athletic Conference (in which they've accumulated a 10-2 regular season mark over the past two years), they will have to again traverse a very challenging schedule. Included on the 2004 slate for MWC are 2003 NCAAA Division III national champion Salisbury Unversity, national powers such as Hampden-Sydney College and Washington & Lee University, and always-tough conference opponents like St. Mary's College of MD and Goucher College.