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 faired 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
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 7-7 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 3-3 (5th in Big East) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 11.93 Goals Per Game (17th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 11.93 Goals Against Per Game (58th in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #6 Kieran McArdle – Senior (40 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #6 Kieran McArdle – Senior (40 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #6 Kieran McArdle – Senior (80 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #15 Joseph Danaher – Freshman (.507 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #17 Mario Carrera – Junior (.438 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #17 Mario Carrera – Junior (67 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #34 Mark DiFrangia – Junior (26 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Hofstra (11-10 OT), Villanova (11-10 OT) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Rutgers (16-13), Marquette (11-10 2OT) |
| 2015 Record | 3-11 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 1-4 (Last in Big East) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 9.86 Goals Per Game (35th in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 12.00 Goals Against Per Game (60th in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #42 Stefan Diachenko – Senior (40 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #8 Eric DeJohn – Junior (26 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #8 Eric DeJohn – Junior (64 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #5 Harry Burke – Junior (.478 SV %) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #12 Justin Corpolongo – Freshman (.464 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #34 Mark DiFrangia – Senior (44 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #34 Mark DiFrangia – Senior (23 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Stony Brook (13-8), Drexel (10-9) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Jacksonville (12-11 OT), Siena (8-7) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
It’s tough to replace a Second Team All-American in Kieran McArdle on offense. He was one of the best Red Storm players in school history, and his loss of talent this season was evident. The team’s offense fell to 9.86 goals per game, but the defense remained the same for one more season, as senior Mark DiFrangia played his final season in Queens.
The team began the season with an opening loss to Rutgers before defeating Stony Brook by five goals. The team was very competitive in their next three losses, losing each by one goal and losing games against Jacksonville and a ranked Yale team in overtime. After choking an early lead against Syracuse in Kennesaw, the Red Storm defeated Drexel by a goal, but lost against Hofstra and Holy Cross. As Big East play began, St. John’s started with a convincing 17-7 win against Providence, but would lose the rest of the way and failed to make the Big East Tournament.
Luckily, Eric DeJohn, Justin Corpolongo, and both goalies in Harry Burke and Joseph Danaher return next season, and one of the things to watch will be the goaltending battle between Burke and Danaher. Danaher started in 2014 and the early portion of this season before Burke took over in the Yale snowiest. The change didn’t pay off, but with some help from the offense and defense next season, that position will be one to keep an eye on.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Malcolm Flynn | Defense/LSM | Half Hollow Hills West (NY) |
| Colin Duffy | Attack | Archmere Academy (DE) |
| Mike Madsen | Attack | Locust Valley (NY) |
| Luke Roediger | Defense/LSM | Trinity-Pawling (NY) |
| Joe Madsen | Attack | Locust Valley (NY) |
| Kevin Maguire | Goalie | Pittsford (NY) |
| Patrick Kiel | Defense | Central Bucks West (PA) |
| Zach Larsen | Midfield | Bergen Catholic (NJ) |
| Nick Biasi | Defense | Bethpage (NY) |
| Christopher Buscemi | Attack/Midfield | St. Anthony’s (NY) |
| Nick Lawlor | Defense | Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy (PA) |
| Adam Marron | Defense | Durham Jordan (NC) |
| Paul Tornatore | Midfield/FO | Ridgewood (NJ) |
| Cal Swanson | Midfield | Alpharetta (GA) |
| Michael Hatzopoulos | Midfield | Syosset (NY) |
Only four seniors leave the program this season, including DiFrangia and attackman Stefan Diachenko. Jason DeBenedictis was third on the team in points this season and his productivity should increase going into his sophomore season. The team will bring in 15 freshmen this season, including plenty of talent from the New York area, such as Syosset and St. Anthony’s, and also in surrounding areas such as Bergen Catholic. I think the team will have enough to make it to the Big East Tournament next season, but with programs such as Marquette and Georgetown rising up in the ranks and Villanova and Providence scrapping every season to make a name for themselves, the Big East will be very competitive once again.
