The University of Mary Washington men’s lacrosse team turned a corner in 2008. With a young squad, the Eagles faced one of the strongest schedules in the region and finished with seven wins. With head coach Kurt Glaeser, who coached both lacrosse and women’s soccer for 19 years, now focusing solely on lacrosse, the Eagles advanced to the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals.
The Eagles showed their promise from the start, holding 16th-ranked Hampden-Sydney College to just five goals in the opener, a 5-2 defeat. The Eagles then won three straight games, with an 18-8 defeat of Hood College in CAC play before home wins against Neumann College, 13-3, and Wesley College, 10-5. An 11-9 defeat on the road to traditional power McDaniel and a 15-9 loss to 18th-ranked Villa Julie College evened the Eagles’ record at 3-3, but both proved the Eagles’ mettle against two quality programs.
The Eagles topped Goucher, 7-5, before a loss at St. Mary’s College. UMW then defeated Christopher Newport University, 6-4. In a showdown with top-ranked and defending national champion Salisbury University, the Eagles led for nearly three quarters before falling, 10-5. A loss at York preceded a 14-6 win over Marymount in the regular season finale.
UMW, Wesley, and York finished tied for fourth in the league standings, and, with a coin flip determining seeding, the Eagles traveled to third-seeded St. Mary’s in the CAC quarterfinals. The Eagles avenged perhaps their toughest defeat of the season with a 7-4 victory over the Seahawks. UMW then visited 10th-ranked Villa Julie in the conference semifinals and fell to the Mustangs, closing a season that confirmed a glimpse of the promising future of the program in one of the most competitive lacrosse leagues in the nation.
UMW had three players earn all-conference honors. Junior midfielder Brent Fisk scored 20 goals and four assists and proved to be a top defensive player in the midfield. Junior defender Peter Lytle hauled in 53 ground balls as the point of UMW’s strong defense and posted just six penalties on the season. Freshman goalie Ryan Kleman earned all-CAC honors after posting 8.35 goals against average, registering 128 saves and a .584 save percentage.
Offensively, the Eagles were led by junior Dan Coats’ 27 points (15 goals, 12 assists), junior Charlie White’s 26 (19 goals, seven assists), and junior Sean Brown’s 25 (20 goals, five assists). Ryan Motyka emerged as a top faceoff man in the midfield, winning 111 face offs and 73 ground balls. Defensively, Lytle and Kleman led a group that included Travis Floyd, Geoff Prin, and David Watts.