Final 2011 Stats

DETROIT -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team continues to grow and improve as the third-year Titan squad put forth another strong building block with a successful 2011 season.

“I am proud of the way the guys played this year and just the way they continued to improve,” said head coach Matt Holtz. “As a staff, we had a seven-year plan and the way we played, I feel as if we are in year five of that plan and that is the result of the hard work our kids have put in.”

Detroit ended the year tied for second in the MAAC with a 4-2 mark, with both losses on the road by a combined three goals. The Titans finished 6-10 overall advancing to the MAAC Championship after a thrilling 9-8 win over Marist in the semifinals before falling to a Siena club that would end the year nationally ranked in the championship game.

“That win in the semifinals was the biggest win we have had here so far,” said Holtz. “When we beat Siena on the road for our first road win, that was huge, but like I told the team, there is no guarantee that we will ever reach the championship game again. Nothing is ever guaranteed so enjoy this and know what you just accomplished.”

Even more impressive was the 10 Titans who earned their way onto the Academic All-MAAC team, the second most selections in the conference and just one away from tying for the MAAC Lacrosse League lead.

“I am proud of the kids who got recognized, especially guys like Nick Schesnuk and Adam Parrottino. Those are guys that might not see the field a lot, but they are two of the hardest workers in practice and a big reason why our team is prepared to play each game,” added Holtz. 

The Titans handed out three awards at their annual end of the season banquet with team MVP honors going to sophomore Jordan Houtby. The Offensive Player of the Year was awarded to Shayne Adams, while Jamie Hebden was selected the Defensive Player of the Year. Freshman Danny Kransberger received the Coaches Award.

The MVP award was one of several honors that Houtby took home on the year as the long pole was also the MAAC Long Stick Midfielder of the Year and second team All-League. He led conference and was second in the nation in caused turnovers per game, while also topping the team with 97 ground balls. He also scored four goals and handed out two assists.

“There are a lot of good LSM's in the country that are on big name teams this season, but with some of those guys graduating and with what Jordan has done in his two years, I really feel he will be right there among the best in the country next season,” said Holtz.

Along with Houtby, Hebden helped lead a defense that led the nation with 11.63 caused turnovers per game. Jamie Hebden impressed not only the Titan coaches, but the entire team as well as he was selected to the All-MAAC second team after a sophomore year that saw him post 40 caused turnovers and pick up 60 GB's. 

“He is just a smart and steady player for us,” said Holtz. “He plays tough, aggressive, and smart and I was glad that he was recognized by the coaches for his hard work.”

The Titan defense was also improved with the strong play of another second team All-League player in sophomore A.J. Levell. He posted 179 saves on the year, second in the league, while also finishing second in the MAAC with a .521 saves percentage. He had 10 games on the year with double digit saves and really made a name for himself in the semifinals' win over Marist registering 13 saves, including a few stops with Red Foxes right in front of him.

“Just can't say enough of the job A.J. did this year,” said Holtz. “He is great at stopping shots, which is what you want out of your goalie. He just needs to improve his clearing game and his decision making, but I am excited about his last two years here and what he can accomplish.”

The defensive side of the Titan also saw great contributions from senior Tim Shoemaker, a steady LSM who came to Detroit to help jump start the program, as well as junior Jason McDonald, sophomore John Dwyer and freshman Max Zwolan. McDonald started every game for UDM for the third straight year causing 21 turnovers and collecting 22 ground balls. Dwyer improved throughout the season from his freshman year, while the rookie Zwolan played in all 16 games with six starts.

“We played to our strength on defense and coach (Chris) Kolon is great at putting together a strong game plan that tries to limit the other team's possessions,” said Holtz. “We had a talented unit return and to get contributions from the new guys like Max and Nick (Garippa), and add them to what our defense and our defensive middies like Jason (McDonald) and Brad (Janer) brought, really just helped us do what we needed to do.”

Offensively, the arrival of Adams really helped ignite an attack that was in search of a top goal scorer. Detroit began the year a bit stagnant averaging just 4.5 goals in its first four games (18 total goals), but then the offense really turned it on tallying 10.9 goals (131 total) in its last 12, including 11.6 goals in MAAC play.

The MAAC Newcomer of the Year and first team All-MAAC performer, Adams led all Division I freshmen with 35 goals, while finishing second in the MAAC and 13th in the country with 2.33 goals per game.

“Shayne is a smart player who always puts himself in a good position to score,” said Holtz. “I knew that he would be a good player for us and a threat to score, but I did not think he would put up these numbers as a freshman. That just shows you what kind of player he is and the kind of offense we can have next year with Scott (Harris) and Joel (Matthews) back.”

Junior Scott Harris showed that his sophomore year was just the start of a great career as he improved not only his scoring, but his overall playmaking ending the year with 39 points on 19 goals and 20 assists. As a third year player, he was the veteran leader on offense and had to not only score, but take on some leadership on that side of the ball.

“We really asked Scott and a lot of our sophomores to be leaders since we were so young. Scott has had to play with two different lines in the last two years, but he was able to pull it together and have a great year. It will be fun to see him next year play with the same guys and the chemistry he can have on that unit,” added Holtz. 

The offense – which saw six players reach double figures in goals - saw its veteran returners put forth steady efforts with junior Tim Lehto tallying 12 goals and 17 points, sophomore Chris Nemes putting in 10 markers, junior John Nowicki seven and junior Ty Maruyama with six.

The newcomers to the unit did the rest as first-year players netted 77 of Detroit's 149 goals. Besides Adams' great season, other freshmen stepped up in Alex Maini (19 G, 8 A), Troy Dennis (8 G, 2 A), Wes Steen (4 G, 5 A), Matt Lining (7 G) and Tom Masterson (4 G, 2 A).

“A lot of the credit goes to coach (Matt) Karweck and the veteran players for being leaders and helping our freshmen adapt,” said Holtz. “Also, our freshmen came in and wanted to make an impact and they worked hard to improve and get better as the season went on.”

The Titans also saw sophomore Brandon Davenport work hard all year in face-offs. It seemed like every week Davenport was going up against an opponent in the top 25 in face-offs, but he would end the year with double-digit victories in seven games and 123 on the year. In the regular season, he faced the nation's leader in VMI's Stephen Robarge (67%), No. 9 Curtis Holmes of Maryland (62%), No. 10 Ryan Snyder of Lehigh (62%), No. 22 in Delaware's Dan Cooney (54%) and No. 23 Robert Morris' Mike Grosz (53%). Davenport was also third on the team with 53 ground balls. Freshman Joe MacLean also worked his way into seeing time at the position collecting 14 victories and 14 GB's. 

The Titans started the year with a tough non-conference schedule which included a pair of ranked teams at the time of the contest in No. 17 Delaware and No. 4 Maryland, who is currently in the national semifinals. UDM also played Ohio State to a one-goal setback, 4-3, as the Buckeyes were ranked for a few weeks in the top 20, as well as games against teams receiving votes in the USILA Coaches Poll in Lehigh and Robert Morris. Yet another team won its league's regular season and tournament title in the Northeast Conference's Mount St. Mary's.

The Titans are set to lose just one senior off the team so 2011 might have been a big step forward, but with the talent returning, there is no question it was just another block in the building of a top program.