May 7, 2007
Not Done Yet: Eagles Snare First ECAC Tournament Bid
 

The Eagles' 7-5 mark tied a program best with the 2006 club (Gil Talbot photo).

Centerville, Mass. - The Daniel Webster men’s lacrosse team is not done with its 2007 season after all as they have earned their first at-large bid to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championship tournament.

The Eagles (7-5) have earned the fifth seed for the five-team tournament and will travel to fourth-seeded Massachusetts Institute of Technology (6-6) Wednesday. The game kicks off at 5:00 p.m. at MIT’s Steinbrenner Stadium.

The winner advances to Saturday’s semifinal round at top seed and Final Four host Plymouth State (9-7) at 1:00 p.m. Second-seeded Roger Williams (7-6) plays third-seeded Western Connecticut (10-7) in the second semifinal at 3:30 p.m. The championship is slated for Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at Plymouth.

A look at the Eagles:
DWC is coming off a 7-5 overall season that included a 5-2 mark and third place in the North Atlantic Conference. The 7-5 record has set high-water marks for wins in a season for the second year in a row after the 2006 squad posted the same mark. However, the 5-2 conference record was a program best since joining the NAC three years ago.

The Eagles saw their NAC schedule come to close March 28th in the NAC semifinals were they fell to Castleton, 15-9.

All Conference Accolades:
DWC is paced by five players who earned All Conference recognition. Sophomore attackmen Brandon Bell (Loudon, N.H.) and Brian Abrahamson (Dedham, Mass.) earned First Team accolades as both finished in the top 10 in overall scoring.

Bell, a 2006 first teamer who finished second in NAC scoring, leads the Eagles with a 35-14—49 mark and stands 11 points shy of 100 for his career. Abrahamson, a 2006 second teamer with a 23-21—44 mark, finished second on the team in points and tied for ninth among NAC leaders.

Junior defensemen Craig Van Tuyl (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Mike Stevens (Cortland, N.Y.) anchored an Eagle defense that finished second in the NAC in goals against average and held five opponents to four goals or less.

Freshman goalkeeper Adam McKellar (Biddeford, Maine), a NAC “Rookie of the Year” candidate, earned NAC Honorable Mention after posting an 8.16 goals against average than included one shutout.

Head Coach Tim Lunn:
Now in his third year at the helm after one year as assistant, Tim Lunn has helped turn the Eagles program around from a bottom-third team to an annual playoff contender in the NAC and now the ECAC. Lunn, a University of New Hampshire graduate, has led his teams to records of 4-7, 7-5 and 7-5 and was the 2006 NAC “Coach of the Year.” Along the way, he has coached 11 all conference honorees including six first team selections and has earned the respect of his peers in garnering two NAC “Team Sportsmanship” awards in 2005 and 2007.

A look at MIT:
Wednesday’s meeting will mark the first ever between the two programs. The teams did not share any common opponents in 2007.

The Engineers, members of the Pilgrim Lacrosse League, stand 6-6 overall and finished 4-3 in Pilgrim play, just missing the playoffs. MIT enjoyed a strong season ending finish, winning three straight and four of their final five. The Engineers are led by legendary Head Coach Walter Alessi, who is completing his 32nd year behind the bench having accumulated a 208-209 overall record, making him the winningest coach in MIT history.

MIT is led by Tyler Sorba, who has posted a 30-8—38 mark, while Jonathan Stolmeier is adding a 15-21—36 mark and Brenan Sherry has notched 26 scores. Zach Brewer sports an 8.33 GAA in goal.