Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/30/17
From Press Release
New University of Delaware men’s lacrosse head coach Ben DeLuca has turned to a pair of exceptional coaches with familiar backgrounds to fill his coaching staff.
DeLuca, who was selected as Delaware’s ninth men’s lacrosse head coach last month, announced Friday that Georgetown assistant Matt Rewkowski and former Blue Hen standout goalkeeper and assistant coach Noah Fossner have joined the staff.
Both new coaches have significant ties to DeLuca and to Delaware. Rewkowski spent the last five seasons assisting at Georgetown where he served under former UD assistant coach Kevin Warne following a two-year tenure on DeLuca’s staff as associate head coach at Cornell. Fossner was a standout goalkeeper for the Blue Hens in 2008-11, earned his degree in 2011, was goalkeepers coach at Delaware for two seasons, and served on the staff with DeLuca at Harvard this past spring.
“I am excited to welcome these two men to the Blue Hen Lacrosse program,” said DeLuca, who joined the Blue Hens after serving stints as head coach at Cornell and as an assistant at Harvard, Duke, and Cornell. “Matt has extensive experience and success playing and coaching lacrosse at the highest levels. He is a gifted teacher with a strong work ethic and knows what it takes for our program to be successful on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. Most importantly to me, I believe Matt is a man of high character and outstanding values.
“Noah is a Blue Hen through and through, a loyal alumnus, ,and arguably one of the finest leaders to come through the Delaware lacrosse program,” DeLuca added. “He is a rising star in our profession and has great experience at multiple Division I programs. Noah is a passionate educator driven by integrity, strong morals, outstanding character.”
A native of Niskayuna, N.Y., Fossner will serve as Delaware’s defensive coordinator and will work with the Blue Hen goalkeepers. One of the top netminders in Delaware history, Fossner was a three-year starter for retired head coach Bob Shillinglaw and was the only three-time captain in school history.
One of the most inspirational players in Shillinglaw’s tenure, he led the Hens to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2012, earned All-Colonial Athletic Association honors, was a team Most Valuable Player, earned CAA All-Tournament honors twice, and was named Most Valuable Player of the USILA North-South Senior All-Star game in 2011. He ended his UD career ranked in the top six all-time in saves (552), minutes played (3,003), and goals against average (9.65).
After earning his degree in health and physical education from Delaware in 2011, he served as a volunteer assistant at Rutgers in 2012-13, returned to serve as defensive coordinator and goalkeepers coach at his alma mater in 2014-15, was an assistant at Boston University for one season in 2016, and served as Harvard’s lacrosse operations coordinator this past spring. Fossner and his wife, Allison, will reside in the Newark area.
Rewkowski, who will serve as a offensive coordinator, is a 12-year veteran of the coaching ranks following an outstanding playing career at Johns Hopkins and Duke and a pro career with the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse. He was a senior co-captain for the Johns Hopkins team that captured the 2005 NCAA title and earned his degree there that same spring.
A native of Bethpage, N.Y., he began his coaching career at the University of Denver in 2006 before moving on to Delaware’s CAA rival Hofstra where he served four seasons (2007-10) and led the Pride to 36 victories, two CAA titles, and three NCAA Tournament berths. He coached eight All-Americans and 27 All-CAA selections during his tenure and the 2010 team ranked No. 5 nationally in scoring (12.93 gpg).
Rewkowski moved on to Cornell and served for two seasons as DeLuca’s associate head coach in 2011-12. He helped lead the Big Red to an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal berth in 2011 when the team won the Ivy League title, went 14-3 overall, and ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring at 12.7 goals per game. That squad was bolstered by USILA national Player of the Year Rob Pannell. Despite the loss of Pannell, the 2012 team still flourished on offense and ranked No. 9 in the nation in scoring (12.0 gpa).
He continued his success at Georgetown where he served the previous five seasons until this past spring. While with the Hoyas, he led consistently high-scoring offensive units that averaged over 10 goals per game twice and helped lead the Hoyas to the Big East Tournament Championship game in 2015. He coached numerous All-Big East selections and mentored 2015 All-American Craig Berge. Rewkowski showed his versatility by moving over to the defensive coordinator position this past spring. He led a unit that allowed nine or fewer goals five times on the season.
Rewkowski and his wife, Julie, are parents to son, Ryan, and daughter, Anna.