CLOSE SHAVE: Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse player Jacob Shavel races past a foe in a game last season. PDS will depend on senior star Shavel to provide production from the midfield this spring. The Panthers were slated to open their season by hosting Voorhees on March 31 before playing at Germantown Academy (Pa.) on April 2 and at Hun on April 7 as they welcome new head coach Rich D’Andrea. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

After serving as the assistant coach for the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team for the last three years, Rich D’Andrea doesn’t have to make drastic changes as he assumes the reins from Rob Tuckman.

With Tuckman having guided the Panthers to a state Prep B title and a 13-3 record last spring in his swan song after previously announcing in the fall that he was stepping down, the program is in good shape.

“Rob did such a good job of transition, so a lot of the systems are in place, the base packages, clears, and rides,” said D’Andrea, a former star goalie at Peddie and Georgetown who served as the head coach at WW/P-N for a year before coming to PDS.

“He really built the program up. It is a hardworking group and they understand the values of pushing each other and policing each other.”

The Panthers got in a lot of hard work in late March on their annual spring training trip to Hilton Head, S.C.

“The trip worked out well, the boys worked really hard,” said D’Andrea. “They looked good. We played some good teams. It was really nice down in Sea Pines, the best part was probably the off field stuff. I think the dynamic of each team is different.”

PDS features a dynamic attack unit in the trio of senior Chris Azzarello, junior Joey Levine, and freshman Elon Tuckman.

“Chris is returning, he had good numbers last year, he is a good finisher,” said D’Andrea of the Ohio-Wesleyan-bound Azzarello.

“We are expecting him to have a big year. Joey Levine also had a nice year last season. He had been developing nicely in the offseason. He shoots the ball very well, I think he will have a good year. Elon Tuckman had a really, really nice preseason. He was putting the ball into the net, he is our lefty finisher.”

One of the team’s top finishers, Cornell-bound junior Connor Fletcher, figures to spearhead the midfield.

“Fletch is Fletch, he is a monster,” said D’Andrea. “He has worked really, really hard on the finer points of the game. One of the big things this year is that we are looking to stay balanced. Going to one or two guys works for a few games but you end up becoming one-dimensional.”

The midfield should be multi-dimensional with the likes of junior Jonah Tuckman, sophomore Nick Day, sophomore Will Brossman, and senior and RPI-bound Jacob Shavel.

“Jonah Tuckman had a fantastic year last season, he was a utility player, doing face-offs, man-down, man-up,” said D’Andrea.

“Nick Day, a sophomore who came over from WW/P-N, is a face-off specialist so Jonah won’t have to do that. Jonah is the type of kid who will do anything for the team you ask of him. He is a coach’s son and a student of the game. Will Brossman scored three goals against Rutgers Prep in Prep B title game; he had a great offseason. Jacob gives us a good wrinkle there in the midfield. He has been an attacker the last three years, we have him at midfield in terms of adding some depth where we need it.”

There is depth on the Panther defense as that unit features seniors Christian Vik and Kevin Towle along with juniors Amir Melvin and James Fragale and sophomore Coby Gibson.

“Vik and Towle are both big and physical, they communicate really well,” said D’Andrea of Vik, who is headed to Swarthmore, and the Kenyon-bound Towle.

“They can be calming to a defense. They are strong and good at clearing, they get the ball up and down the field. Amir Melvin is a  big, rangy athletic guy and has a good stick. He could see some time at longstick midfielder. James Fragale is another defender with a good stick. Coby Gibson had a great preseason.”

D’Andrea is hoping the senior goalie and Muhlenberg College recruit Chris Markey will have a great season as he moves into the starting role after the graduation of Culver Duquette.

“Chris is really technical in everything he does, watches a lot of tape, working on positioning, hand placement, and stepping into the ball,” said D’Andrea, who will be using freshman Eugene Yoon as his backup goalie.

“As a leader he is stepping up, really directing the defense really well in Hilton Head.”

With a tough schedule that now includes some Pennsylvania prep powers along with games against formidable foes such as Hun, Peddie, and Hopewell Valley, PDS will need to step up collectively on a daily basis.

“They need to be ready to compete hard day in, day out,” said D’Andrea, whose squad was slated to open the season by hosting Voorhees on March 31 before playing at Germantown Academy (Pa.) on April 2 and at Hun on April 7.

“I think our balance on offense is a strength; we have six, seven, or eight guys who are comfortable finishing. The defense plays well as a group, working together inside, not as individuals.”

In D’Andrea’s view, the team’s biggest strength could well be the diligence the group has displayed all year long.

“It is the hardest working group of guys I have been around,” said D’Andrea, noting that all five seniors on the team are committed to play lacrosse for college programs.

“They were on the field a lot shooting in the offseason and they got together in the weight room two days a week.”