Preseason Video I 2016 Schedule I NEC Preseason Poll

Free Live Video on necfrontrow.com of Wagner-Manhattan
 
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Staten Island, NY – As the Wagner men's lacrosse team puts the finishing touches on its preparations for Friday's 3:00 p.m. season opener vs. Manhattan at Hameline Field, fifth-year head coach Matt Poskay took a moment from his busy schedule to share his thoughts on the 2016 Seahawks.
 
The matchup between the Seahawks and the Jaspers was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, February 13 at Noon but was pushed up one day due to the frigid temperatures and high winds that are predicted that day.
 
In 2015, Wagner fielded its most competitive team since the program was established in 2001. After eight games, the Seahawks were 4-4 before falling in their final five games, which included two one-goal losses, one of which came in overtime, and another by a two-goal margin. The Green & White wound up with a deceiving 4-9 overall final record and a 1-5 mark in Northeast Conference (NEC).
 
Heading into the 2016 campaign, the Seahawks return five of their top six scorers from last year and have seven of 10 starters returning. The  roster features two fifth-year seniors, four true seniors, a pair of redshirt-juniors, eight true juniors, nine sophomore and a large 13-man freshman class.
 
Sophomore attackman Andrew Streilein (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape), a member of the 2015 All-NEC Freshman Team, led Wagner in goals (21) and points (30) a year ago. Senior midfielder Paul DeViita (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) and redshirt-junior attackman Patrick McMenamin (Longport, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) tied for second in scoring with 22 points as each sank 14 goals while dishing out eight assists.
 
JP Pawela (Montgomery Village, MD/St. John's College) is a talented midfielder who, as a freshman, was fifth on the team with 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists) while attackman Billy Battaglia (Madison, NJ/Madison) appears primed for a big senior season after finishing sixth in scoring with 17 points (7 goals and 10 assists).   

Wagner also returns a pair of its top faceoff men in redshirt-junior midfielder William McMenamin (Longport, NJ/St. Augustine Prep), who was 53-of-116 (.457) in the X last year as well as junior middie Anthony Labetti (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown), who was successful on 16-of-38 (.421). Second-Team All-NEC defenseman Daniel Valencia (Gaithersburg, MD/Gaithersburg) boasts talent and experience while the Seahawks have three candidates in goal competing for the starting job in place of graduated senior Anthony Peruso. 
 
Poskay on Season Outlook 
"I think we're a better team this year on the offensive end, our veteran guys have kind of turned the corner offensively and we're looking to put more balls in the back of the net. I think our offense will be a strength early in season as our guys on defense need to get their feet a little wet. We need to push transition when we can, I think we are very athletic in the middle of the field and if we can push the tempo a little bit we will. We need to see how the tempo is going on the defensive end and kind of lean on that when it comes to making decisions on the offensive end as well."
 
Poskay on Seahawk Attack Unit
 
No. 2 Ryan Zurawski (Junior, 5-10, 195, Medford, NJ/St. Augustine Prep)
"Ryan is a good inside finisher who works his tail off and we expect him to keep pushing himself and contribute this season "
 
No. 3 Andrew Streilein (Sophomore, 5-11, 170, Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape)
"Andrew is coming off of a fantastic freshman year, obviously, as he was on the  Northeast  Conference All-Freshman team. He's someone we are going to lean on a little bit harder this year as a sophomore and I feel he is ready to produce and I think he is up for the test."
 
No. 11 John Norton (Freshman, 6-4, 205, Catonsville, MD/Mount Saint Joseph)
"We didn't have John in the fall (due to injury), but he's a big attack man, great on the inside, has good hands, and hopefully he continues to progress so we can see him out there."
 
No. 14 Billy Battaglia (Senior, 5-9, 170, Madison, NJ/Madison)
"Billy is senior, a guy we need to lean on more this year and I think he is up for the challenge. He is someone who wants to go out with some good numbers and positive play, so I'm expecting a big senior year out of him."
 
No. 18 Kevin Gray (Freshman, 6-1, 190, Shamong, NJ/Seneca)
"Kevin is a mid-year transfer who is the younger brother of Sean Gray (senior defenseman). We are excited about him with the size and athleticism that he brings and anxious to to get him in the mix and see what he can produce."
 
No. 26 Patrick McMenamin (Redshirt Junior, 5-6, 160, Longport, NJ/St. Augustine Prep)
"Pat is an attackman who really controls the offense down there, and is a smart player. He's always giving me everything that he's got and I think the guys feed off of his energy."

No.32 Billy Martin (Sophomore, 5-4, 150, Huntington, NY/Huntington)
"Billy Martin is a very smart lacrosse player, who is especially dangerous when he's on the inside. He plays gritty, has a knack for finding seems and holes and is just a natural scorer."
 
No. 35 Tyler Miller (Freshman, 5-9, 165, Seal Beach, CA/Los Alamitos)
"Tyler is another crafty attackman and someone we're excited about early who we think has a ton of potential."
 
 
Poskay on the Seahawk Midfield Unit
 
No. 1 Spencer Beyer (Sophomore, 6-0, 200, Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad)
"Spencer is coming off a good freshman campaign and we're looking for him to build off of that. I think he is up for the task of producing and putting up more numbers out there and we're excited to see positive output from him."
 
No. 4 Andrew Mulholland (Freshman, 5-9, 160, Summit, NJ/Summit)
"Drew is a crafty, smart player from a great program at Summit. He uses both hands well and sees the field exceptionally well. I think he has the ability to cause some matchup problems against other teams."
 
No. 5 Christian McCormick (Junior, 5-10, 185, Royersford, PA/Spring-Ford)
"Christian is junior now and a veteran who we really need to step up and I think he is up for the task. He had a really good fall and a good spring so far. We're excited about him."
 
No. 6 Nicholas Houser (Freshman, 6-1, 200, Santa Ana, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic)
"Nick is a kid with big size from California, he uses his body well and has a fantastic shot. We're working hard with him and hoping he continues to improve so he can contribute some valuable minutes for us."
 
No. 8 Spencer Kaufman (Freshman, 6-1, 210, Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun)
"Spencer is  big in stature, kind of like Houser. He is having a really good spring so far and if this success continues to happen, I think he's  going to find a spot and contribute some valuable minutes for us."
 
No. 10 Aaron Denesevich (Sophomore, 5-7, 160, Egg Harbor, NJ/St. Augustine Prep)
"Aaron is a great athlete up and down the field, a guy that we can count on both ways, especially in transition, to help us out."
 
No. 16 Paul DeVita (Senior, 5-11, 190, Westfield, NJ/Westfield)
"Paul is a senior captain who we're going to lean on a little more and someone who has played some tremendous lacrosse for us and scored a lot of big goals. I think he wants end his career with a bang and put up some good numbers for his last year."
 
No. 20 JP Pawela (Sophomore, 6-1, 175, Montgomery Village, MD/St. John's College)
"JP had a good freshman run and had some big-time goals for us last year. As is the case with the other top middies out there, we're going to put some pressure on them. He's another smart, talented  midfielder who we're counting on to find the back of the net for us. "
 
No. 23 Connor Davis (Freshman, 6-3, 195, Pottstown, PA/Bishop Shanahan)
"Connor is more of a defensive-type of midfielder, has great size and is really athletic. We like him a lot in the middle of the field."
 
No. 24 Andrew Tirelli (Junior, 5-11, 185, East Setauket, NY/Ward Melville)
"Andrew is extremely versatile and someone we count on to do multiple tasks. He can play both ends, runs well in transition, and can effective all over the field. "
 
No. 25 William McMenamin (Redshirt Junior, 5-5, 155, Longport, NJ/St. Augustine Prep)
"Similar to Tirelli, Bill's a guy that we've seen give teams problems, whether it's facing off, on offense or on the defensive end. He's a great athlete and we're excited about him."
 
No. 28 Michael McMenamin (Fifth year, 5-8. 160, Longport, NJ/St. Augustine Prep)
"Mike has the profile of a defensive midfielder. What we like about him is he really gets up and down the field well, which allows him to play great defense. He's improved his stick skills and is ready to have a fantastic fifth year here and go out with a bang."
 
No. 30 Rob Heffron (Sophomore, 6-1, 175, Bowie, MD/St. John's College)
"Rob is a smart player, who has made some big strides here in the last two years. We're excited to see what he can produce this year for us."
 
No. 40 Noah Wolthausen (Junior, 5-9, 185, Las Vegas, NV/Palo Verde)
"Noah is a defensive midfielder that we really count on along the defensive end. He displays his athleticism all the time out there, and I think that will allow him to earn some valuable minutes."
 
No. 42 Brandon LeBert (Freshman, 6-1, 195, Woburn, MA/Brewster Academy)
"Brandon is a big freshman midfielder who's  still figuring out everything that's going on out there on the field. He has had some great moments out there and hopefully those become more consistent."
 
No. 45 Anthony Labetti (Junior, 5-9, 185, Moorestown, NJ/Moores)
"Anthony is more of a face-off guy for us, he had some great numbers there last year and we're hoping those numbers improve this year."
 

Poskay on the Seahawk Defense Unit
 
No. 7 Sean Gray (Senior, 5-11, 210, Shamong, NJ/Seneca)
"Sean is in his senior campaign here and we're very excited for him. He has probably one of the craftiest sticks on our team, he uses it well in lanes, and does a great job leading us at the defensive end."
 
No. 9 Austin Wilson (Sophomore, 6-1, 165, Havre de Grace, MD/Archbishop Curley)
"Austin plays well in the middle of the field, gets up and down the field well and has a great stick. We really would like to take advantage of his athleticism between the lines."
 
No. 15 Tyler Cropley (Junior, 6-1, 195, Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough)
"Tyler is probably one of our smartest defenseman, he knows where to be at the right times. He also has a great stick and because of how smart he is, he finds himself in the right place at the right times"
 
No. 19 Daniel Valenica (Senior, 6-2, 200, Gaithersburg, MD/Gaithersburg)
"Dan is a preseason All-NEC player. We're excited about him. He's a senior captain that we are going to lean on."
  
No. 21 Riley Owens (Freshman, 6-5, 240, Silver Spring, MD/St. John's College)
"Riley is a big defenseman from Maryland, who had some bright moments in the fall, and we're excited about his spring and hoping he continues to make strides to find some valuable minutes for us."
 
No. 22 Gavin Callahan (Freshman, 6-0, 165, Lutherville, MD/Boys' Latin)
"Gavin is another guy who plays in the middle there between the lines. He comes from a great high school program and is very smart in different situations."
 
No. 29 Tanner Dixon (Sophomore, 6-1, 210, Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley)
"Tanner had a great freshman campaign and is really someone we're looking to anchor down on defense and control things down there for us. I think he's a guy we are going to lean on tremendously and he's primed for another big year."
 
No. 33 Evan Clark (Junior, 6-0, 180, Vaughan, Ontario/The Hill Academy)
"Evan is a smart and gritty player. He has a great stick and puts himself in the right place at the right times. He is a valuable asset to us at that end of the field."
 
No. 37 Andrew Park (Sophomore, 5-11, 175, Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon)
"Andrew is very smart, doesn't risk too much, but takes great chances when it's the right time. He has great stamina on the field to push some in transition."
 
No. 44 Dan Hughes (Freshman, 5-11, 188, Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts)
"Dan is a young defenseman that uses his skills well. We're  hoping he continues to progress and put in some valuable minutes for us on that end of the field."
 

Poskay on the Seahawk Goalie Unit
 
No. 12 Omar Alhagiko (Freshman, 5-8, 190, Staten Island, NY/Curtis)
"Omar is local product from Curtis High School here on Staten Island. He's been impressive and continues to get better every day and we are excited about his future."
 
No. 13 David Hwang (Junior, 5-8, 155, Hauppauge, NY/Hauppauge)
"David is definitely getting better each day and his experience is an asset for us."
 
No. 31 Matt Sefcik (Freshman, 6-0, 180, Towaco, NJ/Morristown-Beard)
"Matt is is a very smart goalie and we love his athleticism. I think he's up for the challenge and we're definitely excited about him and what he can bring to our team. He has a lot of upside and just needs game experience."

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@WagnerAthletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and @WagnerLacrosse for information pertaining specifically to the Seahawk men's lacrosse program