2019 Men’s Lacrosse Season Preview
Video Preview
2019 Roster
2019 Schedule
2018 Statistics
Patchogue, NY| Following two 7-6 seasons in 2017 and 2018, the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's lacrosse team aims to qualify for the Skyline Conference playoffs in 2019, the team's third year in existence.
For the second-straight season, the Golden Eagles missed the playoffs by the slimmest of margins in 2018 after posting a 3-3 conference mark. A 12-2 blowout of SUNY Purchase in the final game of the season was not enough as SJC finished in fifth place.
The Returners: Head coach Tom Rotanz welcomes back 16 returners this season including junior captains Declan Canevari and Chris Nielsen, and senior captain Christian Prate.
Canevari posted a 65.7% faceoff percentage last season, good for fourth in the conference, and could see time in man-advantage situations this season. Nielsen, an attackman last season who will transition to midfield in 2019, is the team's leading returning goal and pointer scorer having tallied 13 goals and 33 points a year ago.
Prate will marshal the defense in his second year with the program and will line-up alongside fellow West Islip, NY native Vincent Raccuglia, who made 13 appearances off the bench last season as a freshman.
Sophomore keeper Adam Sivon, who finished in the top three in the conference in goals-against average (8.19), saves-per-game (9.54), and save percentage (.579), will reprise his role as starting net minder after a successful freshman campaign in 2018.
The Newcomers: With 14 recruits joining the SJC ranks, Rotanz will look to plug holes with freshman and transfers alike. Graduate student Max Chin, who played at both SUNY Oneonta and LIU Post in the past, will provide much-needed experience, and Mike McCarthy, a first-year sophomore out of Dix Hills, NY, adds further depth.
Expectations: Having failed to qualify for the conference playoff tournament the past two seasons, Rotanz, a massively successful head coach at the high school level, targets another winning season and a playoff berth in 2019.
On February 15, St. Joseph's was selected to finish in fifth place when the Skyline Conference released its Preseason Coaches Poll.
2019 Skyline Conference Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
Pl., Team (2018 Overall/Skyline Record) - Pts. (first-place votes)
1. USMMA (14-3, 6-0) - 36 (6)
2. Mount Saint Mary (12-7, 4-2) - 27 (1)
3. Farmingdale State (10-8, 3-3) - 26
4. Maritime (10-5, 4-2) - 22
5. St. Joseph's-Long Island (7-6, 3-3) - 19
6. Purchase (5-9, 1-5) - 11
7. Mount Saint Vincent (2-11, 0-6) - 6
When they begin: The Golden Eagles open their 2019 campaign on Saturday, March 2 when they visit Western Conn. State for a non-conference contest at 3:00 pm. SJC returns to Patchogue on Tuesday, March 5 when they host Manhattanville College for its home-opener at 5:30 pm.
