Brandon Benn, A, Johns Hopkins
Two years ago, Benn had a typical slow freshman season, putting up only five goals and one assist. But last season he exploded onto the scene, scoring 30 goals to go with seven assists and a .455 shooting percentage. He led the Blue Jays in goals as a sophomore. He didn’t make a Preseason All-American team, but he should wind up on one at the end of the season.
Chris LaPierre, M, Virginia
After Baum, LaPierre might have been the most saught after prospect in the 2013 MLL Collegiate Draft (evident in his No. 2 overall selection). He doesn’t put a lot of points on the board, but he is an athletic midfielder with a lot of toughness to him. He picked up a team-best 63 ground balls last season and is the epitome of the two-way midfielder, which is making a comeback into the game. With a shot clock procedure coming into the college game this year, LaPierre’s ability to push the ball up the field should make for a lot of fun to watch.
Mike Sawyer, A, Loyola
He’s on the defending National Champions. He was also one of only three players to score 50 or more goals last season. He’s got a powerful shot with a lot of range on it. He may miss Eric Lusby, his scoring partner from last season, but Sawyer has the tools and Loyola still has enough talent surrounding him for him to put up another big goal total.
Jeff Lowman, G, St. John’s
John Kemp is the First-Team All-American and Pierce Bassett is the big man (literally) on campus, but Lowman should be one to watch this season. As a junior, Lowman helped propel St. John’s to its best season in school history. They reached their first Big East championship game and they had the most wins in school history. Lowman was fourth in the NCAA last season with 11.67 saves per game is fourth in school history in saves made, needing 176 saves (one more than he had last season) to be No. 1 on the list.