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, Binghamton Bearcats, Bellarmine Knights, Jacksonville Dolphins, Furman Paladins
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 2-11 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 1-7 (Last in Patriot League) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 6.15 Goals Per Game (T65th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 11.38 Goals Against Per Game (51st in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leaders | #4 Robert Orazietti – Sophomore (15 Gs) #23 Brian Bock – Junior (15 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #15 Sonny Round – Junior (12 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #23 Brian Bock – Junior (20 Pts) #15 Sonny Round – Junior (20 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #1 Jake Hyatt – Senior (.482 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #22 Adam Broeckaert – Sophomore (.428 FO%) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #22 Adam Broeckaert – Sophomore (45 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #44 Mac Ahsler – Senior (14 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Colgate (8-7), Monmouth (9-5) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Mercer (9-8 OT), Manhattan (8-7 2OT) |
| 2015 Record | 4-10 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 1-7 (Last in Patriot League) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 9.07 Goals Per Game (T50th in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 12.21 Goals Against Per Game (61st in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #14 Eric Joseph – Sophomore (26 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #45 Jason Sands – Sophomore (32 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #45 Jason Sands – Sophomore (45 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #18 Ben Falcone – Junior (.505 SV%) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #27 Jack McMahon – Sophomore (.452 FO%) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #26 Erik Cannon – Sophomore (57 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #26 Erik Cannon – Sophomore (31 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Monmouth (8-7), Holy Cross (11-7) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Sacred Heart (14-11), Lehigh (11-10) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
2015 brought mixed results for Lafayette, as the Leopards were a competitive team near the end of the regular season. Yet, they could not compete in a very tough Patriot League where every team but the Leopards were in contention to make it to the six team postseason tournament. But all of the individual team leaders from 2015 should be returning to the team in 2016, which should give Lafayette a chance to get back in to the Patriot League tourney.
The season got off to a good start with a 10-5 win on the road against Wagner before a horrible stretch of losses. The Leopards lost their next eight games, five of those games against fellow Patriot League opponents. The games ranged from close affairs with Colgate, Penn, and Sacred Heart, to blowouts from Army, Navy, and Loyola. Then, the Leopards got hot, winning their next three games, which included Monmouth and playing as a spoiler against Holy Cross, before falling in their final Patriot League matchups against in-state rivals Bucknell and Lehigh, each by a goal.
The Leopards hope to continue building success from the end of 2015 heading into 2016. Eric Joseph and Jason Sands will be juniors in 2016 and will start to have leadership roles for the Leopards, while the goaltending will be a position to watch. Ben Falcone and Matthew Cortese, along with Henry Vido, will compete for the starting job in January, with Cortese and Falcone splitting the majority of the season in 2015.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Tyler Sehring | Attack/Midfield | Friends Academy (NY) |
| Andrew Chase | Midfield/FO | Summit (NJ) |
| Connar Denhart | Midfield | White Bear Lake (MN) |
| Jeff Sikorsky | Defense | St. Anthony’s (NY) |
| Jake Korus | Midfield | Avon Old Farms (CT) |
| Sam Friedman | Midfield | Conestoga (PA) |
| Chris Brady | Attack | Conestoga (PA) |
| Trip Wray | Attack | Westminster School (GA) |
| Jonathan Anastos | Goalie | New Trier (IL) |
| Zach Merle | Defense | St. Anthony’s (NY) |
| Luke Cummings | Midfield/FO | Port Washington (NY) |
| Conor Walters | Attack | Lake Forest (IL) |
| Sean Andrews | Defense | Summit (NJ) |
The Leopards lose only four players to graduation, which include Brian Bock and Sonny Round. But the team will bring in 13 freshmen for the 2016 season. Lafayette brings in a pair of kids from Summit, St. Anthony’s and Conestoga respectively. Sam Friedman has been an important contributor for the Pioneers for the Pennsylvania power in the last three seasons with the team, coached by current Villanova defensive coordinator Brian Samson in his sophomore and junior seasons. With a huge question mark around the goaltending position entering 2016, Jonathan Anastos may be able to steal the spotlight from the three current players there. These new Leopards hope to bring in a new winning culture to the Patriot League cellar dwellers, starting next season.
