Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/6/11
From Press Release
The Lehigh men’s lacrosse team has been recognized by Inside Lacrosse in its annual Face-Off Yearbook, as the Mountain Hawks were ranked fourth in the Patriot League and 28th in the national preseason poll. In addition, junior faceoff man Ryan Snyder was named a preseason All-American while Snyder, junior Dante Fantoni and senior Cameron Lao-Gosney cracked the preseason All-Patriot League Team.
Lehigh comes in at 28th in the nation, ahead of perennial national programs such as Stony Brook (29), Albany (30), Navy (31), Towson (36) and Brown (42). The Mountain Hawks were predicted fourth in the Patriot League by the coaches, behind Bucknell, Navy and Army and ahead of Navy, Lafayette and Holy Cross.
As noted in Lehigh’s team breakdown page in the publication: “Though Lehigh made the Patriot League Tournament for the first time in five seasons, coach Kevin Cassese felt 2011’s 7-9 finish was still a disappointing end. With most of his starters returning, Cassese hopes this season the Mountain Hawks can win the conference and reach their first ever NCAA Tournament.”
Snyder leads the way among returnees as an honorable mention preseason All-American. He won 173-of-281 faceoffs last season (61.6 percent), including 17-of-21 vs. Saint Joseph’s, 16-of-21 against Villanova, 18-of-27 vs. Navy and 18-of-20 against Binghamton. Snyder also scored three goals and added an assist.
Fantoni led the Mountain Hawks in goals in each of the past two seasons, posting 33 goals and 47 points a year ago to earn Second Team All-Patriot League honors. That included a career-high six points (five goals, one assist) in the season opener vs. Saint Joseph’s along with five other four-point games. He enters the 2012 season riding a 29-game point streak.
Lao-Gosney finished third on the team in points last season with 35 (24 goals, 11 assists). Cameron has played midfield and attack in his career, enjoying success at both positions. He enters the season just 11 points away from 100 for his career, as he also recorded 30 (22 goals, eight assists) in 2010.
The Mountain Hawks kick off their 2012 campaign at Saint Joseph’s on Feb. 11. Lehigh opens its home slate the following Saturday against local rival and #10/11 Villanova. The Mountain Hawks also host preseason top-20 squads Yale (13/18) and Bucknell (15/10) on Mar. 11 and Apr. 14, respectively.
Follow Lehigh men’s lacrosse on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lehighmenslacrosse and Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lehighlacrosse
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