Tigers’ Vetter has earned stripes, now wants ring

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Towson senior Brian Vetter can easily see the framed newspaper clipping in his living room in his Anne Arundel County home when he closes his eyes.

The clipping is a picture of Vetter and his brother, Matt, jumping in the air to celebrate winning the Maryland 3A-2A state title in 2003 as part of the Annapolis High lacrosse team. The following year, Brian took his state championship ring about 40 miles north to Towson in an attempt to win a national title. Two years later, Matt followed in his brother’s footsteps.

This spring, the pair want to hang another championship picture on the wall.

“I feel like the university is helping us with a new strength coach and our coaches are really smart and push us and don’t care who you are, what you are, what you’ve done,” Brian said. “I’m really impressed with the way everything is going.”

But the brothers’ dream season nearly derailed before it began.

Any contribution from Matt, a defender, will likely be made wearing street clothes on the sideline. Several weeks ago he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot, which will likely force him to miss the entire season. Brian, a 6-foot-2, 190 pound midfielder who finished with 15 goals and 10 assists last season, underwent pelvic surgery in December for undisclosed reasons, but has returned to practice.

And that’s good news for the No. 13 Tigers, who graduated 35 percent of their offense from last year.

“That’s the understatement of the year,” Towson coach Tony Seaman said of the importance of Brian’s healthy return. “He can go against the long stick or the short stick, and he can score and set other people up.”

Brian will be counted on to provide pop to an offense that was second in the Colonial Athletic Association with 15.3 goals per game. His play, and return to health, will be crucial to a team that is looking for its sixth NCAA Tournament berth in the past eight years. The Tigers finished 5-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association last year and 9-7 overall, but lost to Delaware, 10-7, in the CAA Championship game, and then to Cornell, 14-6, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers had another player suffer a major injury this week, as Blake Best, a transfer from Lehigh, suffered a knee injury that could force him to miss significant playing time. Best, a senior and former Severna Park star who scored 22 goals and 11 assists in 2006, sat out 2007 due to NCAA transfer rules, and was expected to be a key contributor this year.

Best’s injury, however, could open up playing time for a pair of very talented freshman from Pennsylvania.

Midfielder John DuBois and attacker Tim Stratton, both from Lititz, Pa., were High School All-Americans last year. Dubois scored 118 goals and 28 assists, but Stratton set a national high school record with 587 career points. But no matter who is in the lineup, the Tigers’ goal remains the same.

“I feel like we have a legit shot to take it to Foxboro,” Brian said, referring to the site of the Final Four. “That’s our goal — no matter what.”

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com