PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team (2-0) will host St. John's (0-3) this Wednesday, March 2. Opening face-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Sweeney Field.
Live streaming of all six 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.
Wednesday's game will mark the first in program history between the Hawks and the Red Storm.
Saint Joseph's enters this Wednesday's game coming off of a 16-9 win over Manhattan on Saturday. Sophomore attackman Kyle Cain ripped off a career-high five goals while senior midfielder Kevin Forster added three goals and two assists and sophomore attackman Chris Blewitt chipped in with a goal and four assists as well. Junior Mike Lanham went 17-for-23 from the X - his second consecutive game with 17 face-off wins - to go with 10 ground balls while junior goalkeeper T.J. Jones (2-0) made seven saves and allowed just six goals in 55:25 in net.
With their 2-0 start to the season, the Hawks are off to their best start since 2000.
Through two games, junior attackman Mike Rastivo and Blewitt lead the Hawks with five goals and seven assists apiece while Cain (6g, 3a), Forster (5g, 2a), sophomore midfielder Kevin Reidinger (4g), junior midfielder Ray Vandegrift (3g), sophomore midfielder Davis Stoner (2g), and sophomore attackman Jason Kelly (1g) have also scored for the Crimson and Gray. Lanham owns a 76% from the X (34-of-45) to go with a team-high 16 ground balls while senior defenseman John Winchell owns six ground balls and a team-high six caused turnovers. Jones (2-0) sports a 5.51 GAA and .600 save percentage in 108:58 with 15 saves and 10 goals allowed.
Saint Joseph's leads the nation in scoring margin (8.50) and shot percentage (.449) and ranks second in scoring offense (15.50), ties for second in assists/game (11.00), and ranks third in points/game (26.50). Cain leads the nation in shot percentage (.857) while Winchell ties for the national lead in caused turnovers/game (3.0). Rastivo and Blewitt tie for third in assists/game (3.50) and points/game (6.0) while Forster ranks third in shot percentage (.714) and Lanham ranks third in face-off winning percentage (.756).
St. John's enters Wednesday's game at 0-3 after dropping a trio of games to Rutgers (19-11), Jacksonville (8-7), and, most recently, Stony Brook (14-6) on February 21. Eric DeJohn (7g, 7a), Jason DeBenedictis (8g, 1a), and Declan Swartwood (2g, 4a) lead the Red Storm in scoring while goalkeeper Michael O'Keeffe (0-2) sports a 12.11 GAA and .492 save percentage in 153:39 and Joseph Danaher (0-1) owns a 22.77 GAA and .231 save percentage in 26:21. St. John's went 3-11 as a member of the Big East 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.
