SV grads Tim, Brennen O'Shea taking Thiel lacrosse to new level
GREENVILLE — Oh, brother.
Don't blame opponents if they take that attitude against the Thiel College men's lacrosse team.
Nobody has found a way to stop the Tomcats' brother act of Seneca Valley graduates Tim and Brennen O'Shea.
“They have simply been outstanding,” Thiel coach Jeff Arneson said. “They have a chemistry, a rapport with each other that other teams just don't have.”
Tim, a senior attacker, leads the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference with 23 goals and 35 points through just five games this season. Brennen, a sophomore midfielder, is tied for third in the ORLC with 18 points and is fourth in the league with 10 goals.
The duo stand 1-2 in scoring for Thiel, which is 4-1 on the season. Tim O'Shea has been named ORLC Men's Offensive Player of the Week in successive weeks.
“I was only a role player in high school,” Tim said. “I saw an opportunity to come to a young program, hit the weight room and see what kind of player I could become.”
Thiel's lacrosse program is only six years old.
O'Shea produced a few goals his freshman year at Thiel before coming up with 34 goals and 47 points his sophomore year. Last season, he led the Tomcats with 38 goals and 57 points, good enough for third in the ORLC scoring race.
While he was developing as a player, younger brother Brennen became a standout player at Seneca Valley his senior year.
“I was only a role player myself before my senior season, when I sort of broke through,” Brennen said. “I really wanted to go up there and join (Tim) at Thiel. We were teammates on the wrestling team in high school and both of us got around 70 wins, but that's an individual sport.“We'd never actually been teammates on the same field. We both really wanted that.”So Brennen arrived at Thiel, but did not play a major role on the team as a freshman.“Just enough to get a taste of it,” he said. “But Tim pushed me hard. He helped me develop into a stronger player.“This is the only year we can play together.”Tim admits he's reaping the benefits of playing lacrosse with his younger brother.“It's been awesome being out there with him,” he said. “There is a lot of chemistry between us on the field and that's been giving us an edge.”With Brennen stationed up high on the offensive attack and Tim down low, near the net, they've been a deadly combination.“I can tell when he's going to cut across and he can read my moves,” Brennen said. “We've connected like that a number of times.”Thiel finished at .500 during Tim O'Shea's freshman and sophomore seasons. Last year's team finished 10-5, but fell short of winning the ORLC championship.He believes this year's squad can finish the job.
“No doubt, this is the best team we've had in my four years here,” Tim O'Shea said. “We're doing the little things so much better, taking care of the fundamentals.“I've seen a lot of growth in this program over the past three years.”And Arneson has seen a lot of growth in the O'Shea brothers.“They've worked for it,” the coach said. “Tim has grown into the No. 1 offensive player in the league. He's averaging six or seven points a game.“Brennen has been a big addition to the team. He's matured physically this season. Both of these guys invest a lot of time in the game and in the weight room.“Our goal is to be conference champions. If we get there, those two will have a lot to do with it,” Arneson added.
