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, Lafayette Leopards, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers, Siena Saints, Delaware Blue Hens, UMBC Retrievers, Dartmouth Big Green, Providence Friars, Mercer Bears, Penn State Nittany Lions, Hofstra Pride, Michigan Wolverines, UMass Minutemen
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 0-13 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 0-6 (Last in MAAC) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 6.15 Goals Per Game (T65th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 11.23 Goals Against Per Game (49th in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #10 Chris Daly – Freshman (17 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #10 Chris Daly – Freshman (9 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #10 Chris Daly – Freshman (26 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #6 Garrett Conaway – Junior (.569 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #25 Marco Mosleh – Freshman (.309 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #27 Ryan Horsch – Junior (36 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #27 Ryan Horsch – Junior (18 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | None |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Wagner (7-6 4OT), Canisius (5-4) |
| 2015 Record | 6-8 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 3-3 (4th in MAAC) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 6.64 Goals Per Game (66th in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 7.64 Goals Against Per Game (4th in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #4 Bryce Wasserman – Freshman (21 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #4 Bryce Wasserman – Freshman (10 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #4 Bryce Wasserman – Freshman (31 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #6 Garrett Conaway – Senior (.614 SV %) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #25 Marco Mosleh – Sophomore (.444 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #27 Ryan Horsch – Senior (39 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #27 Ryan Horsch – Senior (21 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Rutgers (10-9), Siena (5-4) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | UMBC (4-2), Lafayette (8-7) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
The Hawks had an incredible year for being a second year program, even making their league tournament as a #4 seed. But they have a lot to work on entering year three in 2016, including their offense, which has been at the bottom of the nation in goals for the past two seasons. Their brightest spot in these two seasons has arguably been goaltender Garrett Conaway. He didn’t start much in his junior season, passed over for freshman Nick Hreshko, but he started every game in 2014 and was one of the best goaltenders in the MAAC and the entire nation.
Monmouth started the season like they ended 2014 with a loss. After UMBC, the team took on Rutgers on the road and got their first win in program history in a 10-9 affair. One win wasn’t enough, so Monmouth defeated Wagner to go over .500 for the first time ever. But the team fell to St. Joe’s and Marisa before a tight 6-3 win over first year program NJIT, who went winless in their inaugural season of play. Probably their biggest win came in league play against defending league champion Siena 5-4. Following that win, the team lost back-to-back games against Patriot Leaguers Lehigh and Lafayette before getting another win against Canisius. Losses against Detroit and Quinnipiac placed a must-win situation against Manhattan, a must-win that resulted in a 14-5 victory and gave the Hawks the chance to experience postseason play for the first time ever. However, the Hawks fell to Marist in the MAAC Semifinals to end their season.
I wouldn’t expect that Monmouth tops their result from 2015 next season, but it would be incredible if they did. They have the coaching staff to do it, led by Head Coach Brian Fisher, a former assistant at Notre Dame. But they need to improve on offense as well as continue the dominance they had on defense this season. Nick Hreshko has some experience and will be a junior next season. But Elliott Wilson and Grant Gillan will also compete with Hreshko, who lost the job to Conaway this season.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Hunter Jones | Attack | Abington (PA) |
| Adam Friedman | Defense | Howard (MD) |
| Michael Dedvukaj | Midfield | Yorktown (NY) |
| Jackson Andres | LSM | Princeton (NJ) |
| Jake Henze | Midfield | Central Bucks South (PA) |
| Sam Fink | Midfield | Salesianum (DE) |
| Griffin Figel | Attack | Bridgewater-Raritan (NJ) |
| Gordon Phillips | Defense | Trinity-Pawling (NY) |
| Jake Wilson | Midfield | Maple Grove (MN) |
The Hawks will replace five seniors with nine incoming recruits, and the team will get younger the following year, with only one junior (Wilson) leaving after the 2016 season. They bring in four midfielders, including Adam Friedman from Long Island power Yorktown, and also add a couple of guys on attack, such as Griffin Figel of Bridgewater-Raritan, who helped the Panthers defeat Bergen Catholic to win New Jersey’s Tournament of Champions. Figel hopes to win another tournament, a MAAC Tournament, and maybe even an NCAA Tournament, although the latter might be far-fetched.
