Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/2/10
From Press Releases
Jim Rogalski, head men’s lacrosse coach at The University of Scranton, has announced that seniors Stephen Bruestle (Holland, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Patrick Cefalu (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip), Jeremy Dowiak (Hackettstown, N.J./West Morris) and Sean Milde (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) will serve as team captains for the upcoming 2011 season.
All four have played a pivotal role in the program’s ascension over the past three years, including a school-record 12-win season in 2008 and a championship game appearance in the 2009 Landmark Conference tournament.
Rogalski takes over a program coming off a hard-luck 6-9 season in 2010, one in which the Royals lost three conference games by a total of three goals, including two nail-biters that were decided in the final seconds of play. A 1997 graduate of St. Mary’s College (Md.), he comes to Scranton after serving on the coaching staff at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, for the last six year.
He began his career there as head assistant coach in 2004 before being promoted to associate head coach in 2007. He has also served as an assistant coach at Drexel University, Washington & Lee University, Goucher College, Western New England College, and St. Mary’s.
“These four young men have made my transition to the university a very smooth one,” said Rogalski. “Each has shown tremendous leadership skills and work ethic, and they truly embody the spirit of The University of Scranton and our lacrosse program.”
Bruestle, who has appeared in 47 games over the past three seasons, earned first-team all-Landmark Conference honors last spring after being a key component on a Royal defensive unit that allowed an average of only 8.13 goals per game. He is also tied for 21st place on the Scranton all-time list with 84 ground balls. He is also a two-time member of the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll.
Cefalu is the Royals’ face-off specialist in the midfield area, where he tied an NCAA Division III record for the fastest goal to open a game, taking just six seconds to score a goal in Scranton’s 16-3 victory over Moravian College on April 21 in Bethlehem. A second-team all-Landmark Conference selection in 2009, Cefalu is currently Scranton’s all-time leader in ground balls (301) and in face-off winning percentage (.630, 510 of 809).
Dowiak has played over 2100 minutes in goal for the Royals over the past three seasons. He is currently Scranton’s all-time leader in lowest goals against average (9.13) and is fourth in saves (352) and fifth in saves per game (8.38) and save percentage (.519). He also sports a 22-18 win-loss record in his career.
Milde is another three-year letterman coming off a solid 2010 season. He finished with four goals and three assists for seven total points and scooped up 30 ground balls. He also scored the game-winning goal in Scranton’s win over Moravian College last April. Like Bruestle, he has been recognized for his work in the classroom, earning a spot on the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll in each of the last two seasons.
The Royals will open their 2011 season by hosting DeSales University on Saturday, February 26, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Fitzpatrick Field.
