Led by a large and experienced group of seniors, the 2001 Exeter lacrosse team looks to have another very successful season. Particularly impressive about this team is the strong and deep defensive unit. Led by captains Greg Donohue and Adam White, this defensive unit has the potential to be the best in Exeter lacrosse history. They are big, fast, handle the ball well, and have experience. Greg and Adam are joined at close defense by returning starter Ben Courchesne '01, lettermen Dave Bowman '01 and Ben Gage '02. Newcomers Chris Lawrence '01 from Falmouth, MA.and Seth Coburn '02 from Yarmouth, ME have been very impressive early on, and add even more depth to an already solid unit. Returning long pole middie Nick Crawford '01 will share that responsibility with PG Pat Sullivan from Winchester, MA. This defensive unit has looked very impressive in the preseason, and the coaching staff cannot wait to see them at full speed on a real field. The beneficiaries of this great defense will be the returning goalie duo of Brian Anand '01 and Jeff Miller '02. Brian has been a starter since the middle of his 9th grade season, and is one of the best pure stoppers of the ball in prep school lacrosse. Jeff did a fine job as Brian's backup last year, and will hopefully see even more game time this year.

The midfield unit will be led by captains Joaquin Walker and Andrew Sung, who were among the best middies in New England last year. Joining them from last years team will be Andrew Dodwell '01, Peter Monroe '02, Wyatt Golding '02, and Matt Stolpinski '03. The middie corps has a great infusion of new talent this year. Post graduates Ben Harris from Concord, MA and Jared Connell from Yarmouth, ME, will be immediate impact players. In addition, Gabe Wood '02 and Bill Truelove '02 are moving up from great JV seasons last year. Joining this talented group are newcomers Gavin Nurick '03 from Wilton, CT and converted attackman Joe Houlder from Hyde Park, MA. This group is loaded with talent, so it will be a challenge to the coaches to find the right combinations that work best with each other.

The attack unit has the biggest shoes to fill from last year. Exeter graduated two starting attackmen from last year's team that combined for 106 goals and 56 assists. Although the coaches do not realistically expect the same volume of output from this year's attack, the returning threesome of Ryan Voccola '02, Colin Thune '02, and Luke Nutting '02 managed to combine for 38 goals and 21 assists last year, with Colin finishing as the team's 5th leading scorer. This group will be assisted by converted middie Alan Eberstein '02, who showed great attack potential last year in his role as a reserve middie. Because we are so deep in the midfield, some of the more offensive middies will also have some opportunities to contribute at attack.

The most impressive aspect about the entire team is athleticism and team speed. Pressure defense and transition offense will be important factors in the success of the Big Red this year. If Exeter can use their depth, experience, and quickness properly, then it will indeed be a great season ahead.