Men’s Lacrosse Prepares for Opener – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/28/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
February 28, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Success breeds success. The Ohio State mens lacrosse team hopes to prove this theory correct heading into the 1999 season. The Buckeyes won four out of their last five games in 1998 to finish the season 5-7, 2-2 in the Great Western Lacrosse League. This late season success has put optimism in the minds of both the players and second year coach Joe Breschi. “We have high expectations coming into this year,” said Breschi. “We were only one goal (a 9-8 overtime loss to Butler) from a co-championship so hopefully we have grown and matured coming into this season.” The key to the late season turnaround began with the play of goalie Mike Abeles. Starting his first game of the season against nationally-ranked and eventual GWLL champion Butler, Abeles held the Bulldogs under 10 goals while recording a season high 21 saves. Defense usually fuels the offense, and the Ohio State attack enjoyed a resurgence after the Butler game as well. The Buckeyes averaged 12.4 goals per game over the last five games and hope to continue finding the nets at a rapid pace in 1999. Coach Breschi hopes to have both sides hitting on all cylinders as the Buckeyes set their sights on a conference championship.
High Octane Attack
The strength of the Buckeyes lies in their potent offensive attack. Senior captain Kevin Johnson has lead the Buckeyes in scoring the past two seasons netting 54 points in 1997 and 28 points in 1998. College Lacrosse USA has tabbed Johnson a preseason first team all-GWLL selection. He possess a hard shot from out top, but is also silky smooth moving around the goal to get free for the close one. Johnson is capable of scoring a lot of goals in a short period of time. Against Denver he scored 5 goals and had 2 assists in just three quarters of play. Junior Buddy Lange led the Buckeyes in goals a year ago with 17 despite missing several games. Lange was able to step up his offensive production in key games. He netted hat tricks against North Carolina, a top-10 team and in a game against Air Force that propelled the Buckeyes to their third place finish in the conference. Juniors Tim Houston (11 goals and 7 assists) and Eric Mooney (3 goals, 3 assists) will also vie for time up front. Said Breschi, “Our attackers are a veteran group. We are waiting to see which three guys want to step up and be leaders. With the type of opponents we will face this year, it will obviously be important to score.”
Plugging Up the Middle
Youth reigns supreme for Ohio State midfielders. Team MVP and all-Great Western Lacrosse League selection Greg Zytkowski (10 goals, 5 assists) will be the anchor while several freshman will make an immediate impact on the field. Zytkowski was second on the team with 42 ground balls. “Greg had a great year for us last year and we will rely heavily on him again this year. He will be at both ends of the field and will always be on the field for us,” said Breschi. College Lacrosse USA has Zytkowski listed as the Buckeyes only preseason all-American selection. Freshmen Mark Marion, James Campbell, and Kevin Stephan have caught Breschis eye in the preseason. Added Breschi, “Those guys add a lot of athleticism and team speed to the middle. They also add better depth and increase our ability to win face-offs.” Senior captain Jon Egan and senior Todd Miller will step up to replace the graduated Joe Gans, while Fred Koury, who handled a majority of face-offs last season and led the Buckeyes with 53 ground balls will be counted on for leadership.
Last Line of Defense
Breschi will feature a veteran corps of defenders with a mix of talented, athletic freshmen. Leading the way will be junior captain Jon Torpey who finished second on the Buckeyes in ground balls with 45. He will be flanked by sophomore Jeremy Schwartz and junior Barry Wilson. “The veterans will be key for us, but we have a plethora of very athletic freshmen who have the ability to emerge as big time starters for us,” said Breschi. The Buckeyes finished the season as the 23rd ranked defense in the county allowing 10.25 goals per game. Stopping the potent attacks of Butler and Notre Dame will be crucial in contending for the GWLL title.
Minding the Net
Ohio State will feature one of the hottest goalkeepers in the nation. Junior Mike Abeles took over for John Kuss midway through the season and never looked back. Abeles started the final six games stopping 113 shots and a save percentage of 65.7. He would have been ranked in the top 10 in the nation for save percentage had he gotten the minimum amount of time in the net. Abeles is a member of Face-Off magazine’s “to watch in ’99” list. “We feel Mike has the capability to be an All-American for us, he’s big and strong and has great reactions and instincts back there,” said Breschi. Joel Forman, a junior, is the only other goalie on the roster to have seen action for the Buckeyes. Forman stopped one shot in action against Wooster last season.
Upgraded schedule
In hopes of not only winning a Great Western Lacrosse League championship, but making an appearance in the NCAA tournament, Breschi has put together what could be the toughest schedule in school history. The Buckeyes open the season on the road against perennial power Rutgers then face four more road games against Sacred Heart, Radford, ACC juggernaut Virginia, and conference rival Butler. Ohio State will play Johns Hopkins on the road in what is believed to be Ohio States first appearance on television. “This is the type of schedule to help us move to that next level and show just what our team is made of, especially with such a young team and five games on the road, we will definitely find out early what our team is made of.” said Breschi.
