ROME, Ga. -- Berry men's lacrosse shared the Southern Athletic Association Regular Season Championship again in 2015. According to Head Coach Curtis Gilbert, the program wants more. They seek the title outright; an SAA Tournament Championship; and a berth to the NCAA Championship, which has eluded them the last three seasons.
-Tough Schedule Upcoming
Aggressive out-of-conference game scheduling and another talented freshmen class look to position the Vikings for both national and post-season success. The Vikings will face a number of traditionally strong programs, including Roanoke, Denison and Washington College.
The 2016 schedule features four nationally-ranked teams as part of the Vikes' regular season slate. "Our scheduling is aggressive, but exciting and offers a great opportunity," said Gilbert. "I wouldn't schedule the best, if I didn't think we could be the best."
-Replacing Graduated Student-Athletes
The 2015 season featured the second-ever graduating class of Berry seniors and was also the second time the Vikings have been SAA Conference Co-Champions in three years. The 2015 graduating class of 10 seniors helped lead a young nucleus of freshmen to a 12-5 season and an SAA Championship game appearance, falling just one goal short of an NCAA tournament bid.
Last year, Berry boasted seven All-SAA players with Cory Hall receiving SAA Player of the Year accolades. Defender Jack Chase earned Berry College Male Athlete of the Year. Both Hall and Chase also garnered USILA Scholar All-America distinction, and Hall was also chosen to play in the USILA North/South All-Star game. Replacing the void left from these two seniors will be important for the Vikings' success in 2016.
-Optimism on Offense
"This season has the potential to be special for the Berry lacrosse program," said Gilbert. "Everyone in our program wants to put both Berry College and Georgia on the map in the Lacrosse community."
The Viking offense flourished under Assistant Coach Reed Peterson's guidance in his first season, and the team is excited for improvement in 2016. This offence will be lead by senior co-captains Christian Akers (Roanoke, VA / Roanoke Catholic) and Jake Emche (Berlin, MD/Worcester Prep). Akers scored 31 goals and had six assists last year. Emche produced 20 goals and 14 helpers for the Vikings.
Adding to the offensive firepower are juniors Quentin Johnson (Alpharetta, GA / Chattahoochee) and Miller Hollstein (Duluth, GA / Peachtree Ridge) and sophomores Matt Dominguez (Suwanee, GA/Peachtree Ridge), Paolo Falzi (Airdrie, Alberta/St. Martin DePorres) and Stephen Galloway (Marietta, GA/Hillgrove). Johnson is the top returning point scorer with 40 (17 goals, 23 assists).
-Experience and Youth on Defense
The defensive end of the field will see new faces as Berry graduated a large core of its starters. Leading the charge will be a trio of co-captains in seniors Nick Voso (Peachtree City, GA/Blue Ridge School), Garrett Miller (Duluth, GA/Peachtree Ridge), and sophomore Michael Troy (Lake Grove, NY/Ward Melville). As a goalkeeper, Voso went 9-4 in goal with a 53-percent save percentage as a junior.
Rounding out the defense will be juniors James Kurila (Oveido, FL/Paul J. Haggerty), Cole Sommi (Knoxville, TN/Farragut), Phillip Yount (Evans, GA/Greenbrier), and sophomores Jacob Kaplan (Matthews, NC/Charlotte Christian), Juan Castilla (Chattahoochee, GA/Chattahoochee), and Chris Ferguson (Acworth, GA/Allatoona).
-Talented Newcomers Join Team
The 2015-16 season will feature another large recruiting class as Gilbert is trying to get the team roster to his ideal 40-44 student-athlete range. A few newcomers stood out in their fall performances. Standout offensive efforts were seen from Chris Berchock (Alpharetta, GA/Chattahoochee), Thomas Brennan (Cornelius, NC/Davidson Day), Andrew Elgin (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast), McKinley Gannon (Ooltewah, TN/McCallie School), Hudson Harris (Charlotte, NC/Lake Norman Charter), Bailey Martin (Wilmington, DE/Salesianum/Univeristy of Vermont), Nick Murphy (Cherokee, GA/Cherokee), Janosch Spohner (Roswell, GA/Lassiter), Justin Westbrook (Duluth, GA/Northview) and Jason Wilhelm. (Lakeway, TX/Lake Travis).
Equally strong defensive play was evident from rookies Josh Baker (Suwanee, GA/Greater Atlanta Christian), Kyle Rouleau (Suwanee, GA/Peachtree Ridge), Nathan Taylor (Lakeland, FL/Summerlin Military Acad.) and returning junior goalkeeper Zach McConnell (Rome, GA/Darlington School). Additionally, junior Koda-Wataka Robinson (Camas, WA/Kings Way/New England College) transferred to Berry College mid-year and looks to leave his mark in the spring.
-First Game is February 12th
After a strong showing this past fall in Berry's Face-Off for a Cause--an event which raised more than $6,600 for the Wounded Warriors Project--the Vikings are eager to host Colorado College at Valhalla on Friday, February 12. The season-opening match begins at 3:30 p.m.
