Then and Now: Remembering the 1991 Men's Lacrosse Team

Before Warrior field was turf and home of the men’s lacrosse team, the Volpe grass was called home. The helmets were a little bigger and the shorts much shorter than they are now. There are many differences between the 1991 Merrimack College men’s lacrosse team and the 2009 Warriors, but many more similarities.

The 1991 team had a strong offense with attackmen like Kevin Kissel and Doug Fernandez. Last year’s squad had All-American Greg Rogowski and Bryan MacPhie. They both had strong midfields: 91 had Len Galvin, Ed DeBruyn and Pete Davis. Last year’s group had the likes of Mark Webber, Michael Balbuena and Jo Pisano. The key for both teams also was a strong defense with a tough goaltender. The 91 team had aggressive defenders featuring Scott Ettenhoffer, John Cassedy, Ron Pollina, and Ed Santa and were anchored by an excellent goalie in Bill Bredin. A strong suit of last year’s team was also the defense that included Shane Mahar, Pete Schielke, Michael Miano, Tim Roy and All American goalie Cory Spinale.

The 2009 Merrimack College men’s lacrosse team reached new heights with a 14-3 record and the first NCAA Final Four appearance in school history, but they give a lot of the credit to the 1991 team for putting Merrimack College lacrosse on the map and helping pave the way for the future success of the program.

The 1991 squad went 13-1 with big wins over New England College, Plymouth State and then Division II Holy Cross in Florida. They were led by Coach Paul Murphy, who holds the school record for the best winning percentage in a single season at .928. The graduating class of 1991 took the program from a sub .500 program as freshmen to new heights over the course of their four years. Many of the 1991 team credits a few players like Mike Lonergan, Ned Savoie, Jacko Magadini, Joe Schneider, Glenn “Duke” Zeug, Jim Pinho, Kevin Tinsley and many of the early 1980's teams for really helping lay the groundwork for the program previous to their season

The two programs separated by 18 years have great respect for what both had accomplished in remarkable seasons.

“Our team has a ton of respect for the teams that came before us here. I make sure as a former player that the current teams understand what helped get our program to this point,” said current coach Mike Morgan.

The two teams both credit being very close off the field which usually leads to great chemistry on the field. Expect the teams to get closer and closer with the current group poised to make another National Championship run, and the team,who two decades ago helped put the program on the map, to be in the stands cheering them on in 2010.


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