Rookies certainly made their mark in the 2015 Major League Lacrosse season, ending with New York’s 15-12 championship game victory over Rochester.
The only rookie to suit up in the Lizards’ title win was Ryan Walsh of Colgate, who scooped a groundball after a regular season which saw him score ten goals in seven games.
Several rookies contributed on the opposite sideline for the Rattlers, led by Syracuse alums Kevin Rice and Randy Staats who each tallied a goal and assist. Rice scored Rochester’s third goal while Staats scored its fourth to help the Rattlers jump out to a 6-2 lead after one quarter of play. Jack Near of Notre Dame added a second-quarter goal while first-year player Mike Poppleton of Johns Hopkins took all 30 faceoffs, winning only five. Sam Somers of Army West Point suited up as the backup goalie for the championship tilt.
With the MLL expansion to Atlanta, it will be interesting to see the impact of rookies moving into 2016. With more roster spots come additional opportunities, which should include more rookies seeing action. Even with limited opportunities, rookies made their presence felt in the summer of 2015.
