2019 Season
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – As the spring season gets underway on Ithaca's South Hill, another varsity program is set to make its 2019 debut this week. The nationally-ranked Ithaca College men's lacrosse team kicks off the 2019 campaign on Wednesday afternoon when it hits the road to face Lycoming at 3:30 p.m. Expectations are high for the Bombers in 2019, as the they look to build off of last season's run to the NCAA Tournament Third Round.
 
Wednesday's opener against the Warriors will bring to an end a long seven-week preseason in which head coach Jeff Long has brought his relatively young squad up to speed. Entering his 32^nd year at the helm of the program, Long has put together an interesting blend of experience and youth on his 2019 squad. While many of Ithaca's key returners at all phases of the field return this season, 27 players have sophomore eligibility-or-less, which includes a monster rookie class of 17 newcomers to the collegiate ranks. The long preseason has been beneficial in bringing such a young group up to speed.
 
"The preseason has been going pretty well," Long began. "Obviously, with such a big group of younger guys making up a bigger portion of the program, there has been a bit of learning curve for the guys this spring. The energy has certainly been there from the beginning and I think we are making some progress with processing things faster on the field and adjusting to the pace of play that we want to be at."
 
While the team figures to feature many fresh faces this spring, the returning group will be the engine that drives the Bombers forward in 2019. Headlining the group are four standouts who generated Preseason All-America buzz from Inside Lacrosse in January. Senior midfielder Josh Della Puca garnered Third Team recognition, while fellow classmates in the midfield in Conner Crosson and Brendan King were tabbed Honorable Mentions. In attack, sophomore Connor Brumfield also earned Honorable Mention praise following last season's breakout rookie campaign. The group, coupled with several other returning leaders have set the tone for IC's preseason regimen.
 
"Our older guys have done a great job of providing leadership during the offseason and preseason workouts," Long continued. "Although it is not a big group of upperclassmen, they have really set the tone for the intensity we are bringing this preseason."
 
The learning curve will certainly be accelerated when play gets underway in earnest this week. The Bombers will open the 2019 season with four non-league contests over a 10-day span. Headlining the early-season slate is a marquee matchup against perennial Top-10 powerhouse Cabrini, who enters the week ranked seventh after a quick 2-0 start. Ithaca kicks off its Spring Break with that matchup against the Cavaliers on the road on Saturday, March 9.
 
Ithaca will have a neutral-site matchup to kick off its second run through the Liberty League when it faces Skidmore on Thursday, March 14. The contest, originally supposed to be a clash at Higgins Stadium, was moved to the U.S. Lacrosse Headquarters at Tierney Field in Sparks, Maryland. A three-game homestand that features a non-league date against SUNY Oneonta and Liberty League clashes against potential Top-20 opponents RPI (3/23) and St. Lawrence (3/27) make for a difficult start to the Liberty League calendar.
 
The stretch run features just one game at the friendly confines of Higgins Stadium. Ithaca's home matchup against Bard on Saturday, April 13, is sandwiched between a four-game and two-game road swings. The first stretch will take Ithaca to Vassar (3/30), Nazareth (4/3), Union (4/6) and third-ranked RIT (4/10). The Bombers will close the year with road dates at 18^th-ranked SUNY Cortland (4/17) and Clarkson (4/24).
 
"There are never any easy games, we will have to bring our best effort each time out this season," Long said. "Our schedule is similar to last year's and I think many of them are more experienced from last year to this year and have a high level of the talent that will challenge us. The goal for us is to hopefully gel and find our identify quicker than our peers and really focus on improving steadily every day."
 
One adjustment that will impact all teams at the Division III level is the implementation of a shot clock into the men's game this season. Beginning in 2019, all possessions will have an 80-second clock in which teams will need to attempt a shot on target. While the Bombers' aggressive attacking style doesn't figure to lead to too many protracted possessions, it certainly will be an adjustment for players and coaches alike.
 
"I don't expect the shot clock to impact our style of play too heavily," Long explained. "Obviously, we will need to keep an eye on that clock, but I expect it to be a move that will keep play moving in a positive way."
 
At the end of the day, Long's hope for the squad boils down to how the team battles through adversity. During the course of a season there are always bumps and twists in the road. These can be exacerbated when youthful inexperience coupled with the added target that a national ranking. The team will hope to grow in that regard in its efforts to progress even deeper into the postseason in 2019.
 
"I think the biggest challenge for a young team is to cope with adversity and forge ahead," Long concluded. "How do we elevate our game when things are not going our way? Who is going to step up when we hit some adversity? How we respond in those critical moments is going to be key to our fortunes this season."
 
The following is a position-by-position breakdown of the Bombers heading into the 2019 campaign.
 
Attack
There figures to be no shortage of goals for the Bombers heading into the 2019 season, as the team is stocked with a variety of attacking options. Headlining the group is Brumfield, who will look to build off of last year's monster rookie campaign. The rising sophomore paced the team in both points and goals during his collegiate debut in 2018, finishing with 40 goals and 56 points. He was named Liberty League Rookie of the Year and was an All-Liberty League Second Team selection as well.
 
Ithaca's second leading scorer in terms of goals also is back for his second season on South Hill, as junior transfer Ryan Ozsvath will look to build off of a strong debut in the Blue and White last season. Ozsvath got off to a dynamite start to the year, but was hampered by a nagging injury over much of the season's second half. Despite slower spell over the final stretch of the year, Ozsvath still tallied 40 points, which included 35 goals. He will form one the Liberty League's most fearsome one-two punches with Brumfield.
 
Beyond those two, several other players seemed poised for breakouts in 2019. Names to watch include Dan Lee, Kyle Johnson, Blake Eischen, Willy Wright, Vincent Riggio, and Jake Selbst.
 
Among returners, junior Dan Lee has been perhaps the most impressive this preseason. As a sophomore, Lee finished the season with 10 points, which included nine goals and one assist. The end of the season was the highlight for Lee, as he tallied multi-goal efforts in both of Ithaca's NCAA Tournament games against Stevenson and Tufts. Lee has carried that strong finish into 2019 and looks set up for a career year this spring.
 
The Bombers also figure to be boosted by the return of sophomore Kyle Johnson. His first season on South Hill unfortunately did not come to fruition for the heralded recruit, as a knee injury kept him out of action for the entirety of the 2018 campaign. Johnson is back and better than ever this season and is expected to provide some meaningful contributions in Ithaca's attacking unit this year.
 
Best bets to make an early impact among the rookies are Willy Wright and Blake Eischen. Both players have caught the eye of the coaching staff with impressive preseasons and could feature into the on-field product quickly.
 
Midfield
Ithaca's midfield unit figures to be the strength of the squad this season, as the team's Top-4 producers from a season ago return this season. Headlining the corps are a trio of seniors in Crosson, Della Puca and King who were all named in Inside Lacrosse's Preseason All-American release.
 
Crosson enters 2019 coming off a breakout junior season, which saw him set new career highs with 46 points and 26 assists. A picture of consistency, he registered at least one point in 17 of his 20 appearances, with 14 of those contests being multi-point efforts. He was an All-Liberty League First Team selection in addition to earning USILA Honorable Mention All-America and IMLCA All-Region praise.
 
Della Puca had a roller coaster junior season, as a nagging injury plagued him throughout much of the campaign. Despite making just 15 total appearances, he still registered 22 goals and 40 points for the year. Although a step back from his huge sophomore season, look for Della Puca to once again be one of Ithaca's fixtures in the attacking third this year.
 
King also enters the year with considerable buzz after an impressive junior campaign. Ithaca's best two-way short stick, King amassed 20 caused turnovers and 46 ground-balls in addition to posting 18 goals and 26 points on the offensive. With a healthy 2019, look for those numbers to increase.
 
The Bombers have considerable depth at the position behind the big three. The junior class boasts two contributors in Matt Montgomery and Kevin Enos, while senior Owen Smith also returns for an upperclassmen trio. The group combined to make 36 appearances in 2018, amassing eight points and six caused turnovers. Smith is the most seasoned of the three and figures to see considerable time at the position after bumping down from an attacking role.
 
Sophomore Dillon Fitzpatrick headlines the younger option, as the second-year talent is coming off an encouraging rookie season. In 2018, the younger Fitzpatrick posted 16 appearance and registered 11 points on nine goals and two assists. Look for even greater numbers from the impact midfielder this season.
 
Sophomores Ryan Jacob and Connor Till, as well as newcomers Drew Turner, Patrick Horan, Jae Stuhlman and AJ Anderson will look to add depth to the midfield corps.
 
Long-Stick Midfield
The Bombers look to be in strong position at the long-pole, as senior Sean Seaberg is back for his final year of eligibility in 2019. Taking up the role of long-time starter Cody Swing '17 a season ago, Seaberg exploded with a career campaign as a junior. He posted 25 caused turnovers and added 67 ground-balls, while also serving as a part-time faceoff guy. While those faceoff duties likely will not be needed in 2019, Seaberg figures to continue evolving into one of the Liberty League's top long-stick midfielders.
 
Behind Seaberg, several others may see time at the position. However, Ithaca's lone specialist at the role is first-year talent Robbie Dinsmore. He arrives to South Hill after starring for St. John's Prep in Marblehead, Mass. He is coming off a fine finish to his prep career, earning 2018 New Salem All-Star Honorable Mention.
 
Defense
The greatest shake-up for Ithaca entering the 2019 campaign will be on defense. The Bombers will need to find replacements for two graduated stars, as Winston Wenham '18 and Keith Morrissey '18 exhausted their eligibility last spring. Despite the daunting task of needing to replace two All-League players, and in Wenham's case, a three-time USILA All-American, the Bombers still boast a considerable amount of talent in the group.
 
Leading the way figures to be junior Aaron McCartney, who is coming off a huge sophomore season in 2018. McCartney was truly one of the best defenders in the Liberty League during his second season on South Hill, tying for the team lead with 44 caused turnovers and ranking first among the team's defensemen with 86 ground-balls. He was an All-Liberty League Second Team honoree at the conclusion of the year. Now entering his third year as a full-time starter, expect McCartney to step forward into the lead role in the back for IC this season.
 
Second-year talents Jake Hall-Goldman and Drew German also figure to hold down prominent roles in the back this spring. Both players saw extensive action as rookies last spring and look poised for more focal roles. Hall-Goldman made 18 appearances, which included seven starts in 2018. He finished the year with 19 caused turnovers, 26 ground-balls, while also chipping in two goals offensively. German made 14 appearances as a reserve, finishing with four caused turnovers and five ground-balls.
 
Joining the group in back is sophomore Logan Adams, as well as newcomers: Cullen Dell, Drew Stoler, Conor Caiazza, Demetri Lowry, Liam Farnan, and Christopher D'Entrone.
 
Goalie
The Bombers will be well-stocked in the cage again this spring, as they return both net-minders from 2018 in junior Robby Atwood and sophomore TJ Brennan. Atwood figures to continue holding down the starting role for IC in 2019.
 
In his first season as the full-time starter, Atwood performed admirably. He finished the year with a 16-4 record, which included strong peripheral numbers of an 8.51 goals-against average and .524 save percentage. He will look to continue building on that excellent debut as the team's main starter during his third collegiate season this spring.
 
Brennan saw limited action as a rookie, but was generally strong when called upon as a reserve. Although his goals-against average sat at 11.17 in six reserve appearances, his save percentage certainly more accurately reflected his overall play. He finished the year with 22 saves and a .564 save percentage.
 
Providing additional depth at the position this spring is first-year Connor Thornton who arrives to South Hill from Boulder, Colorado. The rookie certainly brings a size element that differentiates himself from his peers in the cage. Thornton measures 6'4" and will look to try and crack the lineup for minutes in 2019.