Feb. 6, 2008

PHILADELPHIA--Excitement is high for the 2008 installment of Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse. Head Coach Pat Cullinan will see 31 of his players return to Hawk Hill, including seven of his top nine scorers and eight starters from a team which was one game away from the NCAA Tournament.

The Hawks open the season on Saturday when they host the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. The Hens are ranked #14 in the 2008 Preseason USILA Coaches Poll and made it to the National Semifinals last season.

Leading the charge are senior tri-captains Pat Maxey, Steve O'Brien and Steve Varga. Maxey is a stalwart in the back in charge of the defensive unit. O'Brien and Varga are the best offensive threats on the squad.

In 2007, O'Brien's all-around offensive effort from the midfield earned him the team's Most Improved Player honors. He supplied 18 goals and 12 assists, good for 30 points. Varga was the team's leading scorer with 24 goals including two game-winners.

Complimenting the veteran offensive strength are junior Alex Lopes and sophomore Peter Slowik. Lopes led the team in assists with 19, while Slowik garnered Rookie of the Year team honors with his 10-goal, six-assist effort.

As important as the offense is to the team's success in 2008, the defense will be bolstered by 2006 All-MAAC selection Erik Hotaling. The leader in career goals against average, Hotaling backed up his stellar freshman year with a solid sophomore campaign. Although slowed by an injury, he still led the team in saves (131) and save percentage (.522).

While Hotaling was out, junior R.J. Bopf stepped up impressively for the Hawks. Bopf appeared in seven games, garnering a 10.12 goals against average. Bopf's play wasn't limited to the pipes either: he played midfield for SJU in eight other games, making him the most versatile player on the team.

The defense as a whole is very experienced with the services of Maxey, Tom Wegenosky, Chris Cole, Matt Ryan, Pat Williams, and Ben Osborne. The sextet accounted for 92 appearances, making 57 starts last season. The defensive unit, including the goalkeepers, picked up 204 of the team's 403 groundballs in 2007.

The midfield has notable experience as well with senior Sante Faustini and junior Ryan Tessler as the key face-off men. The duo split face-off duties, winning 130 of their 337 face-offs.

In addition to Faustini and Tessler--Sean Cullinan, Chad Dudley, Jeff Beall, and Laurent Dionot--have veteran experience and skills, which include not only defensive duties but offensive capabilities as well. The four provided 17 points out of the midfield in 2007 and will continue to give the Hawks that added spark on both ends of the field.

Other important role players include attackmen Chris O'Neill, Geoff DeSoye, midfielder Joe D'Avanzo, and defensemen Paul Crisafulli and Dan Marraccoli.

The Hawks face a challenging schedule, including a visit to nationally-ranked Colgate in addition to hosting 2007 National Semifinalist Delaware to open the season Saturday. In all, SJU has just two victories over its non-conference opponents, with Bellarmine and Hobart as the only two teams that have never faced the Hawks.

SJU will play an eight-game schedule in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with Siena, the MAAC Championship hosts, listed as the favorites.