New England has become a hot-bed of lacrosse action as of recent. With the addition of the New England Blackwolves and the increasing coverage of the Boston Cannons, it’s safe to say that New England is starting to develop some high-class players. Although there are a list of which to go down, in terms of players to watch for the upcoming season, my list has been condensed to three. Again, there are many players to look out for but these are three top players to look out for on the NCAA Division I level.
Ben Reeves—Yale (Freshman)
When a player comes into college, being second overall in New York High School state history in points, it’s hard not to notice the high level of talent Reeves has. Given, the play of High School and Collegiate is drastically different. However nobody can deny the talent that Reeves has. Reeves should be playing his freshman year with senior, Conrad Oberbeck. The two will provide a nasty 1-2 punch that can surprise many teams amongst the Ivy League.
Will Walker—Harvard (Junior)
Walker had a solid sophomore year season in 2014. He racked up 35 goals, more than double of his freshman 15. What stands out with Walker is that he still has 2 years ahead of him on the collegiate level. Surely, more confidence and experience will come in his third year. Expect Walker to play more of a balanced position this year however. Will only put up 4 assists in last season’s outing. The team is also losing one of its top assist getters, Peter Schwartz, who tallied up 21 assists and 25 goals for Harvard. Overall, I expect Walker to start to stand in place for Schwartz this season while being a crucial member of the Harvard offense.
Shane Morrell—Bryant (Junior)
44 goals with 61 points. That is what the Bryant, Junior, Shane Morrell did in just his sophomore season. Morrell was a force in the attacking zone for Bryant in 2014 and I don’t expect his numbers to drop anytime soon. It was even clear during his freshman year that Morrell would be a top point getter for Bryant. Morrell, in his two years of playing, has put up 72 goals with 108 points in just 40 career games. Morrell should be looking to obtain career point number 150 and possibly career point number 175 in just his third season. The only downside to Morrell’s season last year was his lack of effectiveness in the NCAA tournament. In the two NCAA games played, Morrell averaged just two shots on goal in a season where he averaged around four-to-five shots on goal. Don’t expect that to happen this season. Morrell is focused and Bryant is adamant on heading to the NCAA championship game.
