#16 Brown Opens 2010 Season Against #11 Hofstra

Providence, Rhode Island - The 16th ranked Brown men’s lacrosse team will be the last Division I team in the country to open its 2010 season when the Bears take on Hofstra in Hempstead, New York on Saturday, March 6, starting at 1:00 p.m. at Shuart Stadium.

Brown’s lacrosse program returned to national prominence over the last two years - winning the Ivy League Championship in 2008 and earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Championship last season.

Under the leadership of head coach Lars Tiffany, the New England Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009, last year’s Brown team made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1997, before falling in overtime to Johns Hopkins in the NCAA First Round. The Bears posted a 12-4 record, just one win short of the school record, and were ranked as high as eighth nationally during the season.

Offensive firepower shouldn’t be a problem for the Bears with the return of three of its top four scorers from an offense that scored 171 goals, 52 more than the previous season. Senior All-American attackman Thomas Muldoon and junior All-Ivy attackman Andrew Feinberg are the key cogs in an explosive Brown offense.

One of the top goal scorers in Brown lacrosse history, Muldoon is two-time first team All-Ivy and All-New England selection. His 113 career points rank 25th in the Brown record book, while his 89 career goals are 12th best in Brown lacrosse history. He netted four goals in Brown's NCAA Playoff game against Johns Hopkins, and scored 36 goals overall, while handing out 11 assists. Muldoon scored four or more goals four other times in games vs. Delaware, Bryant, Yale and Providence.

Brown’s top goal scorer, Feinberg returns after netting 42 goals and handing out 16 assists to lead the Bears with 58 points. A second team All-Ivy selection, Feinberg, the 2008 New England Rookie of the Year, was second in the Ivy League and seventh nationally in goals with 2.67 per game. His 42 total goals led the Ivy League. Feinberg was also second in the Ivy League in points (3.86 per game), seventh nationally. He scored four goals twice (Dartmouth, Bryant) and three goals nine times.

Senior attckman Collins Carey had a breakout year in 2009, scoring seven goals and handing out four assists for the Bears. He had a goal and an assist against Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Tournament.

Tiffany also has high hopes that sophomores Parker Brown and Dan O’Brien will provide additional firepower. Though attackmen, both will also see significant playing time in the midfield. Junior Tyler Fernandez should also contribute after he finishes up with the Brown ice hockey team, while freshmen George Sherman, Johnny DePeters and Marc White are also expected to see some action at attack.
In the midfield, senior captain Reade Seligmann is ready to set the league on fire following an outstanding 2009 season. Brown’s most improved player last year, Seligmann was Brown’s fourth leading scorer with 33 points, netting 12 goals and handing out 21 assists, the most among midfielders. A physical dodger and deft passer, Seligmann scored the go-ahead goal against Cornell in the fourth quarter and added two assists against the Big Red. Seligman scored a season high three goals against UMass, and distributed four assists against Bryant.

Sophomore Rob Schlesinger will also run in the midfield after making an impact in his rookie campaign, registering five goals and an assist. He was a heavily relied upon defensive midfielder who gave the Bears a weapon in transition. A tenacious player, he also picked up 35 ground balls, fourth best on the Brown team.

Junior transfer David Hawley comes to Brown from Williams, where he was a scoring machine, netting 72 goals over the last two seasons. The Bears’ deep midfield also includes sophomore Nick Laster, senior Matt Shakespeare and junior Jason Pohanka (1 goal), who all played solid lacrosse in the fall. Junior Teddy Daiber, who studied abroad in the fall, and freshmen Johnny Depeters, Alex Jones, Shane McHugh and Julian Musikant are also expected to see some action in the midfield.

Brown’s defense has to overcome the loss of first team All-American goalie Jordan Burke, the 2009 USILA Goalie of the Year and two-time Ivy League Player of the Year. Stepping into the starting role is junior Matt Chriss, who played in four games for the Bears a year ago and understands what it takes to be a successful Division I goalie. Tiffany will look to sophomore Noah Beatty and freshman Wills Curley to provide able back-up for Chriss.

Headlining the Bears’ defensive unit is junior USILA All-American Peter Fallon, who had a dominant season for the Bears, earning first team All-Ivy and All-New England honors. He helped the Brown defense limit its opponents to just 8.24 goals per game, 15th best in the nation. Fallon was assigned to defend some of best scoring attackmen in the country, and is the most relied upon defenseman in the clearing game. His 59 ground balls led the Brown team.

Senior captain Jake Westermann and junior Matt Greenburg will also help anchor the Brown defense. Westermann, looked upon as a team leader, started all 16 games a year ago, is considered the communications director of the Bears’ defense. He picked up three ground balls in Brown’s key Ivy victory over NCAA finalist Cornell. Greenberg played in all 16 games and established himself as a tough defenseman with a take-away mentality. He picked-up 21 ground balls for the Bears.

Sophomore Brennan Bailey will also see playing times for the Bears after seeing action in 11 games in his inaugural season for the Bears. He has the ability to cover big dodgers as well as quick attackmen. Also contributing to the Bears defense are sophomore Jason Hardy, juniors Nick Martell and Joe Orloff, and freshmen Clay DelPrince and Louis Solmonson.

Junior Jimmy Wittpenn, sophomore Willie Fix and freshman Alex Jones will see action at short stick defensive midfield, while freshmen Roger Ferguson and Sam Ford should contribute as long stick midfielders.

The Bears made great strides in the face-off-x a year ago, and will look to several players to contribute, with senior Charlie Kenney leading the way. Kenney captured 35 face-offs and 21 ground balls a year ago, while also scoring two goals. Junior Seth Ratner is a face-off specialist, who won 28 face-offs for the Bears in 2009. Sophomore Willie Fix took just one face-off a year ago, but has improved in the off-season and will also be in the face-off rotation.