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, Monmouth Hawks, Vermont Catamounts, Sacred Heart Pioneers, Holy Cross Crusaders, Penn Quakers, Villanova Wildcats, Boston Terriers
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 6-8 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 3-3 (5th in MAAC) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 10.57 Goals Per Game (24th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 11.07 Goals Against Per Game (46th in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #15 Ryan Keenan – Sophomore (32 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #5 Michael Sagl – Junior (26 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #5 Michael Sagl – Junior (43 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #10 Gill Conners – Senior (.576 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #31 Zach Vehar – Freshman (.535 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #31 Zach Vehar – Freshman (83 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leaders | #23 Carmen French – Junior (11 CTs) #5 Michael Sagl – Junior (11 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Detroit (10-9 OT), Air Force (15-10) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Harvard (10-8), Hartford (6-3) |
| 2015 Record | 7-8 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 4-2 (2nd in MAAC) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 9.87 Goals Per Game (34th in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 11.73 Goals Against Per Game (58th in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #4 Brian Feldman – Freshman (29 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #5 Michael Sagl – Senior (31 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #5 Michael Sagl – Senior (56 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #13 Jack Brust – Junior (.524 SV %) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #34 Connor Devane – Junior (.451 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #34 Connor Devane – Junior (52 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #23 Carmen French – Senior (22 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Air Force (12-10), Detroit (16-9) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Hartford (10-9), Marist (16-14) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
The Bobcats made it to the MAAC Championship after failing to appear in the league tournament in 2014. Quinnipiac did lose face-off leader Zach Vehar to Syracuse and goaltender Gill Connors to graduation, but did have enough to get to their postseason tournament. Michael Sagl led the team in points with 56, while freshman Brian Feldman led the team in goals with 29.
Quinnipiac split their first two games of the season with a loss against Brown and a win against first year program NJIT. But then came the worst part of the season, which was a four game losing streak to Harvard, Hartford, UMass, and Siena in their MAAC conference opener. After a one goal win against Detroit, the Bobcats lost their next two games against Marist and Stony Brook to go 1-6 in the month of March. But the Bobcats would not lose until the month of May, going undefeated in an impressive 5-0 run in April, which included important conference victories against Manhattan, Canisius, and Monmouth, before defeating Air Force. They entered the MAAC Tournament as the #2 seed, taking on Detroit and defeating the Titans yet again to move on to face top seed Marist in the MAAC Championship. Marist had an early lead and never looked back, winning by two to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bobcats can certainly compete for a MAAC title in 2016. But with Marist having an outstanding season with many of their contributors back in 2016, along with programs such as Detroit, Siena, and even Monmouth not far behind, Quinnipiac will have to do some work in order to get back to where they ended in 2015.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Cole Renninger | LSM | Salesianum (DE) |
| A.J. Schmitz | Attack/Midfield | Madison (NJ) |
| Jack Hill | LSM | New Trier (IL) |
| Ryan Trzcinski | Defense | Glastonbury (CT) |
| Evan Killen | Midfield | St. Anthony’s (NY) |
| Foster Cuomo | Attack | IMG Academy (FL) |
| Remington Borg | Goalie | Hill Academy (ONT) |
| Shawn McManus | Midfield | Southern Regional (NJ) |
| Mike Bucci | Midfield/FO | Severn (MD) |
| Luke Hoffman | Midfield | Malvern Prep (PA) |
| Connor Hulme | Attack | Canandaigua Academy (NY) |
| Bryce Nalls | Defense | South County (VA) |
| Phil Brady | Midfield/FO | Massapequa (NY) |
| Grant Skophammer | Midfield | Kennedy (MN) |
Quinnipiac will replace 12 departing seniors with 14 incoming recruits. The Bobcats bring in players from top programs such as Salesianum, St. Anthony’s, IMG Academy, Hill Academy, Malvern Prep, and Massapequa for 2016. The Bobcats will also need to replace their leading goal scorer and defenseman, which could come from one of these new recruits.
