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
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 2-12 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 1-4 (5th in Atlantic Sun) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 6.21 Goals Per Game (64th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 12.43 Goals Against Per Game (63rd in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #4 Mickey Hofmeister – Senior (30 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #4 Mickey Hofmeister – Senior (11 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #4 Mickey Hofmeister – Senior (41 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #9 Evan Windisch – Junior (.493 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #26 Mitch Wilson – Freshman (.465 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #26 Mitch Wilson – Freshman (57 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #17 Tyler Prasnicki – Junior (33 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Air Force (6-4), Richmond (7-6) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Wagner (7-6), Furman (13-12) |
| 2015 Record | 1-14 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 0-6 (Last in SoCon) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 5.20 Goals Per Game (67th in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 15.40 Goals Against Per Game (Last in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #7 Mike DeBlasio – Senior (14 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #18 Dan Bull – Junior (6 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #7 Mike DeBlasio – Senior (17 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #9 Evan Windisch – Senior (.444 SV %) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #32 Colby Lalicker – Freshman (.496 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #32 Colby Lalicker – Freshman (62 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #17 Tyler Prasnicki – Senior (43 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | UMass Lowell (11-10) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Richmond (20-1), Furman (13-5), Canisius (20-6) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
Teams that have two wins in the previous season usually either stay consistent or increase their win total. VMI is one of those rare teams that went the opposite way, almost going winless before defeating UMass Lowell by a goal in their final game of the regular season.
The team lost offensive leader Mickey Hofmeister to spend his final year of eligibility at Richmond. Mike DeBlasio was the team leader in points this year with 17, 24 points less than Hofmeister’s total from 2014. Offensive and defensive rankings were worse than 2014, as the Keydets were third to last in goals for and dead last in goals against. The team got crushed against Navy and Army back-to-back before falling to Mount St. Mary’s by three goals a week later. They lost their SoCon opener to in-state rival Richmond 20-1 and the losses continued to pile up, including three straight losses giving up 17 goals against Bellarmine, Virginia, and Mercer. The Keydets finally recorded a win in the last game of the regular season against the River Hawks after trailing by a goal with 10:25 left to play. VMI recorded three straight goals, including two in a span of 55 seconds, to end their season on a high note.
The majority of the team will be coming back next season, with only seven seniors on the 2015 squad, including DeBlasio. One thing that would be devastating would be if the team went winless next season, which might mean considering whether or not to discontinue the program. One thing for sure is that the team will not have Brian Anken as Head Coach for next season. The five-year head honcho will resign June 30th after compiling a record of 10-59 overall. The team will need a leader who will want to make the program one that is not a constant laughing stock in Division I.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Lamade J. Steele | Midfield | Grassfield (VA) |
| Tyler Brock | Attack | Highland Park (TX) |
| Robbie Sedlak | Defense | Conestoga (PA) |
| Kyle Walsh | LSM | Easton (PA) |
| Jacob Schoenick | Defense | St. Mary’s Ryken (MD) |
| Anthony Sciametta | Midfield | St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) |
| Trevor Boice | Midfield | South Fork (FL) |
| Tommy Smith | Midfield/Attack | Liberty (VA) |
| Timothy Barile | Midfield | Red Bank Catholic (NJ) |
| Jim Walsh | LSM | Bishop Shanahan (PA) |
| Nicholas Steen | Goalie | Loudoun Valley (VA) |
| Tristan Capes-Davis | Midfield/Attack | Harborfields (NY) |
| Austin Hughes | Attack | Pine-Richland (PA) |
| Garrett Barker | Defense | Southwest Guilford (NC) |
| Lane Grimes | Midfield | Loudoun Valley (VA) |
This could be some good help coming in, especially from good schools such as Highland Park, Conestoga, Bishop Shanahan, and St. Mary’s Ryken. They might not be the best recruits in the nation, but the hope for VMI is that they can help rebuild a program that is looking to compete in the near future.
