Since joining the Liberty League in the spring of 2012, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) men’s lacrosse team has put together an impressive run of dominance. Over the last eight years, the Tigers have captured eight straight league titles, advanced to eight straight NCAA tournaments (ten consecutive overall) and won at least 20 games five times in the last six years. With the return of a core group of veterans, RIT looks poised to repeat as league champions and the Liberty League men’s lacrosse head coaches seem to agree as the Tigers were unanimously selected the 2020 preseason favorite.
It will continue to be a battle in the Liberty League Men’s Lacrosse standings with nine teams vying for six playoffs spots. In this year’s poll, teams selected second through fifth in the poll were separated by only 17 points. RIT leads the nine teams with 64 points and eight first-place votes. Union College, the 2019 Liberty League runner-up, was selected second with a first-place vote and 54 points. St. Lawrence University was only two points behind the Dutchmen in third with 52 and Ithaca College was chosen fourth (42). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI, 37) was picked to finish fifth and the Engineers were followed by Clarkson University (29), Vassar College (23), Skidmore College (15) and Bard College (9).
In the 2020 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Preseason Coaches Poll, three league teams were highlighted. RIT leads the trio of conference teams in fifth while Union was tied for tenth and St. Lawrence rounded out the three teams at No. 20.
RIT finished 2019 with a 20-2 overall record and an unbeaten 8-0 mark against league opponents. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the ninth time in ten seasons. Despite some big departures with the graduation of 2019 Liberty League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year (Shawn Nally and Trevor Smyth), this year’s squad will open the 2020 season with seven starters from a year ago. The Tigers will be led by five
Faceoff Yearbook Preseason All-Americans—goalkeeper Walker Hare, midfielder Ryan Barnable, defender Alex Maruna, attack Dawson Tait and faceoff specialist Nick Montemorano. Walker earned a spot on the All-Liberty League first team following his junior campaign where he posted a 20-2 record along with a league-best .616 save percentage and an 8.22 goals against average, which ranked him third among conference goalies. Maruna will join Hare in the backfield after helping the defense hold opponents to 7.95 goals per game. He scooped up 50 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers. Barnable and Tait will pilot the offense after ranking second and third respectively on the team in scoring last year. Barnable, who tallied at least a point in all 22 games last season, scored 43 goals and handed out 31 assists for 74 points in 2019 while Tait recorded at least a point in 21 games. He totaled 73 points on 41 goals and 32 assists last season. Monemorano won 236-of-388 face-offs last season to post a .608 winning percentage, good for fifth among league leaders. His 236 faceoff wins was tops in the league and he was second in ground balls with 102.
2019 was one of the best seasons in program history for
Union as they finished the year with a 14-4 overall record (7-1 Liberty League). The Dutchmen advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament before falling to league foe RIT, 10-9. The 14 wins was the second-highest win total in the program’s record books. It was a busy offseason for the Dutchmen with the retirement of head coach Paul Wehrum (2007-2019) and the elevation of assistant coach Derek Witheford (Class of 2011) to head coach. Despite the coaching change and the graduation of eight, Union will look to build upon last season’s success with the return of
Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans Edward Winters and Jimmy Connelly. Winters, an All-Liberty League First Team selection, started all 18 games for the Dutchmen while pacing the team in caused turnovers (33) in 2019. Winters also picked up 49 ground balls. Connelly recorded a career-high 10 points on five goals and five assists in 2019. He was also among the top-five on the team in both caused turnovers (16) and ground balls (44). Overall, the offense should be in good shape as two of the team’s top-three scorers from last season are back—Keaton McCann and Hayden Frey, both of whom were All-Liberty League second team picks. They both played in all 18 games for Union last year, combining for 69 goals and 20 assists. McCann was second on the team with 45 points and Frey was third with 44 points. Goaltending could be a question mark to start the season, however both Graham Goldheim (10 games, 104 minutes) and Reed Karaska (4 games, 25 minutes) are back after seeing some time between the pipes last season.
St. Lawrence (13-4, 5-3 Liberty League) appeared in the Liberty League tournament for the eighth straight season and advanced to the semifinals. With the return of seven starters from last year and the graduation of only seven, the Saints will look to make some noise in 2020. A pair of All-Liberty League first team selections headline the team’s returning players in attack Mike Donnelly and defender Tyler Burns. Donnelly led the Saints with 46 goals and 20 assists for 66 points. Among league leaders, he finished his junior campaign third in goals per game (2.71) and sixth in points per game (3.88). He also scooped up 27 ground balls and caused three turnovers. Burns was tops on the team with 33 caused turnovers and tallied 27 ground balls. He averaged 1.94 caused turnovers per game, good for third in the conference. The Saints welcome back goalkeeper Alex Terry (13-4) after closing out last season with a league-low 7.16 goals against average (fifth in Division III) and a .557 save percentage, third among league leaders. He also had 56 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. Harrison Koch (18 points) will also be a key contributor for the Saints after scoring 12 goals and adding six assists in 17 games last season.
Ithaca wrapped up last season with its second consecutive trip to the Liberty League postseason in just two years with the conference. The Bombers went 8-6 overall and 5-3 in league play in 2019. They will be an experienced squad this season with the departure of only five players. A trio of All-Liberty League second teamers (attack Connor Brumfield, midfielder Connor Till and defenseman Jake Hall-Goldman) highlight Ithaca’s key returnees. Brumfield was second on the team in scoring last season with 25 goals and 15 assists in his sophomore campaign. He recorded at least a point in all 14 games last season in addition to 38 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers. Till also played in all 14 games last season and was fourth on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 13 assists (27 points). He scooped up 27 ground balls and caused six turnovers. Jake Hall-Goldman will direct the defensive corps after posting a team-high 27 caused turnovers and 32 ground balls last season. Aaron McCartney is also back to bolster the team’s defense. He was fourth on the team in ground balls (39) and tied for second in caused turnovers (19).
RPI made its fourth trip in six years to the Liberty League tournament last season, advancing to the semifinals and posted a 12-5 overall record (5-3 Liberty League). With the graduation of only five, the Engineers aim to improve upon last season’s finish. RPI will open this season two of the team’s top scorers from last year in Owen Putman (2nd, 68 points) and Cooper Urban (3rd, 60 points). Putman, an All-Liberty League first team selection, netted 48 goals and added 20 assists in 17 games. Urban made an immediate impact in his first year with the Engineers as the 2019 Liberty League Rookie of the Year started all 17 games for RPI. He scored 39 goals and dished out 21 assists. He was second on the team in goals, third in assists and points. RPI also welcomes back goalkeeper Brian Doughty, who compiled a 9-5 record in 2019 for the Engineers. He had a 10.68 goals against average and a .530 save percentage.
For the fourth time in five years,
Clarkson advanced to the Liberty League playoffs, snagging the sixth seed before falling in the first round. Experience should be on the Golden Knights’ side with eight returning starters back in Potsdam for 2020. Defenseman Liam St. Croix headlines the squad after garnering All-America honors last year. St. Croix started all 16 games for Clarkson in 2019, picked up 39 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers, good for third on the team in both categories. The offense will be piloted by Conor Bartlett (All-Liberty League Honorable Mention) after leading the Golden Knights in scoring the last two seasons. Bartlett tallied 52 points on 31 goals and 21 assists in 2019. Other key returnees include longstick midfielder Derek Beatty (4 goals, 4 assists, team-high 18 caused turnovers), midfielder Tanner Cioffi (15 goals, 6 assists) and goalkeeper Kevin Dyckman (8-8, 10.90 GAA, .457 save percentage).
Vassar will also be a seasoned team heading into 2020 with eight starters from last year’s squad back in the lineup despite the graduation of 12 this past May. A pair of All-Liberty League selections: faceoff specialist Matthew Lowery (first team) and attack Michael Mullen (second team) will lead this year’s team as they look to improve upon a 4-11 record. Lowery will help ignite the offense after breaking Vassar’s single-season record in face-offs last year. He won 193-of-286 for a league-best .675 winning percentage. He was also tops among league leaders in ground balls (128, 9.85 per game) and registered three points (1 goal, 2 assists). Mullen led the team in scoring last season with 40 goals and 12 assists for 52 points. Midfielder Logan Hyde and defender Zach Henig are also back. Hyde had 15 goals and six assists was fourth on the team in scoring (21 points). Henig was second on the team with 17 caused turnovers and 19 ground balls.
Skidmore opens the 2020 season with the graduation of seven and the return of seven starters. The Thoroughbreds are headlined by attack Will Lukas and midfielder Alex Miller, who ranked second and third on the team in scoring last season. Lukas scored 13 goals and added a team-high 16 assists for 29 points. Miller earned an All-Liberty League honorable mention nod following his sophomore season, where he had 26 points on 21 goals and five assists. He also was second on the team in ground balls (42) and caused turnovers (14). Defenseman Ben Glidden’s return is also a key piece to the Thoroughbreds’ defense after tying for second on the team with 14 caused turnovers and ranking fifth in ground balls with 34 last season.
Bard will also have a veteran presence on their squad as eight starters from 2019 are back. With the graduation of only two and 10 upperclassmen on the roster, hopes are high for the Raptors in 2020. Goalkeeper Lyle Healey returns for his senior campaign after leading the league in saves per game 19.00, totaling 190 on the year. In 10 games, he compiled a .552 save percentage, good for fifth among league leaders and a 15.36 goals against average. He also scooped up 30 ground balls. Bard also welcomes back the team’s top-two scorers from last season, midfielder Peter Sojka and attack Corey Rich. Sojka was tops on the team in points (30) and goals (27). He also had three assists and 26 ground balls. Rich was second on the team with 23 points on 20 goals and three assists in addition to 27 ground balls.
The 2020 season begins on Saturday, February 15 with two non-conference home games at 1:00 P.M. RIT hosts Ohio Wesleyan University and RPI will face off against the University of Scranton.
2020 Liberty League Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Place. Team, Points
1. RIT, 64 (8)
2. Union, 54 (1)
3. St. Lawrence, 52
4. Ithaca, 42
5. RPI, 37
6. Clarkson, 29
7. Vassar, 23
8. Skidmore, 15
9. Bard, 8
(First-place votes are in parentheses)