It is still early in the schedule. But there are definite signs that the Rosemont men’s program is beginning to make some strides up the ladder.
A 1-2 start to the season was highlighted by a dominating win over the College of Mount St. Vincent and a tough battle during a loss to Wesley College last week. They have been backed up with some outstanding face-off averages by Nick Gianguillo (who was 54-of-78 heading into Saturday’s game at Moravian) and stellar offensive play from senior Ben Koszelak (who was the leading scorer for the Ravens in 2018), Brandon Krausse and Dylan Hummel.
Already this season, that trio has teamed up for 23 of the Ravens 31 goals to this point. (Hummel had 11 assists in the first three games for the Ravens.) In 2018, those three combined for 64 of the Ravens’ 90 goals during the regular season.
What new head coach Ernie Shapiro hopes to do is build off that momentum. The first year head coach who was on Dave Baker’s staff in 2018 and was in charge of the offense during that year has seen progress.
“The guys returning are more familiar with the offense,” Shapiro said. “It’s not just getting a year better, but being more comfortable allows the entire unit to feel better. There’s a familiarity with 90 percent of our roster returning. And I’m optimistic about that- with our new guys improving every game- we will be able to gel.”
In net, Mark Porter has picked up where he left off last year as one of the most active goaltenders in the region. When Porter was in net during 2018, the Ravens goalie had an over .540 save percentage and recorded 198 saves. This year. he’s posting a .580 save percentage and has recorded 49 saves in the first three games of the season.
“He was thrown into the fire last year,” Shapiro said. “In lacrosse, goalie and faceoff are your key guys. And he kept us around in a lot of games. His saves can change momentum for us. And he’s key because he is really talented.”
The Ravens were picked sixth in the seven-team CSAC that features two new associate members this year in Stockton- picked to win the conference by the league’s coaches- and Montclair State.
“We’re looking to just keep improving,” Shapiro said. “That’s what we want to focus on- getting better each game and each practice to make our program better. That’s what you have to do.”
