Minutemen hosts regular-season finale next Friday vs. Delaware
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – In the first game of the ESPNU Warrior Classic on Saturday, the 15th-ranked Minutemen suffered a 14-5 loss to No. 8 Hofstra at Rentschler Field. UMass falls to 8-4 overall (3-2 CAA) while the Pride now stand at 12-1 and 4-1 in CAA play. The Minutemen will look to get back on track in a pivotal conference matchup when UMass hosts its regular-season finale next Friday vs. Delaware on Senior Night at 7 PM at Garber Field.
Hofstra bolted out to a 7-0 advantage after leading 2-0 through the first 15 minutes of play. Jay Card tallied four goals on the day while Adrian Sorichetti had his first career hat trick with two goals coming in the second half. Jamie Lincoln, Stephen Bentz, and Lance Yapor all added two goals for the Pride.
Anthony Biscardi netted his 18th goal of the season with 3:19 left in the second quarter, and Stephen Zorkers beat the buzzer to make it 7-2 at halftime with his first goal of the season. Massachusetts made a run with three straight scores in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, with Art Kell scoring back-to-back tallies before Colin Fleming capped off the run with his 12th goal of the season.
Hofstra controlled nearly every statistical category over the Minutemen throughout the game, leading in shots, (47-22), ground balls (32-20) and face-offs (15-6).
AMHERST, Mass. – Freshman Connor Mooney tallied the first-career hat trick of his career to lead the No. 9 UMass men’s lacrosse team to its fourth win a row to start 2011, 9-6 over No. 20 Brown at Garber Field. Anthony Biscardi also scored three and Steve D’Amario tallied twice while Ryan Hantverk netted the goal that put UMass ahead for good 48 seconds into the second half.
With the game tied 4-4 at halftime, UMass scored the first three goals of the second half to put the game out of reach. After Hantverk scored on a laser early in the third, Mooney netted his second of the game off a pass from Will Manny (three assists). Biscardi took a feed from D’Amario for a three-goal bulge at 7-4 with 3:23 left in the third.
Mooney and Biscardi iced the game in the fourth with tallies less than two minute apart. Parker Brown’s second goal of the game, made the final 9-6. UMass played solid defense late to keep the Bears at bay.
Face-off man Greg Rushing was outstanding yet again, as he won 10-of-14 and scooped a career-high 13 groundballs.
Goalie Tim McCormack made 10 saves to backstop a UMass defense that was outstanding yet again. Sophomore Jake Smith caused a career-high five turnovers and both Tom Celentani and Greg Anderson each forced a pair of turnovers.
UMass outshot Brown, 37-27 and outgroundballed the Bears, 34-25.
UMass returns to action on Tuesday at Albany, in a 3 p.m. face-off.
#11 UMass Lax Tops #13 Ohio State, 11-9
Minutemen get two goals from four different scorers.
Colin Fleming had his second two-goal game of the season at home.
Feb. 26, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. – The #11 UMass men’s lacrosse team moved to 3-0 with a solid 11-9 win over #13 Ohio State on Saturday at Garber Field. Four different Minutemen scored two goals including freshman Connor Mooney, who scored the first two goals of his career in the final five minutes to seal the win. Anthony Biscardi, Colin Fleming and Art Kell also added a pair. Greg Rushing won sensation on face-offs winning 12-of-17 and scooped up a career-high 11 groundballs. Ohio State (3-1) suffered its first loss, a week after upsetting then-No. 3 North Carolina.
After falling behind 2-0 less than six minutes into the game, UMass reeled off three goals in a row to take a 3-2 lead with 9:45 left in the second quarter as Kell scored back-to-back goals.
Ohio State would tie the game at 3-3 and 5-5 — early in the third quarter. But Fleming scored consecutive goals on long blasts to regain a two-goal advantage at 7-5 with 1:00 left in the third quarter. Mike Fetterly notched his second goal of the season with 18 seconds left in the third to extend the lead to 8-5.
Hudson, Ohio native Bobby Tyler — playing against his homestate team — then finished off a fastbreak 1:16 into the fourth quarter for his first-career goal and a 9-5 edge.
The final exclamation points came from the stick of Mooney who netted his first two career goals, 57 seconds apart in the final minutes to close out the win.
The defense in front of Tim McCormack (6 saves) was strong again, limiting the Buckeyes to just 21 shots. UMass forced OSU into 18 turnovers with Jake Smith cauing four turnovers. The defensive midfield was strong all afternoon as well with key play from Rushing, Tyler, Ryan Hollenbaugh, Stephen Zorkers, Mael Walkowiak and Casey Rahn.
Rushing helped UMass to winning 15-of-23 on the draws as Anthony Toresco (3-of-6) also contributed.
Sophomore Will Manny extended its scoring streak to 17 games with a second-quarter goal.
UMass returns to action on Saturday as Brown comes to Garber Field for one of the oldest rivalries in New England lacrosse. Face-off is set for 1 p.m., on March 5 and the game will be televised on CBS 3 Now in Western Massachusetts.
#16 UMass Posts Total Team Effort In 8-5 Win Over #12 Army
The Minutemen dominated the Black Knights in shots 50-22.
Feb. 12, 2011
Box Score Below
AMHERST, Mass. – The No. 16 UMass men’s lacrosse team posted a total team effort in topping No. 12 Army at Garber Field, on Saturday with an 8-5 victory in the opener for both teams. UMass dominated on both ends of the field as they Minutemen outshot the Black Knights, 50-22. On defense, the Minutemen forced Army into 20 turnovers and goalie Tim McCormack backstopped with nine saves.
Junior Tom Celentani and Jake Smith led the way on the defensive end for the Minutemen, causing a combined five turnovers. The close defense and defensive midfield were stellar all game. UMass held Army to just one goal over more than 38 minutes spanning the second to the fourth quarters.
On the offensive end, sophomore Colin Fleming posted a two-goal game, while Anthony Biscardi and Will Manny each had three points with a goal and two assists respectively.
For the Black Knights, Tom Palesky was rock solid, posting 18 saves and keeping Army in the game for much of the afternoon, despite the disparity in shots.
UMass opened a 2-0 lead just 2:43 into the action as Fleming and Mike Fetterly notched goals. The Minutemen went on to outshot Army, 20-2 in the first period.
The Black Knights tied the game at 2-2 on quick second-quarter goals by Garrett Thul and Jay Laing, but UMass answered and kept the lead for the rest of the game. Steve D’Amario was credited with a goal as Army played the ball into its own net for the go-ahead marker with 11:11 left in the second quarter.
That started a span of UMass scoring five of the next six goals over 38:27 until the Black Knights finally broke the drought with Jeremy Boltus’ second goal of the game.
Manny iced the game a pretty goal off a feed from Biscardi with 1:53 left in the game to secure the win.
Faceoffs were equal at eight for each side. UMass won the ground battle, 27-17 on ground balls.
Lacrosse Team Starts Practice ‘The UMass Way’
Minutemen get action underway on Friday at Garber Field.
Jan. 14, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. — The UMass men’s lacrosse team began its 2011 season practice on the coldest day of winter thus far on Friday. With snow banks piled several feet high all around, Greg Cannella led his Minutemen on to Garber Field to begin preparation for another year of action. Check out this video featuring Will Manny, Ryan Hantverk, Casey Rahn and Tim McCormack along with Cannella, in his 17th season at the helm of his alma mater.
Match-up pits two of the top seven scoring teams in the NCAA.
#18 UMASS (4-2) at #15 BROWN (3-1)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 • 4 p.m.
Meister-Kavan Field (1,000) • Providence, R.I.
Streaming Audio: UMassAthletics.com
Live Stats: UMassAthletics.com
New England Rivalry On Tap For Tuesday: UMass at Brown
• One of the top lacrosse rivalries in all of New England will be renewed on Tuesday afternoon as No. 18 UMass travels to No. 15 Brown for a 4 p.m., face-off at Meister-Kavan Field in Providence. The Minutemen (4-2) come into the game following a week off after a 17-3 win over Providence at Garber Field, last Tuesday. The Bears (3-1) come off a big win over then-No. 14 Harvard, 13-11, last Saturday at Harvard Stadium. Brown has won three games in a row since a season-opening loss to Hofstra, 15-12.
• With the 17-3 win over Providence, UMass had its largest margin of victory since 2002 when the Minutemen beat Hartford, 19-5 on March 23.
• Live audio and live stats will be available on UMassAthletics.com.
• The mid-week clash with Brown is the first of two huge games for the Minutemen as UMass hosts its inaugural CAA conference game on Saturday, March 27 as No. 6 Hofstra comes to Garber Field for a 1 p.m. face-off.
Offensive Explosion Early On
• Tuesday’s game pits two of the top scoring teams in the nation as UMass comes into the contest third in the NCAA in goals per game (14.7). Brown ranks seventh with 14.0 per game. Robert Morris leads the country with 15.9, followed by Stony Brook (15.3).
• UMass has at least 11 goals in every game this season with a season-high of 20 against Hartford (2/20).
• UMass has a well-rounded offense with five players tallying more than 15 points. Sophomore attacker Art Kell leads the team in scoring with 24 points on a team-high 16 goals and eight assists. He is tied for 20th in the NCAA in points per game with 4.0. He is also tied for 18th in goals per game with 2.7. Kell comes off a career-high five goals and six-point effort vs. Providence last Tuesday.
• Kell has at least two points in every game this season and at least two goals in five of six games.
• Senior captain midfielder Bobby Hayes is tied for second on the team in points with 19 and stands second in goals with 12. Hayes has points in all six games this season and has points in eight games in a row dating to last season. Hayes leads UMass in man-up goals with four.
• Freshman attacker Will Manny also has 19 points on 11 goals and a team-best tying eight assists. Manny ranks 35th in the NCAA with 1.6 assists per game. Manny has at least two points in every game this season.
• Junior midfielders Ryan Hantverk (11 goals, 6 assists for 17 points) and Anthony Biscardi (9 goals, 6 assists for 15 points) have been very consistent along side of Hayes. UMass’ first midfield has a combined 32 goals and 19 assists for 51 points.
• UMass has been well-rounded on offense with 14 different players scoring and 11 with at least two goals. Five different players have nine or more goals and eight players have at least five goals.
• Senior midfielder Christian Hain has five goals and four assists for nine points on the second midfield. Freshman K.R. Jurgelevich leads all rookies with five goals and seven points.
• Junior attacker Ryan Liebel also has seven goals and senior captain Ryan Smith has four goals.
The Series With Brown
• Brown leads the long-standing New England rivalry, 26-21-1. Brown leads 10-8-1 in games played in Providence. The Bears also hold a slight 15-13 edge in Amherst after last season’s 9-8 win at Garber Field.
• The Bears have won three in a row and four of the last six, including the last low-scoring affairs. In 2007, Brown won 7-4, while it also won in 2008, 4-3.
• In the last meeting at Brown, Bear Brian Asher knocked the ball away from UMass’ Bobby Hayes with 12 seconds left in the game to help the Bears preserve a 4-3 win over the Minutemen on March 15, 2008. UMass’ Tim Balise had scored his second goal of the game with 7:31 left in the fourth quarter to get the Minutemen within a goal. UMass outshot Brown, 38-27 on the day. The Bears goalkeeper, Jordan Burke, played very well in goal, making 16 saves. UMass limited Brown to just eight shots on goal all afternoon as the defense was strong yet again.
• The seven total goals marked the lowest scoring game UMass played in since April 19, 1966, when UMass beat MIT, 3-1. The three goals for UMass was the fewest since a 6-3 loss to Navy on March 11, 2000.
• The Minutemen have had three ties all-time, one of which was against Brown in 1955 by an 8-8 final. The other two were against Holy Cross (1962) and Oberlin (1967).
The Last Meeting:
Brown 9, UMass 8
• UMass shot early and often, but Brown’s All-American goalie Jordan Burke was up to the challenge has he posted 20 saves as the No. 18 Bears topped the No. 13 Minutemen, 9-8, on a sunny afternoon at Garber Field on March 14, 2009. The Minutemen had multiple chances late in the game, but Burke stopped five shots in the fourth quarter including three saves in the final minute as UMass (3-3) peppered him. Minuteman goalie Doc Schneider was stellar as well making 14 saves between the pipes. Brown (4-1) received a career day from senior Reade Seligmann, who posted his first-career hat trick. Freshman Rob Schlesinger also scored the first two goals of his career for Brown.
• UMass senior Jim Connolly scored two goals for the Minutemen but was stopped by Burke twice in the final 30 seconds. Freshman Art Kell had his first-career multi-point day with a goal and two assists.
• Seligmann’s second goal which he shot between his legs with six seconds left in the third quarter was the decisive goal as it broke a 6-6 tie and Brown would never trail. He added his third of the game 2:51 into the fourth quarter for the two-goal edge, 8-6.
• The Minutemen got to within a goal twice in the final 12 minutes. Ryan Hantverk ripped a laser to cut the lead to 8-7 with 11:59 left in regulation. Schlesinger, who scored his first goal on a midfield run to goal in the second quarter, scored an unassisted goal with 10:11 left in the game. UMass once again came to within one as senior Tim Balise took a pretty feed from Kell and beat Burke on the left side with 9:36 left in the game. But that was the last ball to reach the back of the net on either side.
Minute Matters
• Sophomore defenseman Tom Celentani is off to a sensational starting in his first season as a starter on close defense. He leads the team in caused turnovers with 16, which ranks third in the NCAA. He also has 14 groundballs.
• Sophomore face-off man Greg Rushing has been strong on face-offs recently. This season he is 61-of-106 on draws for 57.5 percent. He also leads the team in groundballs with 28. He won a career-best 16-of-21 for 76.2 percent against Albany (3/9) as he scooped six groundballs. Rushing won 14 face-offs vs. Harvard (3/13) and grabbed a career-high eight groundballs.
• Junior Casey Rahn is second on the team with 17 groundballs, as the team’s top long-pole on defense and the face-off wing.
• Senior captain Diogo Godoi is second on the team in caused turnovers with 10 along with his 13 groundballs.
• Six Minutemen have double-figure groundballs. In addition to Rushing (28), Rahn (17), Celentani (14) and Godoi (13), short-stick Stephen Zorkers has 15 and face-off man Anthony Toresco has 16 groundballs.
Best Scoring Start Since 2001
• With 88 goals in the first six games, UMass has its best offensive start to a season since 2001 when the Minutemen scored 105 goals as they started the year 6-0.
• The last time UMass had at least 11 in goals in each of the first five games — as they do this season — was in 2001, a 6-0 start.
• In 2010, UMass had its best three-game start in scoring since 1990, with 47 goals this season. It was the best since 1990, when the Minutemen tallied 70 goals in its first three games. In a trip to Arizona, UMass beat the Wildcats, 27-8 and Whittier College, 28-7 in back-to-back games. That was followed up with a 16-15 loss to Cornell, for a total of 70 goals in the first three games.
20-Goal Outburst Vs. Hartford
• UMass had its highest scoring game in eight years with a 20-10 win over Hartford in the home opener on Feb. 20. The 20 goals were the most since a 21-9 win over Rutgers on May 4, 2002. Ryan Hantverk led the way with a career-high four goals while Ryan Smith scored the first three goals of his career for a hat trick. Bobby Hayes also had a hat trick for the second game in a row.
• The Minutemen jumped out to a 13-7 halftime lead, marking the most goals in a half since that same Rutgers game in 2002. Against the Scarlet Knights, UMass had a 14-goal second half including an 11-goal fourth quarter. Against Hartford, UMass led 8-2 after the first 15 minutes with five goals in the game’s first 6:34.
Manny Named CAA Rookie Of The Week
• Freshman attacker Will Manny was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Feb. 22 after a seven-point effort in the first two games of the season. Manny is among the national leaders in assists with five, ranking fifth in the country.
Big Winners Over Last 10 Years
• UMass has established itself as one of the top programs in the nation. Since 2001, UMass has the seventh-most wins of any program in college lacrosse with 95 victories.
• The Minutemen have the ninth-best mark among all teams in the NCAA since 2001 with an 94-48 record for a 66.2 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, No More
• UMass had won 45 games in a row when scoring 11 or more goals until falling at Yale, 13-12 on March 5, 2010. The Minutemen also lost to Harvard, 14-13 on March 13, marking the most goals UMass scored in a loss since a 16-15 defeat to Delaware on April 15, 1995. UMass had won 67 games in a row when scoring 13 or more goals.
• UMass has now won 68 of its last 69 games when scoring 13 goals, after the 17-3 win over Providence.
• The Minutemen have at least 11 goals in every game this season with a 4-2 record and have won 47 of their last 49 games when tallying 11 or more.
• Prior to the Yale loss, UMass’ last loss when they had more than 11 came in the 2002 NCAA Quarterfinals, a 13-12 loss at Johns Hopkins.
• The streak lasted eight years to 2002 — meaning the last four senior classes had never lost when scoring 11 or more goals.
• Last season UMass had four 11-plus efforts in 2009. UMass beat Rutgers 11-10 in overtime in the regular-season finale to go along with 12-6 wins over Fairfield (4/21) and St. John’s (4/4) and a 18-6 win over Yale (2/28).
• UMass is 36-3 in its last 39 games when scoring double-figures, starting 4-2 this year and a 5-1 mark last year. 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, 2009. The Minutemen were 29-0 when scoring 10 or more goals from 2004-09. Prior to the loss at Hofstra, the last loss when scoring 10 goals came on May 1, 2004, a 17-10 loss at Syracuse.
Thumbnail Sketch Of The Minutemen
• Coming off the program’s 18th NCAA Tournament appearance, the UMass men’s lacrosse team is in its 57th season, starting in 1954. All-time, UMass has a 474-247-3 record.
• The Minutemen are ranked 18th in this week’s USILA Coaches Poll and 19th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. UMass was as high as No. 12 in the March 1 USILA poll this season.
• Last season, the Minutemen finished 9-6 overall and captured the ECAC Championship with a 6-1 league record. UMass fell to Princeton in the NCAA Tournament First Round, 10-7, in New Jersey.
• Head coach Greg Cannella is in his 16th season as head coach at his alma mater. Overall, the 1988 UMass grad has a 135-86 career record, winning more than 61.1 percent of the games he has coached. He ranks among the Top 15 among active coaches in the NCAA in career wins and win percentage.
• The Minutemen are beginning play in a new league in 2010, the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). UMass made the move to the league after a national shuffle caused by the formation of the Big East Conference in lacrosse. The Minutemen joined the CAA along with former ECAC member Penn State and will compete in a six-team league along with longtime CAA members Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra and Towson.
• Coming into 2010, UMass will have plenty of new faces in key positions. The Minutemen graduated All-Conference players including ECAC Goalie of the Year and Second-Team All-American Doc Schneider (7.43 GAA and 65.3 Save Pct.) along with its two leading scorers in Tim Balise (31 goals, 5 assists for 36 points) and Jim Connolly (39-5=44). Also, graduated were the fourth and fifth leading scorers in Evan Blum (14-8-22) and Rory Pedrick (12-6=18). Overall, UMass returned just 41 goals of its 143 goals from last season, just 28.7 percent. The leading returning scorer is senior captain midfielder Bobby Hayes (12-14=26), who led the team in assists in 2009. Fellow senior captain attackman Ryan Smith is expected to pick up some of the load in his first season as a starter. Sophomore Art Kell was the top rookie scorer a year ago with 11 goals and three assists and will be back to start on attack.
• The goalie position will have a new face for the first time in four years as Schneider graduated as one of the all-time greats in UMass history. He finished second in career saves with 753 and is now serving as an assistant coach with the Minutemen. Redshirt sophomore Tim McCormack and freshman Steve Mahle battled for the starting role in preseason camp with McCormack getting the nod to start the year. McCormack redshirted last season to retain three years of eligibility while Mahle was starring at West Genesee High School in upstate New York.
• An area with experience heading into 2010 is the close defense, as UMass returns 2009 All-American and 2010 Preseason All-American Diogo Godoi as a senior captain. Godoi will team with returning sophomore Greg Anderson and junior Travis Tripucka. That duo shared starting duties last season along side Godoi and graduated Brennan Mack. Sophomore Tom Celentani has also seen extended playing time on close defense. Junior long-pole Casey Rahn and junior short-stick Stephen Zorkers will also be key to the defense’s success.
Godoi Preseason 2nd-Team All-American
• Senior captain defenseman Diogo Godoi was named an Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Magazine Preseason All-American. He was an Honorable Mention USILA All-American last season. He will return for his senior year with numerous honors as has been also named an All-ECAC First Team defender and an All-New England pick. He anchored a UMass defense that finished the season 11th nationally in fewest goals allowed (7.93). He shut down the opponent’s top scorer on numerous occasions, including in the NCAA Tournament contest at Princeton when he held the Tigers’ top scorer Jack McBride (a Second-Team All-American) pointless. He started all 15 games while recording 28 groundballs and 21 caused turnovers, tied for most on team. He was twice named to Inside Lacrosse Team of the Week on March 23 and April 6.
UMass Picked Second In CAA; Trio Earn Honors
• UMass was picked to finish second in the CAA based on the preseason lacrosse coaches poll. Hofstra was selected to win the league in the coaches’ vote. The Minutemen placed three players on the preseason All-CAA team in senior midfielder Bobby Hayes, junior long-stick midfielder Casey Rahn and senior defenseman Diogo Godoi. The three selections was the second most in the league behind Delaware’s four picks. This is UMass’ first year in the CAA after playing in the ECAC, a league UMass captured the crown in last season.
UMass Wins 2009 ECAC Championship
• UMass won its fourth ECAC Championship in its final season in the league, before moving to the CAA in 2010. The Minutemen won the league in thrilling fashion as Tim Balise scored the game-winning overtime goal, his fifth of the game for the 11-10 victory at Rutgers (5/2). Balise and classmate Jim Connolly (3) combined for eight goals in the win. Doc Schneider made 19 saves including one off the opening face-off win by the Rutgers.
• The Minutemen also captured the league crown in 2001, 2002 and 2005. In 2002 UMass also claimed the league’s automatic qualifier. The Minutemen lost the tiebreaker to Georgetown in 2001 and in 2005, the league did not have an AQ.
• UMass ended in a tie with Loyola atop the ECAC at 6-1, but claimed the crown by virtue of its 8-6 win at Loyola on March 21.
UMass Claims 2009 ECAC Honors
• ECAC Lacrosse Champion UMass collected three of the top honors in the conference on Tuesday as Greg Cannella was named the Coach of the Year, senior attacker Jim Connolly was named the Offensive Player of the Year and senior Doc Schneider was named the Goalie of the Year. Connolly and Schneider were joined on the ECAC First-Team by senior attacker Tim Balise and junior defenseman Diogo Godoi. Junior midfielder Bobby Hayes was named to the second team.
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Trio of Balise, Deane and Jacovina chosen by Chicago Machine.
Dec. 11, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. – Four former UMass lacrosse stars were selected in the 2010 Major League Lacrosse Supplemental Draft held on Dec. 10. Three former Minutemen were selected by the Chicago Machine: Jake Deane (second round), Brian Jacovina (sixth round) and Tim Balise (11th round). Brett Garber was taken by the Washington Bayhawks in the third round.
Each off-season, the Supplemental Draft allows for teams to reload their rosters in preparation for the upcoming season’s training camp. This year’s draft totaled 12 rounds in order to get each team’s roster up to 35 players. From here on, teams are allowed to add up to 5 more players immediately from the Player Pool or wait to host an open tryout first. Players who were drafted and remain on a team roster will automatically be invited to their team’s training camp, while those who went undrafted will hope to be claimed at a later date.
Deane has played with Chicago for the last three seasons. Last year he played in 12 games and had seven goals along with 72 groundballs. He led UMass to the 2006 NCAA Championship Game and was a senior captain. As an honorable mention All-American, he dominated the field as a long stick defensive midfielder and primary face-off man. His face-off percentage was ranked 5th in the nation at 61.5 (233-379).
Garber spent last season with the Boston Cannons. In four games, he had four goals. At UMass, he played four years. He was team Captain during his senior season (2007). Named Second Team All-ECAC and to the All-New England First Team in 2007. He was tied for second on his team and fourth in the ECAC in goals (26) during his senior campaign (2007). Garber was All-New England First Team as a junior in 2006.
Jacovina has been in the MLL since 2007, playing with Boston and Denver in 2008. He had two goals in seven total games that season. The 2007 UMass grad was named to All-New England First Team that year. He was also named to the 2007 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Eighth Division I All New England Senior Scholar Athlete Team. He was a tremendous two-way player, who ran on first midfield, also played defensive midfield and on face-off wing. In 2007, he led UMass with 18 assists, tied for third in points (24).
Balise graduated from UMass in 2009 as an Academic All-American. He was also named a USILA Scholar All-American in late May. He graduated from UMass with a perfect 4.0 GPA in Psychology. Balise won an endless number of academic awards in his career. He was recently named a UMass Spring Scholar Athlete and the UMass Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also named to the NEILA Scholar-Athlete Team in addition to being an NEILA First-Team playing selection. He was also named to the All-ECAC First Team. Balise followed up a 33-goal effort in 2008 with 31 goals and five assists as a senior.
The 2010 Major League Lacrosse season begins on Friday, May 18th. Season highlights include the 2010 MLL All Star Game in Boston, MA on July 8, 2010 and the New Balance MLL Championship Weekend will be at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD on August 21st and 22nd.
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Future Minuteman set state career records at Walpole with 686 points and 96 TDs.
Nov. 18, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. – UMass men’s lacrosse NLI signee Ryan Izzo set the Massachusetts state high school record for career scoring (686 points) and touchdowns (96) as a senior football player at Walpole High School. Izzo was one of seven early signees for the 2010-11 men’s lacrosse season.
The senior running back set the records last weekend as he scored one touchdown and kicked just two extra points Sunday during a 35-14 loss to Natick, but it was enough to give him Massachusetts career records with 686 points and 96 touchdowns.
The previous records — both held by Nathan Sherr of Austin Prep (2003-06) — were 682 points and 95 touchdowns. He also finished No. 2 in career rushing yardage (5,895). The record is 6,688, set in 1995. In addition, he has gone 101-of-117 in extra points and 3-of-4 in field goals.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Izzo said the records “feel great. It’s a terrific honor. It’s been a great time in my life. Coming today (first loss in 10 games), I can’t really give a full answer. Going back to my sophomore year, our offensive line has done a terrific job of downfield blocking.”
Izzo said he would trade his records in a moment for a victory against the undefeated Natick powerhouse. He conceded there was “some pressure” late in the season as he approached the records. “You’d see it in the papers and it was on the school announcements,” he noted. “I’m glad I got it over finally.”
However, his football career isn’t quite yet complete. He can add to his legend when the Rebels take on Weymouth in their traditional Thanksgiving Day finale.
Izzo will play midfield this spring at Walpole. Izzo had 58 goals and 15 assists as a junior and has 93 goals for his career.
Izzo will be joined at UMass by six others who signed during the early signing period. Face-off specialist Joseph Calvello (Naperville North in Illinois), defenseman Conor Casey (Mount St. Joseph’s in Maryland), long-stick midfielder Bryson Craft (Episcopal in Philadelphia), defenseman James Fahey (St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Mass.), midfielder Tyler Knight (St. Andrews in Florida) and attackman Connor Mooney (Avon Old Farms in Connecticut from Wilbraham, Mass.)
Wilbraham native honored as UMass’ fifth Scholar All-American.
May 26, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. – Senior attacker Tim Balise was named a USILA Scholar All-American. He is UMass’ fifth all-time selection and third in a row joining recent honorees Brian Jacovina in 2006 and Sean Krygier in 2007. Balise was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Men’s At-Large First-Team for the second year in a row. He graduated last Saturday with a perfect 4.0 GPA in Psychology.
Balise has won an endless number of academic awards in his career. He was recently named a UMass Spring Scholar Athlete and the UMass Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also named to the NEILA Scholar-Athlete Team in addition to being an NEILA First-Team playing selection. He was also named to the All-ECAC First Team.
Balise followed up a 33-goal effort in 2008 with 31 goals and five assists as a senior. Balise single-handedly sent UMass back to the tournament with a five goal performance, including the overtime game-winner in the regular season finale at Rutgers.
In addition to Jacovina and Krygier, Harold Drumm and Mike DelPercio were both named USILA Scholar All-Americans in 1998.
The USILA Scholar All-America Program was established in 1989 to recognize student-athletes from USILA member institutions who have distinguished themselves academically, athletically, and as citizens of their communities. The USILA Selection Committee chooses an overall team representing Divisions I, II and III, and they are recognized at the annual Lacrosse All-America Banquet.
2009 USILA Scholar All-America Team
Matt Abbott Syracuse
Craig Andrzejewski Pennsylvania Tim Balise Massachusetts
Kylor Berkman Salisbury
Jordan Burke Brown
Dave Campbell Middlebury
Peter Carroll St. Lawrence
Devin Catlin Kenyon
Greg Cerar C.W. Post
Marc Cizenski Le Moyne
Alex Cole Nazareth
Michael Colleluori Hofstra
Nick Cosco Endicott
Tom Costanza Geneseo
Michael DeGiovanni Drew
Russ Follansbee Wesleyan
Michael Gerbush Williams
Greg Gibbons Clarkson
Dan Groot Maryland
Alex Heckman Stevens
Bryan Holden Bowdoin
Skyler Hopkins Middlebury
Mark Kovler Princeton
Jason LaShomb Mercyhurst
Connor Locke Washington & Lee
David Loftus C.W. Post
Terence Malangone Wesleyan
Ryan McFadyen Duke
Clem McNally Tufts
John Meade Hartwick
James Minor Denison
Eddie O’Reilly Endicott
Matt Petre Fairfield
Chris Peyser Princeton
Peet Poillon UMBC
Scott Reimer Cabrini
Jeff Reynolds Maryland
Mitchell Rosensweig Towson
Brad Ross Duke
Evan Schaller Wingate
Dan Sciulla C.W. Post
James Shanahan Washington & Lee
Mike Simon Stevenson
Tim Skeen Washington & Lee
Alex Slauson St. Lawrence Ryan Smith UMBC
Harry St. John Washington & Lee
Mike Stone Middlebury
Kirk Waldie Wesley
Brian Welch Le Moyne
Brady Williams Brown
David Wood St. John Fisher
Jordan Yarboro Tufts
Garber Gorrilla was a two-time first-team All-American in the early 1990s.
May 21, 2009
BALTIMORE, Md. – UMass Hall of Famer Mark Millon will be inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Baltimore this November, U.S. Lacrosse announced on Thursday. Millon is part of a class of eight all-time legends. Millon was inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame in 2004 after a star-studded career with the Minutemen in the early 1990s. Millon is the second UMass player to go into the Hall of Fame, joining goalie Sal LoCascio, who went into the Hall in 2004.
Millon, considered one of the greatest players in the history of lacrosse, was a four-year letterwinner for the Minutemen from 1990-1993. He earned first team All-America honors in 1992 and 1993, becoming the first UMass player to be selected to the first team twice. He was also an honorable mention All-America selection in 1991, while earning All-New England honors three times.
During his four-year career, Millon totaled 213 points on 155 goals and 58 assists, making him the fourth leading scorer in UMass history. He also ranks second on the school’s all-time goals scored list and is 15th on the assists chart. The team’s leading scorer as a sophomore, junior and senior, Millon tallied 58 goals in 1993, the third-best one-season mark in school history. His 45 goals in 1992 rank as the 10th-best single-season performance in school history, while his 81 points in 1992 stand as the 11th-best one-year effort at Massachusetts.
The MVP of the 1993 North-South All-Star Game, Millon played on UMass teams which qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 1990, 1991 and 1993, and was a member of New England championship clubs in both 1990 and 1993. He captained the Minutemen as a junior and senior, with the team posting an overall record of 38-17 during Millon’s career. UMass won at least nine games during each of Millon’s four seasons, and finished the season ranked in the top 10 three times.
After he graduated from UMass, Millon went on to be named the MVP of the 1994 World Games, and was the United States’ leading scorer in the 1998 World Games with 20 goals scored. He was named the event’s Most Valuable Attack player in 1998 and earned All-Tournament honors. A two-time MVP of the U.S. Club Lacrosse Association, Millon was a three-time All-Pro selection in the National Lacrosse League and ranks as the all-time leading regular season goal scorer.
Millon has starred in Major League Lacrosse with the Baltimore Bayhawks and Boston Cannons. He named the Warrior MLL Offensive Player of the Year in both 2002 and 2003 and Co-MVP in 2005. He retired as the MLL’s all-time leading scorer with 356 points. He also serves as a sales and marketing representative for Warrior Lacrosse, Inc.
Marcus, congrats from your friends at Lacrossehero.com who are very glad to have shared the field and friendship with such a tremendous talent and good guy. Burr!
