New York Lizards midfielder Albert Maione, a five-year veteran of Major League Lacrosse, has announced his plan toretire.
“It has been an honor and my pleasure to play Major League Lacrosse for the past five years, but it is time for me to move on due to injuries, business obligations, and my new wife,” said Maione. “I want to thank the New York Lizards organization, ownership, and coaching staff for allowing me to fulfill my dream. I’d also like to thank my teammates for their friendships both on and off the field. My time as a Lizard will be a time of my life I will treasure always!”
A Long Island native, Maione grew up in West Islip and attended New York Institute of Technology, where he won the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championship, before transferring to Molloy College. In 2009 and 2010 he was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American Team and received All-East Coast ConferenceFirst-Team accolades.
Maione was drafted by the Lizards in the seventh round of the 2010 MLL Collegiate Draft. All five seasons he spent in the League were with the Lizards.
In 2012, Maione not only led the Lizards in shooting percentage (minimum 10 shots), he also led all of Major League Lacrosse. His 64.3% shooting percentage in 2012 has been the highest in the MLL between the 2011 and 2014 seasons.
“Al has had a great career, to watch the growth of his game and to watch him evolve into an everyday contributing MLL midfielder is a tribute to the true professional Al was and is. Al was always the first guy to practice and the last guy to leave; working on his game to be the best player he could be and to help our team as well. The highest compliment I could give Al was what a tremendous teammate he was and how important the team was to him. On game day, win or lose, he was always great to the fans; being a great ambassador of the game, signing autographs and spending time with the fans. I wish Al the best in the next chapter of his life with his new wife Francesca,” said Lizards’ Head Coach, Joe Spallina.
After an injury filled 2013 season, Maione returned in 2014 to set two single-game career highs, scoring three goals against the Rochester Rattlers on April 27 and two assists on July 3 against the Florida Launch. He played in 11 gameswith the Lizards in 2014, scoring eight goals and adding three assists.
“Al has been a tremendous contributor on and off the field and his presence will be sorely missed. While we understand his commitments outside of lacrosse have grown to the point where retirement makes sense, we hope that he finds the time down the road to get back involved with the organization. Al’s knowledge of the game is immense and there is no doubt, if he ever has the time, that he would be a great addition to the Lizards’ coaching staff,” said Lizards’ CEO, Jeffrey Rudnick.
