LEXINGTON, Va. - A new conference, a new era for the men's lacrosse team at the Virginia Military Institute. The 2014 edition of the team takes the field this Saturday as the Keydets travel to Annapolis, Md. to face the Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy.

The opening faceoff for 2014 is set for noon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the seventh-straight season VMI opens its season at the Naval Academy.

VMI, which was voted fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll, will combine youth and experience at every position on the field. The Keydets boast 17 players with at least one collegiate season under their belts, while the remaining 16 plays on the roster are new to the Institute.

Offensively, head coach Brian Anken, who begins his fourth season at the helm of the program, wants to play an up-tempo game, pushing transition and unsettled situations. Given the depth of the Keydets at midfield, nearly half of the roster, the Keydets will be able to play a run and gun style when they want to, and slow the pace if need be.

“We have a great balance of youth and experience this year,” notes Anken of his 2014 roster. “Our returning players have done a great job mentoring the young players and will help make their transition on the field much smoother.”

The rookie class through the middle has considerable size and speed, led by three players at 6-1, Dale Mattice, Hunt McCarthy and Peter McMahon. That trio will be joined by their newly-minted Class of 2017 Brother Rats Nick Dodd, Andrew Givens, Kasey Kettle, Brad Nardella and Mitch Wilson.

Adding depth in the middle will be junior Eric Groleau, who makes the transition from attack to midfield for this season. Fellow junior Andrew Erber will look to step on the field for the first time in his career this season after battling injury in his first two seasons. Another junior with a heavy shot, Brad Biondello will run with his classmates Groleau and Erber as the second midfield unit.

After coming on late last season, Gage Snowbarger will look to provide guidance for the younger midfielders. Snowbarger put away 10 goals with three assists last season, doing most of his damage in conference play. The 6-6 Coloradan will be joined by classmates Dan Bull and Joe Amato, who will use their year of experience to bring along the plethora of newcomers as well.

“Our midfield if both youthful and extremely talented, Anken said. “They will be the workhorses on both sides of the field and have increased expectations to set the game tempo.”

In the offensive third, VMI will look to junior captain Mike DeBlasio to run the offense. The Patchogue, N.Y. native is the Keydets' top returning offensive weapon. It took the then-sophomore some time to get going on offense last season, but capped the 2013 campaign on a seven-game point scoring streak.

The Keydets get another player back from the IR in senior captain Mickey Hofmeister, who missed all of 2013 with a lower body injury. Hofmeister played sparingly in his sophomore campaign as well, but when he is on the field, he can produce, scoring 12 goals and 22 assists in 19 career appearances. Sophomore Ben Huger will round out what will likely be the starting attack unit after moving to the offensive third permanently, playing as a midfielder in 2013. Sophomore Domenick Stumpo provides depth at the attack spot after playing 10 games in his freshman season.

“We're very excited to have both Mickey Hofmeister and Mike DeBlasio healthy,” said Anken. “This will provide a great balance to our very youthful midfield units. Our goal is to utilize our athleticism by increasing tempo especially in transition.”

The fresh faces among the attackmen hail from all over the eastern seaboard and include Joe Funaro, another Long Islander, New Jerseyan Chris Spada and Virginian Eric Shaver.

The defensive unit is probably the oldest group on the field for VMI this season. Anchoring that third of the field will be senior captain Rory Dillon, who has logged 40 games in his Keydet career. Dillon has forced 29 turnovers in his career while also collecting 72 groundballs and possesses the ability to clear the ball. VMI's top takeaway man will be Tyler Prasnicki, who last season forced an astonishing 26 opponent turnovers, ranking him fifth in the country with a 2.36 average per game. A new face will join the two upperclassmen: Tom Brown, a highly-touted recruit from Baltimore-based Boys' Latin School. Brown was ranked No. 33 among Inside Lacrosse's top 40 incoming defensemen.

Adding depth to the backers will be sophomore Ian Marinacci, who played in 10 games as a freshman. A product of a military high school, Dan Ferrel joins the back line as a freshman after spending time at the Culver Military Academy in Culver, Ind.

VMI's longstick midfielders will be fun to watch during the season as the group sees the return of Ty Trobridge, who missed a majority of last season with a lower body injury. Trobridge and sophomore Pat Hine will share runs through the middle during the season, as the sophomore played in 12 games a year ago. Bringing depth to the LSMs will be Garrett Warren, who can also take faceoffs if need be.

“Our defensemen and LSMs have great range and versatility with the ability to both play cover and slide defensive packages,” Anken said. “This group has a tremendous ability to adjust pressure and schemes throughout an offensive possession.”

The most intriguing position on the field in 2014 will be in the crease. VMI brings in three freshman goalies, in addition to junior Evan Windisch. All four keepers have pushed one another throughout the fall and early spring, in a vie for the starting job. Freshman Frank DiGiacomo got the nod in the 2013 edition of the Lee-Jackson Lacrosse Classic in October, while the other three gained invaluable experience at the 2013 Nicholas Colleluori Classic in Ridley, Pa.

Opposite of last season, VMI's schedule is filled with home games as the Keydets welcome seven opponents to Drill Field #2, including two service academies, Army and Air Force. The 2014 season will also feature the program's first-ever night game played on Post when it takes on the Catamounts of Vermont. A second night game against former conference foe Wagner anchors the middle of the season for VMI.