2011-12 Centre men's lacrosse season preview

The Centre College men's lacrosse team looks to improve upon the 3-10 record it posted in its inaugural season of 2010-11.

The 2010-11 Colonels began their first ever lacrosse season with an 18-1 win over Hanover, but then began to face the struggles that typically present themselves to a first year program, losing their next eight contests. Centre rallied in early April to win back to back road games at Oglethorpe and Millsaps before losing their final three games of the year to finish 3-10.

Despite the setbacks and the roster almost entirely made up of underclassmen, the Colonels were able to show some promise for the future, as they ranked second in the SCAC in penalty killing and third in fewest turnovers per game.

Individually, sophomore attacker Zack Connors (Louisville, Ky.) scored 33 goals on the year and ranked second in the SCAC in goals per game and fifth in points per game. Sophomore attacker Connor Stubbs racked up 26 goals and 11 assists and ranked tenth in the conference in points per game. Junior midfielder Scott Hughes (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and sophomore midfielder Patrick Vaughn (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) ranked sixth and tenth in the league in faceoff percentage. Sophomore goalkeeper Clayton Brown (Louisville, Ky.) ranked third in the SCAC in saves per game at 13.15.

In addition to the returning players, the Colonels have also brought in a deep and talented class of newcomers, including a pair of transfers. Sophomore attacker Peter Murphy (Louisville, Ky.) arrives at Centre from Providence College and is expected to give the Colonels an additional scoring boost. Sophomore Prescott Wing (Foxboro, Mass.) comes to Centre from Hobart College in New York and should bolster the Colonels' defensive prowess.

The 2011-12 men's lacrosse season begins on February 26 as Centre hosts Alma. The SCAC schedule is adding two more teams as Rhodes and Dallas are beginning their lacrosse programs this season.