NCAA Men's Lacrosse Preview: No. 20 Lehigh Not Thinking Repeat

USA Lacrosse Magazine is beginning its countdown to Feb. 1 — the first day of the 2025 men's lacrosse season — by releasing one team preview per day beginning on Monday, Jan. 13.

We start the countdown with No. 20 Lehigh, the 2024 Patriot League champion under first-year head coach Will Scudder, who wasted little time putting last season to bed.

Maybe Will Scudder was always the coach-in-waiting at Lehigh, but Kevin Cassese’s move to Virginia before last spring came as a surprise. So, Scudder’s time came sooner than many expected.

Scudder had already been there for a decade and had effectively run the program with Cassese for the last five years. He was ready.

The administration and players put their faith in him, and he delivered. Lehigh won the Patriot League championship and danced its way into the NCAA tournament.

“It was definitely humbling. It was validating,” Scudder said. “I really appreciated last year’s senior class and I feel like they bought into what our coaching staff was selling. It was, first and foremost, fun. It was challenging, too. We were 4-6 at one point. It’s hard to stay the course and believe.”

Naturally, don’t expect much to change in terms of strategy. Scudder plans to stay the course and maintain belief in the longstanding systems in place.

And you also shouldn’t expect much talk about winning. Every Patriot League game is a matchup nightmare (more on that later). Getting caught up in championship runs is a recipe for disaster.

“We don’t really talk about winning championships,” Scudder said. “I put last year to bed pretty quick. We celebrated that team in early September, and now it’s a new team.”

A new team with significant talent returning. While last year might be categorized by inexperience, this year likely won’t be. Richard Checo is an eraser on defense, Sean Dow is a faceoff ace and Andrew Kelly is a 40-point producer with possibly more in the tank.

It could be a big year in Bethlehem in year two of Scudder’s tenure.

TOP RETURNERS

Andrew Kelly, A, Jr. (27G, 16A)
Sean Dow, FO/M, Sr. (.567 FO%)
Richard Checo, D, Jr. (48CT, 62GB)

“There’s a slew of guys you could pick, but I love those guys,” Scudder said. “With the three of them, they all stepped into new roles last year. What they’re bringing into this season is experience, which is something we didn’t have a ton of last year. Their experience gives our team confidence.”

KEY ADDITIONS

Luke Breslin, A, Fr. (St. Anthony’s, N.Y.)
Noah Ramirez, A/M, Fr. (Culver Academy, Ind.)
Chris Rathwell, M, Fr. (Centre Wellington and The Kiski School, Can.)

Of the trio, expect Breslin to be a big contributor – but all three are expected to have roles early in the 2025 season.

NOTABLE DEPARTURES

Graduations: Scott Cole, A/M; Quinn Armstrong, A/M; Colin Fowler, D; Nick Pecora

X-FACTOR

Dakota Eierman, M, Sr. (18G, 23GB)

Eierman took a big jump in Scudder’s eyes a year ago, and another big jump could be coming soon. Even if his end-of-season stat line looks identical to 2024’s, Eierman fills a pivotal role on the team.

“He’s one of the most dynamic players we have. He just looks like he’s a man on a mission right now,” Scudder said. “Dakota’s a guy who just wears his heart on his sleeve.”

THE NARRATIVE

The Patriot League is usually a safe bet to be a one-bid league when it comes NCAA tournament time. It’s not because of a lack of talent. It’s because the teams usually cannibalize each other in conference play, hurting RPIs and resumes in the process.

“There are nine teams that are extremely competitive, and I almost feel like we eat ourselves,” Scudder said. “You look at Army last year, I think they had the best resume ... but [three losses] were to Patriot League teams and they got left out of the tournament. Any given Saturday, any team could beat another team in the league.”

What makes the gauntlet tougher is the contrasting styles, Scudder said.

“It’s harder for our players,” he said. “Offensively, you’re playing Army and they don’t slide. You play Bucknell the next week, and they’re sliding before your dodge starts.”

That makes it hard to get into any sort of rhythm. It also makes it even more of an accomplishment when you come out the league champion on the other end.