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.
Check out previous recaps: NJIT Highlanders, UMass Lowell River Hawks, VMI Keydets, Manhattan Jaspers, Canisius Golden Griffins, Robert Morris Colonials, St. John’s Red Storm, Wagner Seahawks
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 7-8 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 4-1 (2nd in American East) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 9.53 Goals Per Game (39th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 10.60 Goals Against Per Game (37th in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #24 Matt Springer – R-Senior (39 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #10 Tucker Nelson – Junior (28 As) |
| 2014 Points Leaders | #24 Matt Springer – R-Senior (42 Pts) #10 Tucker Nelson – Junior (42 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #7 Max Schefler – Senior (.502 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #42 Dan Mazurek – Freshman (.513 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #42 Dan Mazurek – Freshman (72 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #25 Shawn Needham – Junior (26 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Hobart (11-10), Stony Brook (14-11) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Delaware (10-9), UMBC (16-10) |
| 2015 Record | 4-9 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 2-4 (5th in American East) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 10.77 Goals Per Game (22nd in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 10.77 Goals Against Per Game (43rd in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #23 Paul O’Donnell – Senior (27 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #10 Tucker Nelson – Senior (30 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #10 Tucker Nelson – Senior (44 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #7 Tanner Cosens – Sophomore (.500 SV %) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #11 Dan Mazurek – Sophomore (.535 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #18 George Deignan – Junior (47 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #18 George Deignan – Junior (11 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Delaware (11-7), UMBC (13-4) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Vermont (14-13), Stony Brook (14-13 OT) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
After a very successful 2014 season, which ended after a loss to UMBC in the American East semifinals, Binghamton could not build on that success in 2015. They just missed out on the American East Tournament this season, which included one goal losses to Vermont and Stony Brook. Numbers wise, the Bearcats had the same exact number of goals scored and goals against this season at 10.77, an improvement on offense but a slight slip on defense from 2014. Tanner Cosens had an impressive 2015 campaign saving half of his shots on goal, while George Deignan led the team in groundballs and caused turnovers.
The season got off to an unexpected start, as their home opener against Sacred Heart was postponed due to the winter weather in Vestal. So the team opened up a week later against Marist in a 12-9 loss. After losses against Cornell and Hobart, the Bearcats recorded two straight wins against Delaware and UMBC, before facing CAA foes Towson and Drexel, which came in losing efforts. Binghamton was tied with Towson at six entering the 4th quarter before losing to the Tigers by a goal. After a one goal loss against Hartford, the Bearcats got back to their winning ways against first year program UMass Lowell, before falling to Albany by four. A two goal win at Canisius paved the way for two final American East games against Stony Brook and Vermont. The Bearcats gave up an 8-4 halftime lead to the Sea Wolves, who eventually won in overtime, and then played a must win game against Vermont for the final spot in the American East Tournament. Both teams entered the final quarter tied at seven before a wild 13 goal quarter ensued, with the Catamounts taking the lead with ten seconds left in the game to send them to the postseason.
Binghamton could have gone to the American East Championship game had it not lost in three of their four conference games. The Bearcats will lose their leading scorers in Tucker Nelson, Paul O’Donnell, and J.T. Hauck next season to graduation, part of six total seniors leaving. Players such as Sean Gilroy and Tyler Deluca will have to step up on offense heading into 2016.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Jack Sullivan | Midfield/FO | Rocky Point (NY) |
| Tim Mattiace | LSM | Huntington (NY) |
| Griffin Konen | Attack | Massapequa (NY) |
| Mike Trainor | Midfield | Northport (NY) |
| Joe Licata | Midfield | Sachem East (NY) |
| T.J. Tiernan | Midfield | John Glenn (NY) |
| Kevin Carbone | Goalie | Chaminade (NY) |
| Mike Perrotto | Defense | Aquinas Institute (NY) |
All of Binghamton’s incoming recruits are from New York and include talented schools such as Chaminade, Massapequa, Northport, and Sachem East. They will join Binghamton’s 29 remaining players that also reside in New York next season. Some of them have played on club or summer league teams, others at different high schools, and others in showcases or tournaments during the offseason. Although the lack of variety in the recruiting class, one positive is that they are all from the same area, making it possibly easier and quicker to build chemistry with each other before the 2016 season begins.
