SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It's not quite spring yet in Upstate New York, but the 2018 Skidmore College men's lacrosse team looks to heat things up in its season opener, at home against Babson on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Thoroughbreds look to battle through a difficult schedule, with an eye towards the Liberty League Tournament and beyond.
The Thoroughbreds come off a competitive 6-9 campaign in 2017, head coach
Tucker Kear's second season at the helm of the program.
Leading the charge this season are senior captains
Jack McElgunn,
Jack Curry,
Ryan Warnock, and
RJ Caruso. McElgunn is a three-year captain, and Curry and Warnock have led the Thoroughbreds for two seasons as captains. They are four of 11 seniors on this roster, eager to earn their first trip to the league tournament.
Skidmore returns much of its offense in 2018, led by leading goal scorer
Cody Legeza. The senior scored 28 goals last season and has tallied 50 points in the last two seasons. Fellow senior
Brendan Halloran was second in goals (23) and points (35). Will Lucas, enjoyed a tremendous freshman campaign in 2017, leading the team in scoring with 43 points, off of 14 goals and 29 assists. He earned All-Liberty League honors for his efforts. Caruso (13 goals), Curry (17 points on nine goals and eight assists), and
Eric Megnia (10 points) will lead a veteran Skidmore attack. The Thoroughbreds will also look to Zac Parker,
Garrett Munck, and
Chris Melligon for solid production up front, with
Colby Farnham looking to provide some scoring pop as a midfielder.
The Thoroughbreds look to get a ton of production from the returning midfielders and defenders this season. On the defensive side, Warnock and McElgunn will lead what is an experienced and deep unit. Warnock led the team in ground balls for the second straight season (71), and is tasked with the crucial job of winning face-offs.
Eli Millstein will also serve in that role. McElgunn was third on the team with 28 ground balls, adding eight caused turnovers last season.
Chris Sibilia is an underrated player in the league and looks to improve on an impressive freshman season. He led the team with 19 caused turnovers, adding 20 ground balls.
Alex Towey transitions over to a shorter stick this season, looking to improve on his 15 caused turnovers.
Logan Hart and newcomers Sam Ohotnicky and Alex Miller will look to factor on the defensive end as high-IQ players.
Anchoring the defense is
Chris Baughan, returning for his fourth year as a full-time starter. Baughan was seventh in the league with a .549 save percentage and second in the league with 11.7 saves per game. During the Thoroughbred's four-game win streak last year, Baughan was stellar, allowing just five goals in four straight contests. He is flanked by fellow goalies
Tim Rahill and rookie Dylan Fleishmann.
The Thoroughbreds enjoy a difficult schedule as always, facing five teams in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association polls, including a pair of teams (Wesleyan and RIT) that advanced to the 2017 NCAA Tournament Semifinals. Skidmore will host eight regular season contests to go along with eight road matchups.
