PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team (1-0) will host Manhattan (0-3) this Saturday, February 27. Opening face-off is scheduled for noon on Sweeney Field.
Live streaming of all seven remaining regular-season home games will be available free of charge through NEC Front Row. For system requirements and best streaming practices, please visit: NEC Front Row. Live stats will also be provided via SJUHawks.com.
Saturday's game will mark the 17th time in program history that Saint Joseph's will face Manhattan; the series is split down the middle, 8-8. The Jaspers took the last meeting, 14-8, on April 24, 2010 while the Hawks' last win came on March 27, 2007 (9-8 OT).
Saint Joseph's enters this Saturday's game coming off of a 15-5 win over VMI in the Hawks' season opener last Saturday. Northeast Conference Player of the Week Mike Rastivo posted a career-high 10 points on four goals and a career-high six assists to lead SJU to the win while sophomore attackman Chris Blewitt (4g, 3a), junior midfielder Kevin Reidinger (3g) and senior midfielder Kevin Forster (2g) also sparked the Hawks' offense. Junior Mike Lanham went 17-of-22 from the X while classmate T.J. Jones made eight saves for the win in net.
With the victory, the Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse program won its first season opener since 2001.
Manhattan enters Saturday's game at 0-3 after dropping a trio of games to Bryant (16-3), Wagner (15-8), and, most recently, Robert Morris (19-6) on February 20, all opponents of the NEC. Parker Giarratana (6g, 4a) leads the Jaspers in scoring while Jack Fowler owns Manhattan's best face-off percentage, going 13-of-30 (43%) from the circle. Goalkeeper Michael Zingaro (0-3) owns a 16.90 GAA and .448 save percentage in 170:25. Manhattan went 1-14 as a member of the MAAC last season.
Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Taylor Wray, the Hawks return 31 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's squad and add 14 newcomers for the 2016 season. The Hawks were picked to finish second in the Northeast Conference this season, according to the conference's preseason poll as announced on February 9.
RASTIVO NAMED TO TEWAARATON AWARD WATCH LIST
Saint Joseph's junior attackman Mike Rastivo was selected to the 2016 Tewaaraton Award watch list, the Tewaaraton Foundation announced on February 23. The list includes the top men's lacrosse players across all three divisions of NCAA lacrosse and highlights the early contenders for the 2016 Tewaaraton Award, presented by Under Armour. The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. The selection committees are made up of premier collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. Five men's and five women's finalists will be announced on May 12 and invited to the ceremony. The 16th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C., on June 2.
SWANICK, WINCHELL NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATES
Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse senior captains Pat Swanick and John Winchell have been selected as candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate men's lacrosse, it was announced on February 16. Twenty of the top NCAA men's lacrosse student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 20 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced in conjunction with the 2016 NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship in May.
