"Other teams are starting to notice that we are a strong program in a strong league," said Head Coach Tom Carmean. "If we start ranked 13th and move to the top 10 during the season, we have a shot at getting an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament if we don't win the NESCAC Tournament."
After coming up short as the fourth seed in the semifinal game of the NESCAC Tournament last year, the 2005 Jeffs have set their sights high for this season. "We expect to have the best team we've had at this school in years," said senior defenseman and co-captain Greg Donohue. "The [NESCAC] is probably the strongest [league] in Div. III, but we expect to be one of the top teams and hopefully win the NESCAC title. After that, we want to make the [NCAA Div. III] playoffs and get to the Final Four."
Added co-captain goalie Cushing Donelan '05, "We would like nothing more than to win a NESCAC Championship, Little Three Championship, and show what we can do on the national level."
The reason behind these high expectations is just one word: experience. There are 10 seniors on a roster that returns 10 of the top 11 scorers from 2004, as well as three starting defensemen and all of the defensive midfielders.
"Our team is filled with talented and experienced players, but there are definitely a few who are especially key to our success," said co-captain midfielder Colby Griffith '05.
Attacker Derek Cherney '07 enters the season as an Honorable Mention Preseason All-America after leading the team in scoring his rookie season with 28 goals and 15 assists. His efforts last year earned him Honorable Mention STX/USILA All-America, New England Rookie of the Year, Second-Team All-New England, First-Team All-NESCAC and NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors. Joining him on attack is Alex Casertano '05, the second-leading scorer from 2004 when he notched 34 points. Andrew Syfu '05 led the team in assists last year with 16. The Jeffs will also look to Bryan Hiller '05, Kevin Boova '06, Chris Hoffman '07 and Chris Hamm '07 on offense.
The midfield is equally impressive. Andrew Wilcox '06 is a Second-Team Preseason All-America. During the 2004 season, Wilcox was named Honorable Mention STX/USILA All-America, First-Team All-New England, Second-Team ECAC New England All-Star and First-Team All-NESCAC in addition to leading the team in ground balls with 75. Ben Lavely '06 and Rob Madden '07 grabbed 28 and 25 ground balls, respectively, last season and will round out the defensive midfield. Griffith will add an offensive spark following a 10-goal effort last season. Seniors Josh Cherney, Graham Lake, Michael Salvatore and Michael Strong, juniors Sean Murray and Caleb Deats and sophomore Stephen Williams will also contribute in the midfield.
Donohue and Donelan will anchor the defense. Last season Donohue was named Honorable Mention STX/USILA All-America, First-Team All-New England, Second-Team ECAC New England All-Star, and, for the second year in a row, First-Team All NESCAC for snatching 37 ground balls and scoring three goals. He enters the season marked as a Third-Team Preseason All-America. Goalie Donelan ranked fifth in the nation in goals against average (6.70) and 13th in save percentage (.644). Those percentages placed him second and first in the NESCAC, respectively. His efforts were good for Second-Team All-New England and Second-Team All-NESCAC honors, as well as Div. III National Player of the Week and NESCAC Player of the Week acknowledgments throughout the season. Seniors Scott Aldrich and Greg Emmanuelidis, junior Kyle Hunt and sophomores David Beck and Owen Neill will pad the defense. Junior Raul Altreche claims the backup goalie position.
With a lot of strong returners, Carmean labeled the team "very mature." However, a handful of first-years have been added to this talented crew. "The freshman class looks promising, with a couple of guys showing that they want action immediately," said Donelan. "Midfielders Will Ferrer and Chris Mottau will be great additions this year."
Even with their talent, reaching all of their preseason goals will be a challenge for the Jeffs. Every NESCAC game will be a key game since five conference foes are ranked in the top 20 nationally.
In particular, the Jeffs have circled the games against Middlebury College and Tufts and Wesleyan Universities on March 30, April 9 and April 16, respectively. "Every year, Middlebury is a big game because they have been so successful in the last few years," said Griffith. "They have won the NESCACs for as long as I can remember, so obviously every team is gunning to be the team that ends their reign."
Donelan is confident that with a little teamwork the Jeffs can defeat their NESCAC foes. "We have never beaten Middlebury or Wesleyan in my three previous years; however, this is the year that we should be able to beat both," he said. "When were are playing like a team, there are few teams who can get the best of us."
The Jeffs will keep that confidence in check though, as they work to develop as a team. "We have set goals for ourselves and our team," said Donelan. "But we're going to take things day by day, constantly working on developing our game to bring us to a higher level of play."
The season begins on March 14 against Keene State College in Orlando, Florida.