For the better part of four months, many of us watched some exciting college lacrosse, whether it was on TV, online, or in person. There were good games, which included all of Championship Weekend, and there were bad games, such as low scoring affairs and of course, the horrendous winter weather. I take a look back at all 69 Division I teams and how they fared this season and what to look forward to in 2016.
Check out previous recaps: NJIT Highlanders, UMass Lowell River Hawks, VMI Keydets, Manhattan Jaspers, Canisius Golden Griffins, Robert Morris Colonials, St. John’s Red Storm, Wagner Seahawks, Binghamton Bearcats, Bellarmine Knights, Jacksonville Dolphins, Furman Paladins, Lafayette Leopards, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers, Siena Saints, Delaware Blue Hens, UMBC Retrievers, Dartmouth Big Green, Providence Friars, Mercer Bears, Penn State Nittany Lions, Hofstra Pride, Michigan Wolverines, UMass Minutemen, Monmouth Hawks, Vermont Catamounts, Sacred Heart Pioneers, Holy Cross Crusaders, Penn Quakers, Villanova Wildcats, Boston Terriers, Quinnipiac Bobcats, Hartford Hawks, Hobart Statesmen, Lehigh Mountain Hawks, Drexel Dragons, Harvard Crimson, Loyola Greyhounds, Air Force Falcons
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 6-8 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 3-3 (3rd in MAAC) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 9.14 Goals Per Game (T46th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 9.64 Goals Against Per Game (26th in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #9 Shayne Adams – R-Junior (42 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #39 Alex Maini – Senior (26 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #9 Shayne Adams – R-Junior (49 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #8 Jason Weber – Freshman (.642 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #24 Damien Hicks – Sophomore (.440 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #24 Damien Hicks – Sophomore (39 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #45 Paul Bitetti – Sophomore (24 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Canisius (8-6), Marist (12-11) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Michigan (14-13 OT), Siena (9-8 OT) |
| 2015 Record | 8-6 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 4-2 (3rd in MAAC) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 9.93 Goals Per Game (32nd in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 10.21 Goals Against Per Game (34th in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #9 Shayne Adams – R-Senior (27 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leaders | #7 Mark Anstead – Freshman (17 As) #42 Brandon Beauregard – Senior (17 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #9 Shayne Adams – R-Senior (40 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #8 Jason Weber – Sophomore (.589 SV %) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #24 Damien Hicks – Junior (.493 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #8 Jason Weber – Sophomore (39 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #30 Chris Shevins – Senior (16 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Ohio State (9-8), Mercer (12-7) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Michigan (15-6), Quinnipiac (13-12, 16-9 – MAAC Semifinal) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
The Titans rebounded from a 6-8 record a year ago with an 8-6 one in 2015, yet it was not enough to repeat a performance that was similar to when they won the MAAC in 2013. Their biggest star has been goaltender Jason Weber, who’s been one of the best goaltenders in the nation. The sophomore led the nation in saves per game for the second straight season with 14.43 stops and posted a school record 202 saves as well in 2015. Shayne Adams led the team in scoring for his final season, but the redshirt senior, along with seniors Brandon Beauregard and Chris Shevins, will not return for 2016, leaving holes for the Titans to fill.
The Titans opened the season with maybe one of their best wins in program history, as well as one of the best upsets in 2015 with a 9-8 win over Ohio State. But trying to use that momentum for the following week against Michigan, but fell flat on their face with a 15-6 loss to the Wolverines. They returned to Pontiac for a date with Robert Morris, where Kyle Beauregard capped off his hat-trick with the game winner with 2:05 left in overtime to give the Titans an 11-10 win. They spent the following weekend in Kentucky, where they lost to Marquette and won against Bellarmine. They finished non-conference play with a win against Mercer and a road loss to Air Force. The Titans would fall to only two MAAC teams, which would be Quinnipiac in their MAAC opener by a goal, and Marist, also by a goal. After the Quinnipiac loss, they’d beat Manhattan 13-7 before facing Marist. A 7-3 halftime lead for the Red Foxes, followed by a tough defense from Marist could not but Detroit on top, losing 8-7. The Titans had to come-from-behind in order to win their next two games against Monmouth and Siena. Down 8-4 in the 4th against the Hawks, the Titans scored five unanswered to beat Monmouth 9-8. The following week on the road against Siena, the Titans overcame an early 5-0 deficit and trailed 13-10 heading to the final quarter. That’s when the Titans scored four unanswered tallies, including the game-winner from Brad Harris with 33 seconds left, to prevail 14-13. After an 11-6 win over Canisius in the season finale, the Titans were the #3 seed in the MAAC Tournament and took on Quinnipiac, which was another loss, this time by a score of 16-9.
Detroit can compete in the MAAC for the next two seasons thanks to the play of goaltender Jason Weber. Weber is one of the best goaltenders in the nation, and keeps Detroit in games, as evident against Monmouth and Siena. But saying goodbye to Adams next season will be difficult to replace on offense for 2016. Defense looks to be fine, but if Detroit can’t score, Detroit won’t win.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Jack Harrop | Defense | Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (MI) |
| Devon Callaghan | Attack/Midfield | Detroit Country Day (MI) |
| Bo Pickens | Midfield/Defense | Brother Rice (MI) |
| Daniel DiBono III | Attack | Winston Churchill (MI) |
| Patrick Walsh | Attack/Midfield | Hill Academy (ONT) |
| Shane Rauner | Defense/LSM | Ocean City (NJ) |
| Lucas Leyba | LSM | Columbine (CO) |
| Garrett Brunsvold | Midfield | Smithtown West (NY) |
| Blake Turner | Attack | Okemos (MI) |
| Griff Stephens | Midfield | Chagrin Falls (OH) |
| Connor Bennardo | Attack | Harborfields (NY) |
| Tyler Conn | Defense/LSM | Rosseau Lake (ONT) |
| Jared Shultz | Defense | Anoka (MN) |
| Sam Horton | Defense | Okemos (MI) |
| Terrence Haggerty | Attack | Harborfields (NY) |
| Nick Boynton | Midfield | Troy Athens (MI) |
| Mike Sgorza | Midfield | Bethpage (NY) |
The Titans will replace ten departing seniors with 17 incoming recruits, many of which are from the Midwest region. Seven players are from Detroit, including from Detroit County Day and powerhouse Brother Rice. There’s also a Hill Academy offensive player in Patrick Walsh and a midfielder from Smithtown West in Garrett Brunsvold. Plenty of offense in these recruits, which is something that the team will need next season, comes in handy. And no, Nick Boynton is not related to former NHL defenseman Nick Boynton. Same names, two different, but athletic, people.
