(Photo: Central Michigan Lacrosse)
The Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association will be as competitive as ever in 2015, after an intense 2014 season that saw Michigan State enter the tournament as the conference’s sole representative. It was very nearly a different story, however, as the conference tournament was decided by one goal (with Davenport taking the fall). Here’s a look at how the chips might fall in 2015, with an extensive look at the conference as part of our Taking a Look series focusing on each conference in the MCLA.
~WCSN lacrosse editor Trey Lanthier
Looking back at 2014
The Michigan State Spartans snagged the 2014 CCLA Championship from Davenport in a nail-biter, with what topped off a fun season for this competitive conference. The Spartans, Davenport, and Pittsburgh all faced top-notch MCLA competition such as Colorado, Colorado State, and Virginia Tech, with the Spartans managing to pull a big-time 11-10 upset over the eventual-national champion Colorado Buffaloes. Davenport finished with a 5-0 record in divisional play, with a close win against MSU along the way. Ohio University, Pitt, and Central Michigan all finished with 3-3 records in divisional play.
Looking ahead to 2015 (2014 results in parentheses)
Michigan State (15-4, 5-1 CCLA)
The Spartans continued to make big strides last season in the MCLA, and their accomplishments last season have brought a lot of focus and renewed dedication, according to head coach Brandon Schwind.
Two of the team’s offensive leaders have departed, with the graduation of attackman Mitchell Hall and midfielder Charles Dever, and First-Team All-Conference defenseman Michael Klaus is also gone, leaving holes to be filled in throughout the roster. Look for attackman Mackenzie Ensley and First Team All-CCLA long-stick midfielder Scott Schramm to step forth and help build on the solid foundation of this team.
The foundation itself? Two All-American representatives, of the First Team variety: goalie Matt Allemang and face-off specialist Joe Mikkelsen are considered among the very best in the league at their positions and will be critical elements to the 2015 season’s success.
Schwind is seeking consistency this season in order to take the next step as a program.
“I feel that being consistently average is not good enough,” Schwind said. “We need to be consistently great, and we have the potential to do that.”
A vast array of tough out-of-conference opponents await the Spartans this season, including four MCLA titans in Chapman, Grand Canyon University, BYU, and Virginia Tech. If this team can come together and establish consistency right off the bat and hold its own against these top-ranked teams, Michigan State could make a serious title run in both the CCLA and MCLA playoffs.
Davenport (10-5, 6-0 CCLA)
The Davenport University Panthers could make another strong CCLA title run, along with a potentially strong bid for an at-large bid in the MCLA playoffs. Despite the loss of All-Conference attackman Dominic Boggiano, who led the CCLA in points per game, goals, and total points (as well as placing fourth in the MCLA in points per game), the team will still feature First Team All-Conference midfielder Daniel Hume, First Team All-Conference defenseman Ryan Hartnagel, and Second Team All-Conference attackman Parker Horvath, among others.
Davenport’s 2015 season finale will be against Michigan State. Much like the Spartans, the Panthers are dealing with losses across the board. Barring any major injury to both teams, this game could very well define the CCLA’s season outcome, and make or break the Panthers’ chances at an MCLA playoff spot.
Pittsburgh (7-8, 3-3 CCLA)
This season’s edition of Pittsburgh Panther lacrosse will see three of the team’s top four scorers from last year (attackmen Matt Higgins and Chris Wetzel, midfielder Cheech Gianfrate) return to the field, along with First Team All-Conference midfielder Colin Peck, and a goalie, Travis O’Connor who led the CCLA in save percentage last season and snagged an All-American nod as only a sophomore.
However, a star is gone, as two-time All-American and 2014’s CCLA Defensive Player of the Year Max Carlson has graduated after a stellar career with Pitt. Defenseman Eric Bulgarelli, a three-time All-CCLA selection, is also gone from the team, leaving a big hole in the Panther defense. In a division featuring teams that are very capable of scoring at a high volume, this does not bode well for Pitt. O’Connor will be tested heavily again this season, and that may be enough to keep Pitt afloat in 2015, at least until the CCLA Tournament.
Western Michigan (2-9, 1-5 CCLA)
This season may not necessarily be a transitional one for the Broncos. Despite hiring a new head coach, the roster features a deep rotation of returners, and Western Michigan is ready to make some noise.
Rookie head coach Brad McDougal highlighted the team’s three goalies (Sean Scandron, Carl Baker, and newcomer transfer Ted Jones) as the players that played best during fall ball. This positional battle should land a consistent starter to complement a defense composed of returnees.
McDougal also made it clear that one of the goals for the team this year, other than defeating rival Central Michigan, is to make the CCLA playoffs.
“We missed out last year, but I think it’s a very attainable goal this year,” McDougal said. “With the leadership we have, I wouldn’t be surprised if we pulled off some upsets. We have the talent and the dedication to surprise some people.”
Despite being ranked fifth in the 2015 CCLA Preseason Poll, this team could very well end up in the top four of this division by the time spring comes to an end.
Central Michigan (6-10, 3-3 CCLA)
Another team from Michigan will be entering the season with a new head coach, and will be without five of its top scorers from last season. Among the departures this team will miss most is attackman Kyle Harris, who led the team in total points (54, third in the CCLA last season) and points per game (3.6).
Andrew Guzi, the team’s newly-hired coach, will be leaning on returners, notably attackman Jack Grady and midfielder Wilson Whybrew, to fill the void offensively in order to exceed expectations this season.
“We’re going to be looking for those two (Grady and Whybrew) to distribute the ball and score,” Guzi said. “We definitely want to make the playoffs, that’s always our first goal…and I would say to do that we’re also going to be looking to our defense, led by Kent Woody (Second Team All-Conference defenseman in 2014).”
It will be interesting to see where this team’s offensive production is going to come from, but in a top-heavy and competitive division, it may not be enough to move up in the standings. The team’s returning defensive unit will definitely have its hands full with the high-scoring offenses the Chippewas will face.
Toledo (0-9 Overall, 0-5 CCLA)
The Toledo Rockets failed to win a single game last season, and that losing streak may carry over into this season as well. The Rockets’ leading scorer, Kenny Macauley (20 points last season, Third Team All-CCLA midfielder) is no longer on the team. However, much of the rest of the team is intact, leaving the possibility of being a trap game if the experience can overwhelm teams looking beyond their match-ups with the CCLA’s last-place team in 2014. With improved chemistry, this team could very well pull a major upset if they catch an opponent during a rough stretch this season.
All-Conference Watch
Attack: Parker Horvath, Davenport
The departure of fellow Davenport attackman Dominic Boggiano (who tallied 56 goals, 79 points last season) opens the door for this young man to potentially have a 50+ goal season on his own as the focal point of the Davenport Attack. A First Team All-Conference spot could have his name written on it if he gets off to a hot start.
Midfield: Mitch Newton, Michigan State
The same case for Horvath could also be made for Newton. Two of Michigan State’s top goal-scorers are gone, and Newton will be one of several players called upon to manage a scoring role for the Spartans. Newton could be the favorite to take graduated Spartans’ midfielder Charles Dever’s spot in the First Team All-Conference midfielder slot.
Defense: Kent Woody, Central Michigan
Woody will be leaned on heavily this season as Central Michigan hopes to make a CCLA playoff appearance, and if new coach Andrew Guzi is able to put the right pieces together around the ground-ball magnet (70 ground balls last season), Woody might work his way into a First Team All-Conference appearance.
Goalie: Matt Allemang, Michigan State / Travis O’ Connor, Pittsburgh
Both players boast All-American selections last season (First Team for Allemang, Honorable Mention for O’ Connor), and some impressive save percentages as well (Allemang-67%, O’ Connor- 69%). With both of their defenses looking to incorporate some fresh faces, look for these two to continue to put on quite the performance in front of goal.
Face-off Specialist: Joe Mikkelsen, Michigan State
Mikkelsen will be essential to Michigan State’s success this season, and if he can replicate his performance from last season (after winning over 80% of his face-offs last year), he should coast to an All-Conference nod and All-American recognition as well.
