For the better part of four months, many of us watched some exciting college lacrosse, whether it was on TV, online, or in person. There were good games, which included all of Championship Weekend, and there were bad games, such as low scoring affairs and of course, the horrendous winter weather. I take a look back at all 69 Division I teams and how they fared this season and what to look forward to in 2016.
I now move on to the season’s top 25 teams, which were decided by the final media poll of the season. If you missed any of my previous recaps, you can read all of them here!
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 4-10 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 1-5 (6th in Big East) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 8.64 Goals Per Game (54th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 10.79 Goals Against Per Game (40th in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #42 Peter Conley – Freshman (24 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #5 Bo Stafford – Junior (18 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #42 Peter Conley – Freshman (37 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #10 Jake Haley – R-Junior (.492 SV %) |
| 2014 Faceoff Leader | #16 Tyler Knarr – R-Senior (.658 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #16 Tyler Knarr – R-Senior (152 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #46 John Urbank – Senior (19 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Mount St. Mary’s (10-4), Navy (9-8 OT), Furman (16-9), Providence (10-8) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Towson (8-7), Hofstra (9-8 OT), Loyola (10-9), Marquette (11-10 OT) |
| 2015 Record | 10-6 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 4-1 (2nd in Big East) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 11.63 Goals Per Game (16th in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 10.88 Goals Against Per Game (47th in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #6 Bo Stafford – Senior (34 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #6 Bo Stafford – Senior (26 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #6 Bo Stafford – Senior (60 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #1 Nick Marrocco – Freshman (.549 SV %) |
| 2015 Faceoff Leader | #39 Gabriel Mendola – Graduate (.476 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #39 Gabriel Mendola – Graduate (75 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #17 Michael Mayer – Sophomore (15 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Hofstra (13-11), Loyola (13-12), Marquette (10-9, 12-8 – Big East Semifinal) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Notre Dame (14-12), Denver (19-7, 16-8 – Big East Championship), Virginia (12-9) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
The Hoyas were one of, if the, most improved teams last season, going from 4-10 to 10-6 and finishing the season ranked 15th in the nation. Bo Stafford helped lead the way for the Hoyas on offense with 60 points while freshman midfielder Craig Berge was named a USILA Honorable Mention All-American. Another freshman, Nick Marrocco, stared in the net, recording a .549 save percentage for the Hoyas, keeping the Hoyas alive in many tight games this season.
Georgetown began the season on the road against Notre Dame inside Loftus Sports Center. The Hoyas stayed with the Fighting Irish throughout the game, but could not stop freshman Mikey Wynne’s six goal explosion. They took on Towson a week later in a 9-6 loss to fall to 0-2. A quick 5-1 start against Hofstra the following week helped the Hoyas get their first win in a 13-11 affair. The team would win their next three games against Mount St. Mary’s, Hobart, and Vermont to match their win total of four from 2014 entering their matchup with Duke.
The Duke game would begin a tough four game stretch for Georgetown, who would take on ranked opponents in each game of that run. But the Hoyas came out quick against Duke, scoring three straight after Jack Bruckner opened things up for the Blue Devils. The Hoyas would score six goals in the third to take a 10-9 lead entering the final frame, but Duke struck back with four straight goals and ended up taking a 15-13 win as well. The Hoyas were back in action four days later against rival Loyola in a wire-to-wire game. Georgetown used a five-goal run from the end of the third quarter to midway through the fourth quarter to get a 12-9 lead against the Greyhounds and would hold on to upset Loyola 13-12.
Georgetown would open Big East play as they took on another surprising team in Marquette in D.C. Georgetown dominated in the first half as the Hoyas led 8-2 at the half. But the Golden Eagles had a 4-1 third quarter and scored the first three goals in the final quarter to tie the game up at nine. But Berge gave the Hoyas the eventual game-winner on a man-up goal with 3:45 left to give Georgetown a 10-9 win. The final game in the tough four game stretch wound up to be a 19-7 loss to Denver.
Wins against Providence and Villanova would follow, before a 12-9 loss in Charlottesville to Virginia. The Hoyas would beat St. John’s 13-10 on Senior Day to end the regular season and finish as the Big East’s #2 seed in the league tournament. The game would be similar to the first, with the Hoyas starting out hot with a 4-0 first quarter and a 6-3 halftime lead. But Marquette would cut the lead to one in the third quarter, before Georgetown would pull away with a 12-8 win. Denver was next once again, and it was another blowout loss for the Hoyas, as the Pioneers cruised to their second straight Big East Championship with a 16-8 victory.
There is a ton of upside ahead for Georgetown in 2016. The departures of Stafford ajd Reilly O’Connor will be big blows, but the Hoyas do bring in one of the best recruits in the country in Ward Melville product Dan Bucaro. With a ton of talent still present, look for Georgetown to make a push for an at-large bid in 2016.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Chris Donovan | Attack/Midfield | Seton Hall Prep/Hun School (NJ) |
| Mackey Merrill | Defense/LSM | Shawnee Mission East (KS) |
| Christian Teuber | Defense/LSM | Penn Charter (PA) |
| Robert Clark | Attack | McDonogh (MD) |
| Mikey Giannopulos | Midfield | Issaquah (WA) |
| Finn Dunne | LSM/Defense | Georgetown Prep (MD) |
| Tucker Gillman | Goalie | Shady Side Academy (PA)/Avon Old Farms (CT) |
| Patrick Aslanian | Midfield | Westfield (NJ) |
| Spencer Secord | Midfield | Upper Canada College (ONT)/Culver Academy (IN) |
| Dan Bucaro | Attack | Ward Melville (NY) |
| Austin McDonald | Attack | Georgetown Prep (MD) |
The Hoyas will replace ten departing player with 11 incoming recruits. The Hoyas get two players from the Little Hoyas of Georgetown Prep in Finn Dunne and Austin McDonald. Georgetown also brings in a pole in Christian Teuber, who has faced a ton of tough talent in the Inter-Ac league in PA. But the crown jewel of this class is Dan Bucaro, an Under Armour All-American attackman with Ward Melville last season. Bucaro looks to get a starting spot or at least some playing time in 2016 to continue Georgetown’s excellent momentum back into national recognition.
