Sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Deiner has been tabbed as one of the NCAA Division III student-athletes to watch in 2013 by LaxAllStars.com.
Stevens Men's Lacrosse to Begin Season Ranked No. 8 by LaxMagazine.com
LaxMagazine.com Top 20 Preseason Poll
The Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team will begin the 2013 season ranked No. 8 nationally after LaxMagazine.com and U.S. Lacrosse released the NCAA Division III preseason poll on Friday. Stevens is coming off the best season in the programs 127-year history with a 17-3 record.
The Ducks find themselves ranked amongst the nation's elite and have three teams scheduled this season on the preseason top 20. Stevens squares off with Springfield College, ranked 18th, on March 2 in Springfield, Mass. Nearly two weeks later on the 13th, the Ducks tangle with preseason No. 1 SUNY Cortland in a neutral showdown in Virginia Beach, Va. On the 16th, No. 4 Tufts University steps onto the De Baun turf for a rematch of a close 14-12 loss from last year's contest against the Jumbos.
Stevens and Cortland also met in 2012 as part of the second round of the NCAA DIII Championship, where the Ducks fell, 10-9.
Head Coach
Gene Peluso is pleased by the preseason recognition and expressed his thoughts on the upcoming campaign. “The best thing about the preseason rankings is that the season is right around the corner. We are excited to have our program recognized as a top program in the country but we are also focused on what it takes to be a top program in the country at the end of the season.
“Our players are excited about the season ahead. We feel like each year we have gotten closer to our goal.”
“Our goals for this season are to be a better team in May then we are in February. We want to improve each day. We want to improve each game.”
“Our ultimate goal is always going to be to compete for our conference championship and ultimately compete for a national championship. That has been our focus since the season ended last year it will continue to be our focus throughout the season this year.”
“As you look at our schedule for the 2013 season you'll notice that we play a very tough strength of schedule. The focus of our program is to make sure that we are playing the best programs in the country. We feel like this will best prepare us for the post season.”