WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Eastern Connecticut State University junior faceoff specialist Eric Vasil (Southington, Conn.) has been named to the 2010 Face-Off Yearbook preseason Division III All-America honorable mention men’s lacrosse team.

The 5-foot-9 inch, 185-pounder was one of eight faceoff specialists named to the 90-man preseason All-America team. He was one of three faceoff specialists from New England institutions and the only pre-season All-America selection at any position from a Little East Conference institution.

As a team, Eastern was tabbed by Face-off Yearbook as the pre-season favorite to defend its 2009 Little East Conference regular season and playoff titles. All three of Eastern’s returning all-conference performers -- Vasil, senior midfielder Maxim Fantl (West Hartford, Conn.) and sophomore long-stick midfielder Tommy Flynn (Mineola, N.Y.) were among Face-Off Yearbook’s 12-player Little East Conference preseason all-conference team.

Last year, Vasil set program season records for faceoff wins (264), faceoff percentage (.714) faceoff attempts (370) and ground balls (221). His faceoff percentage and ground ball total led Division III, giving Eastern two national statistical champions in four categories in the last three years (in 2007, Dave Carpenter topped Division III in points per match and assists per match).

Denison University senior Connor Detjen was named first-team pre-season All-America, Salisbury University senior Ryan Finch second team and Roanoke College junior Greg Khanzadian third team. Detjen ranked tenth nationally last year in faceoff percentage (.653) for No. 14 nationally-ranked Denison; Finch was ranked eighth (.661) for No. 2 Salisbury and Khanzadian sixth (.677) for No. 3 Roanoke. In a 15-7 loss to Salisbury last year, Vasil won 11 of 21 faceoffs against Finch and in an 8-4 setback to Wesleyan University in the NCAA tournament, Vasil took nine of 14 against senior Matt Ward, who joined Vasil as one of five faceoff specialists on the pre-season honorable mention team.

Vasil opened last season winning 14 of 15 faceoffs against Babson College and later recorded games of 21-for-25 against Wheaton, 16-for-16 and 17-for-19 against Plymouth State, and 19-for-22 in leading the Warriors to their first-ever NCAA tournament win – a 10-9 overtime decision over the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He scooped up a career-high 17 ground balls against Merchant Marine and also against Western Connecticut.

Two seasons into his career, Vasil ranks first all-time at Eastern in ground balls (293), second in faceoff wins (385) and winning percentage (.650) and third in attempts (592).

Under third-year head coach Justin Axel (25-11/.694), the Warriors return 18 letterwinners – seven of last year’s nine double-digit scorers -- from last year’s 15-4 team which won nine straight matches prior to their season-ending NCAA loss and equaled the program record for victories in a season. Eastern posted its 11th perfect conference regular season in 14 years last season and went on to its ninth conference playoff title and nine post-season appearance (sixth NCAA).

Additional key returnees beyond Vasil, Fantl and Flynn are senior defenseman Douglas Hackenyos (West Suffield, Conn.), junior attackmen Brendan Hoppey (Shoreham, N.Y.) and Brian Fechtmann (Levittown, N.Y.), and senior midfielder Zach Malouf (Norwich, Conn.).

Eastern opens its 15th intercollegiate season March 3 at 2009 ECAC Metro/South Tournament champion Stevens Tech.




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