Stockton University Athletics

Ospreys Piled Up Records and Honors During Historic Season

Men's Lacrosse | 6/24/2019 10:00:00 AM

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The Stockton University men's lacrosse team had a historic, record-breaking season in 2019. The Ospreys won their first-ever conference title and made the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance. Head coach Kevin Zulauf guided the team to a school-record 18 wins while being voted CSAC Coach of the Year.
 
After winning the CSAC championship for its first conference title, Stockton made the most of its inaugural NCAA Tournament berth. The Ospreys won 20-9 over Morrisville State in the first round and battled #4 York College nearly even for three quarters in a second round matchup just 24 hours later. The season also featured an 11-game winning streak and a perfect 6-0 mark in CSAC play.
 
Stockton placed 12 players on the CSAC all-conference team and swept the four major awards. The Ospreys scored 391 goals, dished 244 assists and totaled 635 points on the season, all new school records. They also led NCAA Division III in assists (244), assists per game (11.62) and points per game (30.24) and finished second nationally in scoring offense (18.62 gpg).
 
Stockton was led by USILA Honorable Mention All-American Luc Swedlund, who scored 100 goals with 18 assists for 118 points, setting new school records for goals and points. The sophomore was an offensive force all season, being named to the USILA Team of the Week on four occasions, CSAC Player of the Week twice and ECAC South Player of the Month once.
 
Swedlund became the fifth Osprey to achieve All-American status and also was selected MVP of the CSAC championship game. His postseason honors included CSAC Player of the Year, CSAC First Team as ECAC Offensive Player of the Year, ECAC First Team and Google Cloud Academic All-District.
 
Swedlund led NCAA Division III in goals per game (4.76) and scored 5.62 points per game, placing sixth nationally. Joining him on the CSAC First Team was junior Erik Anderson who placed just behind Swedlund with 115 points on 61 goals and a school-record 54 assists. Anderson and Swedlund became the second and third players in school history to amass over 100 points in a season.
 
Anderson was chosen CSAC Player of the Week twice and ECAC South Player of the Month once. He finished 11th in NCAA Division III in points per game (5.48 ppg) and 19th in assists per game (2.57 apg). Anderson also collected an ECAC Second Team nod for his play.
 
The CSAC Rookie of the Year was Dante Poli who chipped in with 50 goals and 32 assists for 82 points. Poli was a CSAC Second Team selection who also was chosen CSAC Player of the Week once this season. Sophomore Eric D'Arminio added 26 goals and 27 assists (3rd on team) for 53 points and earned a CSAC First Team accolade.

 
Video by Joe Petrilli Films

On the defensive side, senior Colin Wharton was named USILA All-America Honorable Mention for the third straight season. Wharton was a stalwart in front of the net while picking up the CSAC Defensive Player of the Year award and a CSAC First Team nod.
 
Wharton became Stockton's first three-time USILA All-America Honorable Mention after scooping 38 ground balls and causing 13 turnovers. He was an ECAC Second Team selection and rounded out his career by playing in the USILA Senior All-Star Game.
 
Sophomore Logan Holleritter also was a CSAC First Team defender who led the Ospreys with 23 caused turnovers. Shutdown short-stick midfielder Max Pukenas and goalkeeper Justin Ruiz rounded out the CSAC First Team honorees. Ruiz made 245 saves on the season, third in a single season at Stockton, and was named CSAC Defensive Player of the Week twice.
 
Senior defender Chris Holleritter, sophomore faceoff specialist Matt Thermann, junior Eric Ellis and senior Ryan Bradley all picked up CSAC Second Team honors, along with Poli. Bradley was Stockton's representative on the CSAC All-Sportsmanship Team as well.
 
Bradley grabbed 57 ground balls and caused 19 turnovers (2nd on team) while Holleritter finished third on the squad with 16 caused turnovers and also scooped 31 ground balls.
 
Ellis scored 28 goals and dished 25 assists for 53 points. He was one of five Ospreys to start all 21 games this season. Thermann was named CSAC Defensive Player of the Week twice while ranking eighth in Stockton history with a .562 winning percentage (240-427).
 
Stockton also had plenty of other players to contribute on both sides of the field. Joey Tiernan became the sixth Osprey to score over 20 goals as he potted 27 markers while J.J. McKenna (16 goals), Peter Burke (11 goals) and Colin Shea (10 goals) added to the offense. After suffering a torn Achilles in the season opener, senior Tommy Gallo became a supportive emotional leader.
 
On the defensive side, Kevin Matheny had a breakout season with 64 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers. Will Pellicier saw action in 20 games in the midfield, with Jon Liguori playing in all 21 games. Liguori scored four goals while scooping 15 ground balls. Matt Honchalk played on the backline, adding to the defensive depth with 13 ground balls.