Editor’s note: This is one of many articles Phillylacrosse.com is re-posting as it restores content as a result of its redesign this spring
By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/10/09
Re-posted 6/26/10
Garnet Valley rising senior attackman Eric Warden has given a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse at Fairfield University.
Warden was a first-team All-Central League and Honorable Mention All-Phillylacrosse.com pick in 2009 when he helped the Jaguars reach the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs. He collected 33 goals for a team that went 8-3 in the Central League (tied for fourth) and 14-9 overall.
Warden plans to study business at Fairfield.
“Fairfield seemed like the right place for me,” he said of the Connecticut campus. “It has a great atmosphere, the coaches were great and I really liked the players.
“It is a very well-known school for academics and its business. I look forward to maybe 
studying business management.”
At Fairfield, Warden will join fellow Philly rising senior Harrison Lawrence (midfield) of Radnor.
“The school is a half-mile from the beach,” said Warden, an Honors student who also served as Vice President of his junior class. “It’s only 45 minutes from New York City.”
Fairfield, under first-year coach Andrew Copelan, went 7-6 in 2009 and had key victories over Delaware and Penn State. “The program is headed in the right direction,” Warden said.
Warden enjoyed a strong summer this year with the Duke’s Lacrosse Club, helping the team win its fourth straight Champ Camp crown.
“Playing on a summer team is probably best thing I could have done,” he said. “You get experience in situations you might not see in the regular season and you get to play with guys that might be better. I actually started to notice that I see so much more of the game; that’s what happens when you get to the next level.”
Warden also had a positive experience at Garnet Valley. The Jags started 5-6 under first-year coach Frank Urso, but then won eight straight games and edged Abington, 11-10, in a thrilling seventh-place consolation game to advance to the state tourney.
“At the start of the year we were switching up the offenses and changing defenses and we came out a little slow trying to adapt to new things,” Warden said. “At the end of year we were clicking.
“It all came together by the playoffs, just I think the turning point was when beat Springfield-Delco (9-6 on April 30). It was one of our biggest wins
“Next year we have some filling in to do for spots on defense, but on offense we return our whole attack and bunch of middies. We have some freshmen and sophomores that played JV or a little varsity and are looking pretty good in the summer, and hopefully they’ll fill in and step up to the job.”
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