Goodrich and Kielty, two steady members of the Cannons LC's old guard, have been through the muck and the mire of the last two seasons and established themselves as players their teammates could count on, even when things aren’t going right. Goodrich, a two-time All-Star, is widely regarded as one of the premier defensive midfielders in the world. Kielty has had two impressive seasons to begin his pro career after being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year at Notre Dame in 2021.

Holman and Ghitelman, two savvy, battle-hardened veterans, have been bastions of consistency and excellence throughout their careers. Holman has scored the 10th-most points (411) and sixth-most goals (288) in pro lacrosse history. He’s been an All-Star in eight of those ten seasons. Ghitelman enters his 13th year already having saved the fifth most shots all-time (1,367). His career save percentage is over 52 percent. 

The combination of Goodrich and Kielty’s drive and desire to win with Holman and Ghitelman’s experience and poise makes for a leadership group that Coach Holman has a lot of confidence in. 

“I think it’s unique, we’ve got a great balance,” Holman said. 

“We have guys that are older and have been in huge games and won championships, and we have guys that are young that have gone through the tough times and want to win a championship. When you combine those two forces together, I think it's just going to be a powerful force within our team.”

All four of these guys are no stranger to holding leadership positions. Zach Goodrich was the first-ever three-time captain in Towson lacrosse history. Jack Kielty was a two-time captain at Notre Dame. Ghitelman was on staff for five years with both Marcus and Coach Holman as an assistant coach at the University of Utah, where they collectively helped guide the Utes to a successful transition from club status to Division I. 

Marcus Holman is a born leader. He was a two-time captain in college at UNC and has since spent almost his entire professional career as a captain as well. Playing in his 11th season and on his third different team, Holman has now been selected as a captain for the tenth (!) time. Five years as captain of the MLL’s Ohio Machine, the last four leading the Archers, and now a captain of the Cannons in his first year with the team. That type of reputation speaks for itself. 

Still, the Cannons first-year head coach also made a point to note that there was no shortage of worthy captains within the locker room.

“I asked the question ‘who had been a captain before’ and I think 90% of the room had been before. It was almost the whole room,” Holman recounted.

That’s an added bonus for Coach Holman, who throughout training camp has emphasized to his players the goal of having 25 “captains” on the team and encouraged everyone on the roster to take that level of ownership of their game. 

One of Cannons LC's team mottos is “Forged by the past, built for the future.” Their new leadership group embodies just that. Goodrich and Kielty have endured the recent struggles and earned the trust of all of the returning Cannons, Holman and Ghitelman are game changers who know what it takes to succeed consistently at the highest level. 

A new era of Cannons lacrosse – led by Holman, Ghitelman, Kielty, and Goodrich – begins on Saturday in Albany against Archers LC at 3:30PM ET on ESPN+.