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 | 6-9 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 3-3 (2nd in MAAC) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 11.00 Goals Per Game (21st in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 11.67 Goals Against Per Game (T54th in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #6 Joseph Radin – Sophomore (38 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #3 J.D. Recor – Freshman (31 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #3 J.D. Recor – Freshman (48 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #36 Dave Scarcello – Junior (.500 SV %) |
| 2014 Faceoff Leader | #42 Dominic Montemurro – Sophomore (.551 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #42 Dominic Montemurro – Sophomore (72 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #44 Patrick Eaker – Junior (13 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Stony Brook (13-12), Marquette (16-12), Canisius (13-7), Detroit (11-9 – MAAC Semifinal) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Siena (9-8, 11-7 – MAAC Championship), Manhattan (14-13), Detroit (12-11) |
| 2015 Record | 14-4 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 6-0 (1st in MAAC) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 11.78 Goals Per Game (14th in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 8.61 Goals Per Game (14th in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #6 Joseph Radin – Junior (55 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #3 J.D. Recor – Sophomore (43 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #6 Joseph Radin – Junior (73 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #34 Dave Scarcello – Senior (.570 SV %) |
| 2015 Faceoff Leader | #42 Dominic Montemurro – Junior (.525 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #42 Dominic Montemurro – Junior (81 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #44 Patrick Eaker – Senior (18 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | High Point (10-9), Hofstra (11-8), Quinnipiac (17-10, 16-14 – MAAC Championship), Bryant (10-6 – NCAA Play-In) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Stony Brook (14-10), Penn State (9-8), Brown (16-15 OT), Syracuse (20-8 – NCAA First Round) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
The champions from the MAAC put up an impressive 14-4 record in 2015, which was good enough to be ranked 19th in the nation. Marist’s only losses were to Stony Brook (four goals), Penn State (one goal), Brown (one goal in OT), and Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament (12 goals). If Marist had their way with their games against Penn State and Brown, it might be a slightly different story than it is now. The Red Foxes have one of their best offense in program history, led by Joseph Radin and J.D. Recor, both of whom will return in 2016 for their senior and junior years respectively. Marist ranked 14th in goals scored and goals against in 2015, but will lose key players in defenseman Patrick Eaker and goaltender Dave Scarcello to graduation.
Marist’s season began with road wins against Air Force and Binghamton before falling in their season opener to Stony Brook. Dave Scarcello shined the following week against High Point, recording a career high 19 saves in a 10-9 win over the Panthers. The Red Foxes suffered the first of their two one-goal losses with a neutral site defeat against Penn State.
Following that loss, the Red Foxes opened up MAAC play with wins against Monmouth and Canisius. They took Brown in a midweek matchup after their Canisius victory, and it did not look good to start. Brown was up 10-1with 12:19 left in the 2nd quarter, but Marist eventually tied the game at 15, before Kylor Bellistri gave the Bears the 16-15 victory to avoid an upset. That would be the team’s last loss for over a month. League play continued with wins over Quinnipiac and Detroit, before a non-conference win over Hofstra in Hempstead. The wins continued with blowout victories over NJIT, Manhattan, and Siena to end their season and clinch the top seed in the MAAC Tournament with a perfect 6-0 conference record.
Marist would defeat Monmouth 11-6 before taking on Quinnipiac in the title game. The Red Foxes got ahead quickly, taking an 8-1 lead before Quinnipiac scored seven in the 2nd quarter to make it a 12-8 Marist lead at halftime. Marist eventually held on to win 16-14 to take their first MAAC Championship since 2005. They found out on Selection Sunday a day later that they would have to take on Bryant in a Play-In Game at home. Marist scored the first goal of the game and never looked back. They lead the Bulldogs 5-2 after the first, and eventually won 10-6, advancing to take on Syracuse in the Carrier Dome in the NCAA First Round. But after Drew Nesmith’s goal to give Marist a quick 1-0 lead, it went downhill from there, as the Orange decimated the Red Foxes 20-8 to end Marist’s season.
In my NCAA End of Season Awards, I gave the award for most improved coaching staff to Marist and head coach Keegan Wilkinson. Even with some financial issues, Wilkinson and his staff made Marist a competitive small-conference team in 2015, with hopes that the success the team had in 2015 carries over to 2016 and beyond. But with ten seniors leaving in 2016, mainly on defense, it will be a challenge to rebuild some lost parts.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Paul Dilena | Attack | Massapequa (NY) |
| Derik Mango | Attack | Ponderosa (CO) |
| Kevin McKendry | Goalie | Cardinal Gibbons (NC) |
| James Sarrocco | Defense/LSM | Smithtown East (NY) |
| Matt Selts | Midfield | Sayville (NY) |
| Avery Nesmith | Midfield | Montclair (NJ) |
| Thomas Rago | Attack | Morristown-Beard (NJ) |
| Jacob Bloom | Defense | Miller Place (NY) |
| Ralph Sommer | Defense | Wantagh (NY) |
| Ryan Brand | LSM | Montclair (NJ) |
| Collin Dizon | Attack | South Carroll (MD) |
Marist will have to replace ten departing seniors with 11 incoming recruits. Dilena was an important part of Massapequa’s offense for the past three seasons, and will look to fill the void Colin Joka will leave. Dilena has a large build to him as well, so he might play some crease attackman as a Red Fox. Goalie Kevin McKendry was chosen to the All-USA North Carolina Boys’ Team for the 2015 season as chosen by Casey Vock of 3d Rising.
