QUEENS, N.Y. (April 17, 2009) – Hobart slipped by the St. John’s men’s lacrosse team, 10-9, in a tightly-matched ECAC conference contest on Friday at DaSilva Memorial Field. The score was tied four times in just the first half in the competitive league game. Hobart’s three-goal lead in the fourth period was enough to keep the Statesmen one goal ahead of the Red Storm.
Senior Drew Schanen led St. John’s in scoring with three points off two goals and one assist. Senior Trevor Michaelsen had two goals. Senior Dom DeNapoli had a tremendous day at the face-off X, winning 15-of-22 draws.
With the loss, the Red Storm falls to 5-6 on the season and 1-5 in league play. Hobart advances its record to 6-5, 2-4 in the ECAC.
Hobart got on the board first with a man-up goal from Tim Bigelow.
St. John’s put it right back one minute later as senior LSM DeNapoli intercepted a Hobart clearing pass on the run. DeNapoli bobbled the ball, but picked it up quickly and ran up the right sideline to score about 20 feet away from the net to tie the score at 1-1 at 11:11.
Once again stopping a Statesman clear, the Red Storm made it 2-1 at 9:01 with a goal from Matt Hurst fed from long-stick defender Mike Sherry. Sherry, a sophomore, caused a Hobart turnover and stole the ground ball. On the fast break clear, Sherry saw Hurst on the left for a one-time pass on the run into the Statesman net, tallying his first career assist.
Hobart tied the score at 2-2 with an unassisted goal from Kevin Curtin at 5:47.
However, St. John’s came right back with a goal from Michaelsen off a pass in front of the net by Schanen.
The Statesmen tied the score for the third time 40 seconds later with their second man-up goal of the day at 3:11. Going into the second period, the score was tied, 3-3.
Schanen gave the Red Storm the one-goal lead once again with 13:35 left in the half, 4-3. Schanen picked off a pass from Hobart goaltender Max Silberlicht in a failed clear attempt for Hobart. The senior turned right around to score his first goal of the day.
Hobart came back with three-straight goals, the largest scoring run of the game, to give the Statesmen a 6-4 lead with 2:11 left in the half. Fed by senior Jamal Jones, Michaelsen brought the score within one goal with 32 seconds on the game clock. St. John’s trailed 6-5 during the halftime break.
Off the intermission, Schanen scored his second goal of the game off a pass from freshman Harry Kutner who was well positioned at the X behind the net. With 9:28 left in the third period, the score was tied 6-6.
Hobart took another two-goal lead with goals from Chris Pedersen and Mike Lazore to take a 8-6 lead with just under six minutes to play in the third. Red Storm senior Malcolm Miles got St. John’s right back in the game with a goal fed by Hurst with just over a minute left in the period.
In the final stanza, Hobart scored twice more to take a three goal, 10-7 lead over St. John’s with 12:01 left in regulation.
After Hobart’s final goal, scored by Kevin Curtin, St. John’s maintained a long possession while looking to set up a come-back. With 9:33 left to play, Hobart regained possession as Miles’ shot was saved by Silberlicht. Sherry gave St. John’s back the ball as he caused his fourth turnover of the game. Junior Reggie Davis picked up the ball and cleared the ball downfield to Kutner who netted another fast break goal for the Red Storm.
With just under six minutes to play, junior Garrett Mitchell was called for a holding penalty. Not to be discouraged, the St. John’s man-down defense, led by Dan Cremens, Sherry, Carlin Cornetta and Jerry Nevin kept the Statesmen quiet and regained possession with 5:40 left on the game clock. Rookie Carl Iacona cleared the ball and scored his second man-down goal of the season on a fast break run at 5:34. Iacona’s goal brought St. John’s within one goal, 10-9.
St. John’s got off three shots in the last five minutes of play, but couldn’t connect for the tying goal. Two of those shots were saved by Silberlicht.
Hobart scored three off its goals on man-up opportunities. St. John’s won the face-off battle winning 15-of-23 draws. Hobart’s Silverlicht had 12 saves, while Red Storm junior goalie Gavin Buckley saved eight.
DeNapoli led the Red Storm with nine ground balls.
In a quick turnaround, St. John’s will travel to Notre Dame, Ind., to face-off against the undefeated No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Game time is set for Sunday, April 19 at 1 p.m. on Alumni Field.
– Red Storm –
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#14 UMass Heads To Hobart For ECAC Battle
Two of the nation’s top goalies set to meet.
#14 UMASS (6-3, 3-0) at HOBART (5-4, 1-3)
Saturday, April 11, 2009 • 1 p.m.
McCooey Field (1.500) • Geneva, N.Y.
Radio: WMUA 91.1 FM (Sam Bingham & Norm Smith)
Live Video, Audio & Gametracker: UMassAthletics.com
#14 UMass Heads To Hobart For ECAC Battle
• The ECAC’s first-place team and highest-ranked squad #14 UMass heads to Hobart for a pivotal battle in the league on Saturday at McCooey Field. The Minutemen (6-3, 3-0 ECAC) and Statesmen (5-4, 1-3) will face-off at 1 p.m. in Geneva, N.Y., with a lot on the line. UMass has won three games in a row, all conference games with wins over Loyola (8-6), Penn State (9-8) and St. John’s (12-6). Hobart started the year 5-0 and was ranked in the top 15 in the polls, but has lost four games in a row.
• Saturday’s game pits two of the top goalies in the nation in UMass’ Doc Schneider and Hobart’s Max Silberlicht. Schneider is fifth in the NCAA in goals against average (6.99) and fourth in save percentage (63.3). The Statesman goalie stands sixth in GAA (7.11) and fifth in save pct. (62.4).
• UMass comes off a dominating performance in the win over St. John’s last Saturday Garber Field. A first-half scoring outburst coupled with a stifling defensive effort was all that the team would need as it downed the Red Storm. One season after netting six goals against the Red Storm, Tim Balise led the UMass offense once again, this time finishing with five points on four goals and an assist. Fellow senior Jim Connolly chipped in with his 11th career hat trick while Doc Schneider made nine saves on 11 shots faced for a career-low in goals allowed (2).
• Balise was named the ECAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after his performance, the fourth time in his career he earned the honor.
• Saturday’s game will be broadcast on WMUA (91.1 FM) with Sam Bingham and UMass All-American Norm Smith calling the action. Live streaming video, audio and GameTracker will also be available on UMassAthletics.com.
The Series With Hobart
• Saturday’s game marks the tenth all-time meeting between UMass and Hobart with the Minutemen holding a 7-2 edge. Since the Statesmen joined the ECAC in 2005, the Minutemen have won all four games, including two high-scoring affairs in Genvea in 2005 (14-12) and 2007 (17-12). This looks to be last meeting between the teams for a while as UMass is leaving the ECAC to play in the CAA.
• The rivalry between UMass and Hobart was restarted five years ago when the Statesmen joined the ECAC in 2005. That 2005 game marked the first time in 20 years UMass and Hobart matched up.
• The last time UMass lost to Hobart was on May 4, 1985 in Geneva, N.Y.
• Hobart won the first meeting, 13-2 in 1972 in the USILA Semifinals.
Recent Games With Hobart
• LAST YEAR’S GAME (April 12, 2008): Freshman Peter McNichols scored the game-winning goal 1:19 into overtime to cap a huge comeback by the UMass lacrosse team and giving the Minutemen an 8-7 victory over Hobart. UMass scored two goals in the final 1:19 of regulation including Tim Balise’s game-tying goal with 7.3 seconds left to send the game to overtime. UMass has won three games in a row to even its record at 5-5 and is 3-1 in the ECAC. Hobart saw its two-game winning streak end as the Statesmen are also 5-5 and 2-3 in the ECAC. McNichols tallied a hat trick. Balise scored two to give him 23 this season. Bobby Hayes had four points on a goal and three assists.
• UMass’ defense was stellar all afternoon as the Minutemen held Hobart’s top three scorers without a point. Goalie Doc Schneider made 10 saves as he backstopped a defense keyed by seniors Brian Danvers, Sean Krygier and David Von Voigt along with junior Brennan Mack and sophomore Diogo Godoi. Hobart’s attack was scoreless as Daryl Veltman saw his consecutive point-scoring streak end at 25 games and Jamie Kirk lost his 24-game scoring streak.
• LAST GAME AT HOBART (April 14, 2007):Eleven different Minutemen scored as UMass busted out for its biggest offensive output of the season with a 17-12 win at Hobart’s McCooey Field. Jim Connolly tied his career high with five goals including an amazing over-the-head goal in the second quarter while sitting on the ground. Tim Balise added two goals and Brett Garber tallied a pair as well. Brian Jacovina and Rory Pedrick each handed out three assists and scored once for four points, apiece.
• Despite allowing a season-high 12 goals, UMass’ defense was solid in holding two of nation’s leading scorers at bay most of the afternoon. Daryl Veltman, who came into the game fourth in the nation in goals per game, didn’t score until the fourth quarter. Jamie Kirk, who was sixth in the nation in points coming into the game, had two goals and two assists.
Playing The Best In The Nation
• UMass is playing seven teams in this week’s USILA Coaches Poll with wins over two of them: No. 15T Harvard and No. 15T Loyola. Only six schools in the nation play more ranked teams than UMass: No. 9 Johns Hopkins (10), No. 6 Syracuse (9), No. 8 Duke (9) No. 2 Princeton (8), No. 10 North Carolina (8), and Georgetown (8). Seven of UMass’ 14 opponents are ranked: No. 5 Hofstra, No. 6 Syracuse, No. 11 Brown, No. 15T Harvard, No. 15T Loyola, No. 18 Albany and No. 19 Georgetown.
• According to LaxPower.com, UMass is playing the eighth-toughest schedule in the nation with the seven games against ranked foes.
• UMass is 2-3 against the teams in this week’s poll, beating current No. 15T Harvard, which was No 11 when the Minutemen beat them 7-3 on March 7 and No. 15T Loyola, who was No. 12 when they fell to UMass. The Minutemen have lost to No. 5 Hofstra and No. 11 Brown by a goal apiece and a 12-9 defeat at No. 18 Albany.
Doc Claims 4th ECAC Honor
• Tewaaraton Trophy Candidate Doc Schneider picked up his fourth ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honor this week as he was honored after 15 saves in the 9-8 win over Penn State (3/28). Schneider racked up 12 saves in the pivotal second half. He has been named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week on March 2, 9 and 23.
• After his huge game at Loyola on March 21, UMass senior goalie Doc Schneider was named the LaxNews College Beat National Player of the Week on March 22. He was also named the ECAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. Schneider was sensational in Saturday’s 8-6 UMass win at #12 Loyola with a season-high 17 saves. Schneider made 11 saves in the second half as the Greyhounds peppered him all game. Schneider allowed just six goals, the fourth time this season he has allowed six goals or less in a game.
Well-Rounded Offense
• The Minutemen have had well balanced scoring all season as 14 different players have scored goals. In all 14 games last season, UMass had 13 goal scorers.
• Senior Jim Connolly leads the charge with 25 goals, 2.78 per game, which leads the ECAC and is ninth in the NCAA. Connolly has scored in every game this season. He leads UMass with 28 points, which is 3.22 points per game, second in the ECAC and 28th in the NCAA.
• With goals in each of the last seven games, Tim Balise extended his point-scoring streak to 16 games, dating the last seven games of last season and the first nine of this year. He is second on the team with 18 goals and 23 points. Balise piled up five points on four goals and an assist against St. John’s (4/4).
• Seniors Balise and Connolly are forming an impressive duo at attack. They have combined for 43 of the Minutemen’s 96 goals on the year (45 percent). • In each of the last two games, both Balise and Connolly tallied hat tricks in the wins over Penn State (3/28) and St. John’s (4/4). Balise has three hat tricks this season and nine in his career while Connolly now has 11 hat tricks overall, four in 2009.
• Freshman Art Kell scored for the seventh consecutive game against St. John’s (4/4), when he had his first-career multi-goal game. Kell scored single goals in six games in a row after being held scoreless in his first two collegiate contests.
• Connolly’s hat trick at Albany (3/10), was his second of this season and ninth of his career. Connolly and Balise have UMass’ only three hat tricks this season. Balise had four goals vs. Yale (2/28).
• Six different players, including Zach Rodgers who scored his first of the season, scored at Albany (3/10).
• At Harvard (3/7), the first five goals were scored by five different players – Bobby Hayes, Jim Connolly, Tim Balise, Rory Pedrick and Art Kell.
• In the 18-6 win over Yale (2/28), Ryan Bagnasco and Kell netted their first goals of the season (and the first of Kell’s career). The 18 goals were the most scored by the Minutemen since scoring 18 vs. Penn State on Apr. 2, 2005.
• In the 11-10 loss to Hofstra (2/21), the seven first-half goals were scored by seven different players. In the second half, Evan Blum, Rory Pedrick and Joe Reale added their second goals of the game.
• In the opening win over Sacred Heart (2/14), six players scored two goals in the win as Balise also added two assists for four points. Blum, Connolly and Pedrick each added an assist for three-point games. Hayes and Ryan Marcus also scored twice. It was the first time since April 30, 2005 that UMass had six multi-goal scorers in a game when the Minutemen accomplished the feat in a 14-13 overtime win over Syracuse.
• Rory Pedrick had a goal vs. Brown and picked up another multi-point game with a goal and assist against Albany. He has points in all seven games he’s played this year.
Schneider A Super Senior
• Senior goalie and Tewaaraton Trophy Candidate Doc Schneider in the midst of a stellar senior season and will go down as one of the best stoppers in program history. He has been named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Team as an honorable mention selection. Schneider was also named to ESPN Quint Kessenich’s Preseason Top 5 Goalies.
• Schneider has been named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week four times on March 2, 9, 23 and 30. He also was named the LaxNews College Beat Player of the Week on March 22.
• Schneider stands fifth in the nation in GAA (6.99) and also fourth in save percentage (63.3).
• Schneider has at least 14 saves in five games this season and ranks second in the ECAC in saves per game with 11.22 per game.
• He currently stands in second on the UMass all-time saves list with 653 only trailing great Sal LoCascio who recorded an unworldly 931 stops which is the most in NCAA history.. He passed Don Goldstein (622) for second all-time with a season-high 17 saves at Loyola (3/21) and moved by Tom LoPresti (562) for third with eight saves at Hofstra (2/21). He became the third goalie in UMass history with 600 career saves vs. Brown (3/14) when he had 14 stops.
• Schneider was named an Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Magazine preseason honorable mention All-American prior to the season. It marks the second All-American honor bestowed upon Schneider. The first came prior to the 2007 campaign after he led the Minutemen to a magical run to the National Title Game in his freshman year (2006).
• In his first three seasons in Amherst, Schneider was one of the top goalies in UMass lacrosse history. As a true freshman in 2006, he led the Minutemen to a 13-5 record and an appearance in the National Finals after NCAA Tournament wins over Cornell, Hofstra, and Maryland. His stellar 15 save performance against the Terrapins sent the Minutemen into the Title Game where he made 17 saves against an undefeated Virginia squad. For the effort, he was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
Defense’s Shuts Down Top Guns
• Backstopped by senior goalie Doc Schneider UMass’ defense has been stellar at shutting down some of the top scorers in the NCAA. Along with Schneider, the close defense featuring senior Brennan Mack and junior All-ECAC performer Diogo Godoi have done a great job against some of the top attackmen. They have been joined by freshman starter Travis Tripucka and freshman Greg Anderson on the backline.
• Against three of the nation’s top 10 point scorers #4 Andrew Feinberg of Brown (4.0 PPG), #8 Corey Small of Albany (4.0 PPG) and #10 Shane Koppens of Loyola (3.63 PPG), UMass has allowed just one goal — by Small — for a group that scores 10-plus goals on average.
• Against Loyola (3/21), Godoi kept Greyhound attacker Shane Koppens pointless, after he came into the game scoring 4.4 points per game. Koppens was limited to just one shot on goal. Also in that game, Mack kept Loyola’s Collin Finnerty to just one goal on a broken clear.
• Also notable, Mack, kept Brown’s Andrew Feinberg, their top scorer, without a goal in the UMass win on March 14. Feinberg is currently fifth in the NCAA in points per game (4.0) including just a single assist against UMass.
• Against Albany, UMass limited the Great Danes’ Corey Small to just a goal and assist. For the year, he is eighth in the NCAA with 4.00 points per game. • The Minutemen also kept Harvard’s Greg Cohen without a goal in the win on March 7. Cohen averages 3.0 points per game.
Man Down Defense Dominant
• The Minutemen are ranked eighth in the NCAA in man-down defense, allowing just seven goals on 34 chances for its opponents (79.4). UMass did not give up a man-up goal in four chances vs. St. John’s (4/4). The Minutemen were not penalized at Loyola (3/21). Prior to that, UMass was a perfect 6-of-6 in killing off man-up opportunities against Brown (3/14). In four games this season, UMass has not allowed a man-down goal.
• Last year, UMass’ man down defense was fifth in the country (.806).
Gorillas At Home
• Since the 1960s, UMass has been known as the Garber Gorillas in honor of head coach Dick Garber and his first big time recruit from New York, Kevin O’Connor (1967-69). UMass has won 29 of the last 38 games spanning five years, dating back to 2004. UMass finished 3-4 in 2008 after going 4-3 in 2007 and 7-1 in 2006. It won 14 games in a row at home from 2004 through 06.
• In 2005, UMass posted a perfect 8-0 record at home tying its record for best home record without a loss at 8-0, which was set in 1981. It was the first time since 1992 UMass went undefeated at home, as it went 6-0 that season.
• Since the start of the 2001 season, UMass is 54-14 at Garber Field, winning nearly 80 percent of the games at the friendly confines.
Big Winners Over Last 8 Years
• UMass has established itself as one of the top programs in the nation. The Minutemen have the ninth-best mark among all teams in the NCAA since 2001 with an 88-43 record for a 67.2 win percentage mark. That includes five seasons with 12 or more wins including a school record 13 wins in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. The Minutemen were second on the list coming into the 2007 season.
Lucky Number 11
• UMass has won 42 games in a row when scoring 11 or more goals after its 12-6 win over St. John’s (4/4) and a 18-6 win over Yale (2/28). Last season, UMass had one game with more than 11 games, a 13-8 win at St. John’s. The Minutemen had four wins in 2007 with 11 goals or more, beating Harvard (11-10), Sacred Heart (11-4), St. John’s (11-7) and Hobart (17-12). The streak goes back over the last seven years — meaning the last four senior classes have never lost when scoring 11 or more goals. UMass’ last loss when they had more than 11 came in the 2002 NCAA Quarterfinals, a 13-12 loss at Johns Hopkins.
• UMass had won 29 games in a row when scoring 10 or more goals, but that streak was snapped with a 11-10 loss to Hofstra on Feb. 21. The Minutemen were 29-0 when scoring 10 or more goals over the last six years. Prior to the loss at Hofstra, the last loss when scoring 10 goals came on May 1, 2004, a 17-10 loss at Syracuse.
Balise For Lowe’s Sr. Class Award
• UMass senior captain Tim Balise has been named a candidate for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. Balise was selected from the pool of NCAA Division I senior lacrosse athletes for his excellence in four areas: the classroom, his character, the community, and the field of competition.
• Balise not only led the Minutemen in scoring with 39 points on 33 goals last season, but also earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, ESPN The Magazine All-District First Team, and ECAC All-Conference Second Team. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact on their circle of influence.
UMass To Join CAA In 2010
• The Colonial Athletic Association announced back in June that it will add UMass and Penn State as associate members in the sport of men’s lacrosse. beginning with the 2010 season. UMass and Penn State join the University of Delaware, Drexel University, Hofstra University and Towson University to form a competitive six-team conference whose champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship.
• A realignment of men’s lacrosse conferences nationally – spurred by the Big East Conference and Northeast Conference’s new sponsorship of the sport – led to the changes in CAA membership. Current members Sacred Heart and Robert Morris will move to the NEC. and Villanova will move to the Big East following the 2009 campaign.
Godoi Preseason All-ECAC Team
• UMass men’s lacrosse redshirt junior defender Diogo Godoi has been named to the preseason All-ECAC team. Godoi had the strongest season of his career in 2007 when he scooped up 27 ground balls while causing a team-leading 17 turnovers. He played in all 14 games, starting 12 of them.
