2018 Men’s Lacrosse Year in Review: #68 Dartmouth Big Green

With the 2018 college lacrosse season complete, it’s time to start looking back at how all 71 teams did during the season, as well as what to expect from each squad for 2019.

We already started looking ahead to 2019 with a few of our team recaps, kicking things off with Hampton, NJIT, and VMI, as well as a check in with St. Bonaventure and Utah.

So with that, let’s continue the recaps!

#68 Dartmouth Big Green

Conference: Ivy League
2018 Record: 2-11 (0-6 in Ivy League play)
Head coach: Brendan Callahan (4th Year)

Statistical Leaders

Goals: Ben Martin (26)
Assists: George Prince (18)
Points: George Prince (34)
Faceoffs: Kiernan Gunn (88-of-203; 43.3%)
Ground balls: Kiernan Gunn (42)
Caused turnovers: Austin Meacham (14)
Goals against average: Alex Burnley (15.48 GAA)
Save percentage: Alex Burnley (39.2%)

Personnel Losses

Key seniors departing: A Jack Korzelius (20 Gs, 3 As, 17 GBs), A Richie Loftus (13 Gs, 7 As, 13 GBs)
Senior scoring departing: 46 of 167 points (27.5%)
Senior starts lost: 26 of 130 (20%)

Season Summary

Despite some promise earlier in the season, the Big Green won two games for the second straight season and failed to win an Ivy League game for the third consecutive year.

They started the season with an surprise win over eventual MAAC champion Canisius before losing to Boston University and Sacred Heart. They did rebound shortly after with another one-goal win, this time against Wagner. But after that, they lost their final 11 games. Two of them came in double overtime against UMass Lowell and Penn. They also had a tough loss against Virginia, where sophomore goalie George Christopher made 10 saves in the first half to keep the Big Green in it.

Their offense was led by two seniors. At attack, Richie Loftus contributed with 13 goals and seven assists in his final year in New Hampshire. But the bulk of the offense came from sophomore Ben Martin and freshman George Prince. Martin led the team with 26 goals and second on the team with 33 points, while Prince led the way with 18 assists and 34 points. With Loftus leaving next season, the duo will be good for the future of the Big Green attack.

Up top, Jack Korzelius recorded 20 goals and three assists in his final year before being drafted by the Atlanta Blaze in the MLL Draft. Junior David Gallagher and freshman Matt Paul were both starting midfielders as well, despite being listed as attackmen.

The starting defense of Austin Meacham, Kellen Paradine, and Kyle Clampitt will all return next season, as well as both goalies who played the majority of the season. Christopher played in six games, starting five of them, with a 51.3% save percentage. In his last four starts, he made over 10 saves. He also scored a goal. However, freshman Alex Burnley started the second half of the season, but recorded 39.2% save percentage. It’s not known if Christopher suffered an injury or Callahan wanted to make a change with Burnley.

Looking Ahead

Loftus and Korzelius will be tough losses for Dartmouth, but having Martin and Prince at attack will help ease the pain of both of those losses. The starting defense has another year to work as a group, while the goaltending battle remains a concern.

Christopher is the better of the two netminders, but does Callahan prefer Burnley over Christopher? Will we see any improvement from the freshman come the fall and spring?

Similar to VMI, the Big Green have to get a conference victory. They’ve come close and have been at the bottom of the Ivy League for quite some time. It feels like the NCAA Tournament appearing Big Green, led by Rick Sowell, was a century ago.

Here’s who the Big Green will be adding to their roster for next year.*

*Compiled from a multitude of websites. Schools usually officially announce their recruiting class during the fall semester.