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Neal Anderson

 
Profile
Neal Anderson was named the seventh head coach in the history of the Norwich University men's lacrosse program prior to the 2009 season.

In 12 seasons since coming to Northfield, Anderson and his charges have racked up 68 victories, including a dominant 37-14 record in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play since 2011.

A three-time GNAC Coach of the Year recipient (2012, 2013, 2016), Anderson has piloted the Cadets to six-straight conference postseason appearances entering the 2017 season. Since joining the GNAC for men's lacrosse in 2009, Norwich student-athletes have earned an impressive 37 spots on the GNAC All-Academic Team while Cadets have earned placement on the GNAC All-Conference teams on 28 occasions.

Anderson's team won the 2013 GNAC Men's Lacrosse Championship after completing a flawless 12-0 season against league opponents. The Cadets would go on to participate in the NCAA Division III men's lacrosse tournament for the first time, earning the conference's automatic qualifying bid with a thrilling 9-7 win against the Mustangs from Mount Ida College on Apr. 27.

Across his tenure in Northfield, Anderson has cultivated academic and athletic success. In 2015, face-off specialist Andrew Bracy '15 led the nation with a .743 faceoff winning percentage and wrapped up his four-year career as the program's all-time leader in draws, winning nearly 67 percent of his face-offs. Bracy was also named to the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) Academic All-Region squad for his efforts in the classroom after leading the nation in face-off winning percentage in 2015 (.743).

In 2013, goaltender Mark Paradiso '14 was tabbed the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and face-off specialist Nate Fortezzo '12 was named a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-American. Anderson's team would boast the best face-off winning percentage in NCAA Division III with a .729 mark in 2015 - that year's team also finished 10th in Division III in scoring defense (6.33 GPG) while backstop Ryan Fecteau '15 was ranked 11th nationally in goals against average (6.48) and 27th in save percentage (.604).

In addition to being GNAC finalists in 2012, Anderson also led the Cadets to a slew of national rankings that same year. The Cadets would post the nation's top ranking in man-down defense (.895) and the ninth-best scoring defense (6.06). Furthermore, Norwich would post the 10th-best face-off winning percentage (.641) as Fortezzo's mark of .680 would be the third best nationally.

Anderson garnered regional recognition for the program by being named the 2012 recipient of the Ace Adams Award, which is voted on by the officials of New England and highlights the sportsmanship