DENVER - With the 2011-12 athletic and academic year at an end, the University of Denver men's lacrosse team will say goodbye to eight seniors.
This particular group of seniors has had to withstand a lot of changes throughout their careers, the biggest transition being when Head coach Bill Tierney first came to work at DU in at the start of their sophomore year.
"When I came they had to redo everything that they had done as freshmen and it was totally different," Tierney said. "They started out as a pretty good sized class but some guys quit. I'm thankful that these guys hung with me through that process."
After the cuts, only Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada), Alex Demopoulos (Canton, Conn.), Patrick Rogers (Portland, Ore.), Steven Wylie (Denver, Colo.), and Liam Resch (Erdenheim, Penn.) remained of the original 2012 class. With Henry Miketa (Fort Collins, Colo.), Cal Kennedy (Concord, Mass) and Troy Orzech (Franktown, Colo.) transferring in from around the nation, Tierney finally had a senior class that would stick with him through thick and thin and drive the team to successes through the next three years.
The 2012 DU class of seniors was one of the first to get the chance to be mentored by Tierney through most of their college lacrosse experience; a mentorship that they have responded to very well.
"Most importantly, I think they bought into the messages that we were sending about academics, behavior, appearance, hard work and success," Tierney said. "When you're in this profession you look for that maturity and I've seen that in all these guys, not only individually but as a group as well."
Each of the 2012 seniors have had long and productive careers at DU, but before they go let's take a look at how far they've come.
ATTACKMEN:
Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada)
Holding the all-time mark in school history with 216 career points and 155 goals scored, this Canadian native has become something of a legend at DU. Matthews virtually grew up with a lacrosse stick in his hand. He has been playing for the Whitby Warriors, a junior-A lacrosse club team in Whitby, Ontario, Canada throughout his childhood and even into his college career.
From the start Matthews has been a one of DU's most valuable players. Nicknamed the "Big Boy" in Inside Lacrosse's October issue feature, Matthews is known not only for his towering 6-foot-4-inches but his presence on the field. Notorious for scoring the most spectacularly impossible goals, Matthews has continued to climb the ranks and grab the spotlight through his entire career and even helped his Canadian club teams win the Minto Cup two consecutive summers.
Matthews leaves DU as the all-time leader in career points (216) and goals scored (155), having seen action in 65 games. He finished ranked second nationally among all active Division I players in career goals and fourth in career points, while also registering 30 career hat tricks. He scored 21 man-up goals, collected 96 ground balls and forced 19 caused turnovers. He also finished with the fifth longest point-scoring streak in the nation, having registered a point in 45-straight games.
"He's had some of the craziest goals I've ever seen," Tierney said. "He's a very dynamic and inventive player. We are going to miss that."
Since his arrival at DU, Matthews steadily continued to impress the lacrosse world earning six Player of the Week honors over the course of his four seasons. Matthews was also named a two-time USILA Second Team All-American, a three-time ECAC First Team selection and an ECAC Player of the Year. He was also honored as a Preseason ECAC Player of the Year, a three-time Preseason ECAC First Team selection, a two-time Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American as well as an Honorable Mention selection.
Matthews was drafted in the first round of the Major League Lacrosse Draft by the Denver Outlaws and Tierney has no doubts he will be successful. Outside of lacrosse, Matthews dreams of working with special needs children; a career choice that may be surprising to some of Matthews' fans, but not to his couch.
"He's a big softy with a big heart and I love him to death," Tierney said. "When his lacrosse career is over I really hope he does pursue that dream because I think he will be good at it."
Alex Demopoulos (Canton, Conn.)
Demopoulos is another record holder for this group of seniors and holds the all-time mark in school history with 82 career assists. He ranks third all-time in Denver history in career points (176) and sixth in goals scored. Demopoulos ranks tied for sixth nationally among active career leaders in assists and 18th among active career leaders in assists per game (1.26).
Having played lacrosse all throughout his high school career in Connecticut, Demopoulos came to DU ready to make an impression. What had been most remarkable about Demopoulos' career had been the various roles he had taken on for the team. Demopoulos had the flexibility as a player to be able to detect what areas of the offense need filled and to take on that role to get the job done.
"He's been really good at being kind of the quarterback of the team with coach Brown's offense," Tierney said. "He's done a great job. I'm proud of Alex for being able to be as resourceful as he's been."
In his sophomore year, Demopoulos really put on a show. He led the team in points (60) and assists (24), while finishing second in goals scored, earning him First Team All-ECAC honors. He continued to improve in his junior year, earning ECAC Second Team honors to go along with two ECAC Player of the Week nods. For the second season, he attackman led the team in assists (28), while finishing second in points (58) and third in goals (30).
In his last year at DU Demopoulos, did not disappoint as he finished 22nd in the nation in assists per game (1.69), ranked first on the team in assists (27) and second in points (47). Demopoulos was drafted by the MLL's expansion franchise Ohio Machine and will finish his academic career at DU with a major in Psychology.
MIDFIELDERS:
Henry Miketa (Fort Collins, Colo.)
A local standout from Fort Collins, Miketa joined the Pioneers for his sophomore seasons after transferring from Bellarmine University. Playing primarily at attack prior to his arrival, Miketa was asked to switch to the defensive midfield position to give the Pioneers' some much-needed depth.
In his final season with the Pioneers, Miketa appeared in all 16 games, grabbing 20 ground balls and adding 11 caused turnovers, while also scoring two goals and two assists.
"I think he had a great senior year," Tierney said. "He covered a lot of great people and had some amazing plays for us. He became a guy that we could really count on."
All said and done, Miketa appeared in 34 games during his three-year career here at DU. He tallied six points on four goals and two assist, while also tallying 25 ground balls and forcing 10 turnovers. Perhaps more important than his role in the games was the part he played as a role model for the rest of his team.
"Henry should go out at the end of the year feeling satisfied with what he's done here," Tierney said. "He was a guy that worked hard at his athleticism, and was an inspiration to our young guys as far as being a good athlete and working hard."
Miketa's incredible work ethic was not only apparent on the field, but also in every part of his life. He will graduate this year with a degree in International Studies.
Patrick Rogers (Portland, Ore.)
Joining the Pioneers as a walk-on, Rogers has more than proven his worth as a valuable member of the team throughout his four-year career at DU. Over all, Rogers has appeared in 51 games, tallied 31 goals and 11 assists, while also registering 54 ground balls.
After a solid freshman campaign, Rogers showed marked improvement during his sophomore season as he scored 20 goals, including three game-winners. He also finished with five assists and a 45.3 face-off percentage, winning 24-of-53.
Despite suffering a season-ending foot injury toward the start of junior campaign, Rogers was recognized for his academic success with the NCAA's Elite 88 Award for excellence in competition and academics during a pre-game ceremony at the 2011 Final Four.
In his final season with the Pioneers, Rogers made the switch to full-field midfielder, filling a much needed void, and did not disappoint. He finished third on the team in groundballs (33), while tallying three goals and five assists.
"Patrick really helped us by being a full-field midfielder," Tierney said. "He played both offense and defense for us, which is really rare, but a real bonus to have. I'm proud of Patrick. He gave everything he had and was completely unselfish. For a walk-on to have the career he's had, I give him a lot of credit."
Rogers will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance.
DEFENDERS:
Cal Kennedy (Concord, Mass)
A Massachusetts native, Kennedy came to DU in search of new frontiers as a transfer student from the University of Vermont. Having played lacrosse along with hockey and football throughout his high school career, Kennedy was excited to participate in the lacrosse program at DU.
"Cal is a guy who came to Denver happy to be here and happy to be on the team," Tierney said. "He's a good kid."
Throughout his three-year career at DU, Kennedy saw action in 23 games, collected three groundballs and forced two caused turnovers. He graduates with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
Liam Resch (Erdenheim, Penn.)
Coming from a coaching family, Resch was a welcome addition to the team when he came to Denver from Pennsylvania in 2008. His freshman year Resch appeared in nine games with two starts. He recorded four ground balls and one caused turnover. Between his sophomore, junior and senior years he played in 18 games, finished with five ground balls and one caused turnover.
"He's a great kid and works very hard," Tierney said. "He's the guy that came every day to practice ready to work and did a lot for the team."
Resch will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
Steven Wylie (Denver, Colo.)
This Denver native chose the University of Denver so he could stay in Colorado and play Division I lacrosse in his hometown. He was also looking forward to attending an academically challenging university. Wylie is a University of Denver Chancellor Scholar. Though previously a business major, Wylie recently switched his major to engineering which required him to take an extra year of school. Even so, coach Tierney believes it was a good decision.
"I'm really happy that Steven made a good academic choice this year," Tierney said. "I'm glad that he's been here at DU and has been with the team."
Over the course of his career, Wylie has played in 21 games. His sophomore year he started once and finished the season with one ground ball and caused two turnovers. His senior year Wylie collected four groundballs and tallied three caused turnovers.
Wylie will be back at the University of Denver next fall to finish up his final year of schooling to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in engineering.
GOALIE:
Troy Orzech (Franktown, Colo.)
As senior captain, Orzech had a tough role to fill this year. It would have been natural to lead the team had he been starting goalie, but as a backup goalkeeper it made his job more difficult, even so, Orzech took on the role very well according to Tierney.
"Troy, more than anybody else in his class, really grew up and took the team's successes and losses very seriously," Tierney said. "He became a good leader by the end of the year. He's been a huge help to the team."
Orzech transferred to DU his sophomore year from Manhattan College where he made Dean's list and was named MAAC Rookie of the week. Over the course of his career at DU he appeared in 13 games and logged 116:37 minutes, tallying 15 saves for a .500 save percentage. Even as a backup goalie, Orzech's role in the team was vital, especially when it came to training the new recruits.
"Even though some of the younger guys were in front of him, he still mentored them in a great way," Tierney said. "He was a guy who put the team first. I'm very proud of Troy, I really am."
Orzech will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Real Estate and Construction Management. Tierney expects great things from this goalkeeper because of the incredible role he played here at DU.
"Those role-playing jobs are tough when you're going through them," Tierney said. "However, they pay great dividends in the future. Troy will be successful in whatever he does because he is such a good leader."
Though it will be sorry to see them go, each of these seniors has had remarkable careers here at DU and all have bright futures ahead of them.
"All these guys will be successful," Tierney said. "I hope that they will leave DU and the team feeling that their time and experience here was worth it."
