Middle men: JoJo Marasco will lead SU's first midfield line, but these 6 will be in the mix as well

Bobby Eilers

Senior, Simsbury, Conn.

Bobby Eilers ascended to the top of the ranks in Syracuse's midfield in no time.

The former second-liner was selected in the 2012 Major League Lacrosse Draft and was named team captain to start the season.

His breakout moment came in last season's New England Lacrosse Classic, when Eilers notched his first career hat trick in a 13-3 win over Providence. And entering this season, Eilers has emerged from the thick of the midfield competition to serve as the team's anchor in the position this season. He will likely play on the starting midfield line with Hakeem Lecky and JoJo Marasco.

But Eilers was not willing to admit he had even secured a spot in head coach John Desko's starting lineup.

"There's a fresh slate for every midfielder coming in here," Eilers said. "Every midfielder has a chance to start, so we really got after it in the fall, and we're still getting after it everyday because no spot is secured yet."

Eilers leadership abilities make him a prime candidate to lead the first line as Syracuse enters the season. He registered eight goals on the second midfield line a year ago and is helping develop some of the young midfield talent as well.

"We have some very intricate plays here at Syracuse, but coach Desko teaches them well," Eilers said, "and sometimes the younger kids need to be refreshed and instead of going to the coaches they can come to us. ... They're never scared to ask, and we like when they ask because then we're getting the plays right and everyone is on the same page."

Hakeem Lecky

Redshirt freshman, Nantucket, Mass.

Hakeem Lecky is ready to go. After spending a year at prep school and redshirting last season due to a wrist injury, Lecky will finally get a chance to take the field for Syracuse this season.

"I'm even more hungrier than I was last year because of the injury," Lecky said. "I'm excited to be back, just trying to work even harder than I did last year around this time that I got injured."

The redshirt freshman was rated the No. 30 overall prospect by Inside Lacrosse coming out of Duxbury (Mass.) High School in 2009. He then spent a year at Avon (Conn.) Old Farms School before finally landing at Syracuse last season, when his college career was delayed another year.

Now, Lecky heads into the 2012 season as a part of SU's first midfield line after the Orange lost its entire starting midfield line from a year ago. SU head coach John Desko said he planned to build the second midfield line around Lecky and to give him some time with the first line before he got hurt.

JoJo Marasco, who will play alongside Lecky on the first line, said Lecky is an explosive player who has worked hard to adapt his game coming off the injury, putting himself in position to become one of SU's top playmakers this season.

"He's changed his game in the past couple years and really shows he's a top middie in the country," Marasco said. "And he's just a great player."

Steve Ianzito

Redshirt junior, Clay, N.Y.

Steve Ianzito could finally relax out on the field. After notching his first career goal last year against Virginia, the midfielder started looking to make plays rather than avoiding mistakes.

Ianzito spent the first two games of the season trying not to lose his spot on the second midfield line. But when he got on the board against the Cavaliers, he realized he needed to stay aggressive to stay on the field.

"Every game after that, I either had a point or was making big plays," Ianzito said. "So after I got that first goal, I definitely got a lot more confidence and built more confidence out there."

Ianzito emerged as a key contributor on SU's second line in 2011, recording a point in six of the Orange's final 10 games. He played in all 17 games and finished the season with eight points on five goals and three assists. With that experience under his belt, the junior enters this season with confidence anchoring the second midfield line.

With the loss of the entire first unit from last season, Ianzito and his teammates will play a crucial role to give the offense a boost when called upon.

After last season, Ianzito knows what to expect. And after establishing himself as a playmaker on that second line, Ianzito said he plans to keep the same attacking mentality to make something happen when he's out on the field.

Scott Loy

Sophomore, Toledo, Ohio

Scott Loy earned playing time as the 2011 season progressed, and he impressed his coaches along the way. Now, with a year under his belt, Loy is going to be expected to put that experience to good use as a member of the second midfield line.