2018 Schedule
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – As we enter the last few days of February it is finally time for another spring sport to get its season underway, as the Ithaca College men's lacrosse team is set to get the ball rolling on another exciting year this Wednesday, February 28, when it welcomes Lycoming to Higgins Stadium. With five weeks of grueling preseason, which included a competitive exhibition contest against Williams College of the NESCAC this past Saturday, the Bombers are ready to have things start counting for real this week.
 
IC enters the 2018 campaign with high expectations once again this spring. For the fifth consecutive season, Ithaca enters the year ranked in the initial United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Coaches Poll. The Bombers check in at No. 17 to begin the year. With dynamic talent returning throughout the lineup, Ithaca once again has aspirations to assert itself on the national stage in 2018.
 
The regular season slate will be a challenging one for the Bombers, as the team makes the move from the Empire 8 to the perennially challenging Liberty League. IC will face three ranked teams during the year, all of which are against Top-10 ranked teams in the USILA's initial preseason rankings. In addition to a pair of heavyweight league battles against current No. 3 RIT and No. 9 St. Lawrence, the Bombers also face sixth-ranked SUNY Cortland. That group headlines a grueling slate that will be difficult top-to-bottom in League play, as well as several interesting non-League battles.
 
The mantra for the Bombers over the past several seasons has been "Stackin24s" and the team has certainly done that this preseason with a unified drive that has the squad poised to make some noise this spring. Fueling the team's fire all offseason has been the near misses the of the 2017 campaign that left IC just short of making a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Despite posting a 13-4 record, Ithaca was left on the sidelines of 2017 tournament-field. The squad's four losses came by a combined total of five goals, which included sudden-victory overtime defeats at nationally-ranked SUNY Cortland, Stevens and a back-breaking defeat to Nazareth 14-13 loss in extra-time of the Empire 8 Semifinals, which ultimately concluded the Bombers' season. The sting of those defeats has this year's installment of IC men's lacrosse hungrier than ever to score glory in 2018.
 
Despite graduating some major contributors, the Bombers return key players all over the field. Headlining the returning group are four 2017 Empire 8 All-Conference First Team selections in rising senior attacker Jake Cotton, rising junior midfielder Josh Della Puca, and two defenders in senior Keith Morrissey and graduate-student Wintson Wenham.
 
The following is a position-by-position breakdown of IC men's lacrosse heading into the 2018 season.
 
Attack
Ithaca has long been heralded for its vast and varied attacking arsenal. Although the Bombers will be without the services of two of the program's Top-10 all-time career point scorers in 2017 graduates Jack Shumway and John Januskiewicz, this position group still is incredibly deep and talented. The attack should once again be a strength for the Bombers in 2018.
 
Leading the way for IC at this position is rising senior Jake Cotton, who was named an Empire 8 All-Conference First Team selection after another excellent campaign in 2017. Cotton finished second on the team with 57 points a year ago, finding the back of the net 19 times and dishing out a team-high 38 assists. With a huge campaign in his senior season this spring, he figures to make a push for the top spot on the program's all-time career points list. He currently ranks eighth in the program's history with 196 points entering the season, trailing all-time leader Ted Graves '74 (273) by 79 points.
 
Behind Cotton, the Bombers also will have key contributors in rising junior Will Witter and rising senior Kaelan Fitzpatrick returning to the attacking third in 2018. Witter enjoyed a breakout season sophomore campaign last spring, registering 37 points with 31 of those coming by way of goals scored. That mark is actually highest among returning players to the squad this season, as he ranked second behind Shumway's team-best 50 goals last spring. Fitzpatrick also figures to occupy a prominent role this season. He accounted for 23 points on 12 goals and 11 assists last season, one of six returning players to top the 20-point threshold last spring. He also ranked fourth among returning players with 32 ground-balls in 2017. Look for Fitzpatrick to challenge his career highs of 38 points and 22 goals, which he amassed a sophomore.
 
Providing further depth to the lineup are returning reserve players in junior Connor Hulme and sophomores Dan Lee and Tyler Krampf, who figure to push for more prominent roles in 2018. Krampf paced the second-line attack last season, registering 18 points on five goals and 13 assists in 10 appearances. Hulme showed a deft scoring touch in his part-time action last spring, tallying 13 goals and amassing 15 points in his 11 appearances. His .500 shooting percentage was best on the team among players with at least 25 shooting attempts. Rounding out the group was Lee, who registered 11 points on eight goals and three assists in his collegiate debut.
 
Four newcomers also figure to factor into the attacking equation in 2018. Headlining the group is Ryan Ozsvath who enters the program as a sophomore transfer from the collegiate ranks. Freshmen Lucas Cohen, Kyle Johnson and Connor Brumfield also are set for their collegiate debuts this spring. Each amassed All-Section and All-State accolades during their respective prep careers and have the skill set to make an immediate impact in the attacking lineup. Brumfield arrives from Mount Lebanon High School out of Pittsburgh, Pa., while Johnson is another out-of-state entrant from Flemington, N.J. Cohen is from the Empire State, joining the program after a strong prep career at Pleasantville High School.
 
Although this year's attacking group will have some new names in prominent roles, do not be shocked if the group rivals last year's prolific attacking corps that helped power IC's scoring output of over 16 goals per game.
 
Midfield
Ithaca figures to be extremely well stocked in the midfield with all of its main components coming back in 2018. The experience and leadership in this area should be a strength of the team.
 
Headlining the group is the return of Empire 8 All-Conference First Team and USILA Honorable Mention All-American midfielder Josh Della Puca. The rising junior turned in second consecutive strong season on South Hill last spring, finishing third on the team with a career-best 48 points, scoring 29 goals and a personal-best 19 assists. He also racked up 25 ground-balls and five caused turnovers. Look for Della Puca to once again play a big role in the attacking zone and the ride for IC this season, as he was named an Inside Lacrosse Preseason Third Team All-American.
 
The upperclassmen returning group is further bolstered by seniors Stephen Morrell, Greg Drillock, and Steven Landspurg. Morrell appeared in 16 games last spring, registering 26 points on 15 goals and 11 assists, while he also chipped in 18 ground-balls and one caused turnovers. Drillock also reached the 20-point threshold, finishing with 11 goals and nine assists. He added 20 ground-balls and two caused turnovers. Look for both ends of the senior duo to push for career seasons in 2018. Landspurg split time with 2017-graduate Grant Osadchey, seeing increasing time at the 'X' as the season wore on. He finished the year with a .527 mark in faceoffs as the team's part-time FOGO, going 77-for-146, amassing 43 ground-balls and eight caused turnovers. He will have the inside track on the primary FOGO job heading into the year.
 
Joining Della Puca in the group of third-year Bombers are experienced returners in Conner Crosson, Owen Smith, and Brendan King. Crosson had the most productive 2017 season in terms of scoring, recording 18 points on four goals and 14 assists. Defensively, he chipped in 15 ground-balls and four caused turnovers. Smith also saw considerable time last spring, finishing with eight goals and seven assists. He added 14 ground-balls and three caused turnovers. Like Smith, King also appeared in all 17 contests last season, finishing with 10 goals and one assist. He was also a big part of Ithaca's ride, finishing with 20 ground-balls and four caused turnovers. Look for this group to take another step in its evolution during the collective's third collegiate season.
 
The sophomore group includes Kevin Enos and Matt Montgomery, who will continue to push for playing time in 2018. Both players saw action in 11 games last season in reserve action. Montgomery reached double digits in points, registering seven goals and three assists. Enos added one goal and three assists. The duo combined for 21 ground-balls and two caused turnovers. This group will also be boosted by transfer Chris Delente who arrives on South Hill this spring.
 
The incoming rookie class has four talented newcomers. The foursome includes two western additions in Chase Jolie from Alamo, California, and Connor Till from Englewood, Colorado. Ryan Jacob joins the group from Springfield, Pa., while Kaelan Fitzpatrick's younger brother, Dillon Fitzpatrick, also will push for time this spring.
 
Long-Stick Midfield
Ithaca will need to identify a new primary long-stick midfielder for 2018 with the graduation of Cody Swing. Prime candidate to replace Swing is junior Sean Seaberg who saw considerable time at LSM in 2017. Seaberg appeared in 16 contests last spring, registering 22 ground-balls and eight caused turnovers. He also notched a lone goal on the year.
 
Don't be surprised to see a couple other players establish themselves as key pieces at this position group during the season's opening weeks.
 
Defense
The defense also figures to be a strength for the Bombers this spring, as the team returns Empire 8 All-Conference First Teamers in Keith Morrissey and Winston Wenham. The latter, Wenham, also was named a USILA Third-Team All-American and IMLCA First Team All-East Region honoree.
 
Morrissey appeared in 15 games, which included 14 starts, as a junior. He was rock solid in defense, finishing with 38 ground-balls and 16 caused turnovers. He also made a few incursions into the attack in rare flashes, chipping in three points all coming on assists. It was first time Morrissey has earned All-Conference recognition of his career.
 
Wenham enjoyed another fantastic season on South Hill a season ago. Taking up the mantle as the team's leader on the backline from celebrated 2016-graduate Eli Gobrecht '16, Wenham made a tremendous impact with 41 ground-balls and 25 caused turnovers. Offensively, he added one goal and two assists. Like Della Puca, Wenham was also named an Inside Lacrosse Preseason Third Team All-American earlier this month.
 
Most notable among other returners at the position is rising sophomore Aaron McCartney. The second-year defender had a big impact in his rookie campaign last season, seamlessly slotting into the IC lineup as a true freshman. He appeared in 16 games and made 15 starts, registering 29 ground-balls and 18 caused turnovers.
 
Other returning players at the position group include junior Aaron Sanchez and sophomore EJ Reynolds. Sanchez, who is back on the squad after a year off in 2017, saw action in 12 games during the 2016 campaign, finishing with 12 ground-balls and 10 caused turnovers, as well as one goal. Reynolds was impressive in reserve time last spring, posting 11 ground-balls and five caused turnovers as a freshman.
 
There are also six newcomers to the squad that will push for playing time this spring. This group includes junior transfer Malcolm Kahn, as well as freshmen Vasilios Fokas, Logan Adams, Thomas Edson, Drew German, and Jake Hall-Goldman.
 
Goalkeeper
Perhaps the most interesting position group to watch is Ithaca's goalkeeping tandem. The Bombers are most green in this area, with only six collegiate appearances between the duo.
 
Sophomore Robby Atwood returns for his second season on South Hill after a solid performance in part-time action as a rookie in 2017. He made six appearances, which included two starts, during his collegiate debut season, posting a 4.86 goals-against average and .550 save percentage. He earned the victory in both of his starts, allowing only nine goals in 111:00 total minutes of action.
 
Freshman TJ Brennan will push Atwood for the starting job after a standout career at Milton Academy. He was an All-Conference honoree in lacrosse in each of his final two seasons.