Now independent, men’s lacrosse looks to perform on the national stage
By Dan Papa | Published by March 16, 2018
Captain midfielder Mike Snellen (junior). Photos by Larry Levanti
Kean men’s lacrosse is expected to go through some growing pains this season. Most of these growing pains are attributed to the team’s defense, which according to Head Coach Shelley Sheiner, lost a bulk of seniors to graduation.
They are however expected to come back fierce and competitive this season. Also new for the program this season, the team is no longer in a conference and is instead independent.
“Every game is a playoff game,” Sheiner said. “You must be above .500 for NCAA consideration in Pool B and beat the other indy schools when you play them.”
This means no conference tournament and no conference recognition for players, but instead Kean could be competing on the national stage for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament title.
Some key players returning this season are the three captains: junior midfielder Mike Snellen, senior attackman Tom Kelly and senior midfielder Scott Royster.
“He’s coming off an injury which cost him half of his sophomore season,” Sheiner said about Snellen. “But he has looked amazing in the preseason.”
Sheiner explained that Kelly has put in a lot of work this off-season and is looking to make his final year in a Cougar uniform a memorable one.
“Scott Royster is an extremely valuable player to the team,” Sheiner said. “He is the heart and soul of the program and will be called upon in many different capacities this year to lead the team to victory.”
Last season was not as successful as coach and team alike may have hoped for. In fact, Sheiner was disappointed with his team’s performance.
Captain Scott Royster (senior). Photos by Larry Levanti
“A variety of injuries and inconsistent play contributed to the team’s unfortunate 8-8 season,” Sheiner said. “But the team is healthy and re-energized and everyone is excited to hit the field this spring.”
The lacrosse team’s biggest games this season will be against Colorado College, SUNY Canton, Richard Stockton University and Montclair State University.
“We expect the MSU and Stockton games to be highly competitive this year,” Sheiner said.“We play Montclair State the final game of the season on Friday, May 4th at 7 p.m. here at Kean, so I expect that atmosphere to be electric.”
When it comes to goals for this season, Sheiner has his sights set on keeping his team healthy and functioning in order to compete at the next level.
“If we accomplish that there is no reason why we can’t compete for an NCAA pool B bid,” Sheiner said.
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