March 2, 2010
Center Valley, Pa.--On the strength of its first 2-0 start since 1997, Lafayette is nationally ranked for the first time in school history. Helping the Leopards remain unbeaten has been Stewart Inman, who was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week. Also claiming weekly awards on Tuesday were Bucknell's Tim Brandau and Army teammates Tom Palesky and Garrett Thul.
Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Release - 3.2.10 
Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week
Tim Brandau, Bucknell Sr., A, Owings Mills, Md.
Playing near his hometown, Brandau gave a performance to remember. Brandau tallied six goals and two assists, including the game-winning tally, in Bucknell’s 13-9 win at Towson. He also notched a career-high five ground balls against the Tigers. He notched four goals and an assist in the fourth quarter, helping the Bison outscore the Tigers by a 6-0 margin in the final period. It is the first time in his career that Brandau has been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.
Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week
Stewart Inman, Lafayette Sr., D, Purcellsville, Pa.
Inman registered a goal and nine ground balls in the Leopards’ 12-9 win at Binghamton. Inman’s efforts helped Lafayette improve to 2-0 for the first time since 1997. It is the first time in his career that Inman has been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week
Tom Palesky, Army Jr., GK, Plano, Texas
Palesky finished one save short of a career-high, notching 21 saves at No. 1/1 Syracuse on Sunday. He made seven saves in the third quarter alone, helping the Black Knights pull into a 5-5 tie with the two-time defending national champion Orange. He also stopped seven of the 14 shots he faced against Bryant on Tuesday. It is the second time in his career that Palesky has been named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.
Patriot League Rookie of the Week
Garrett Thul, Army Fr., A, Flemington, N.J.
Thul finished the week with five goals, one assist and eight ground balls. Thul notched a game-high four goals, an assist and four ground balls against Bryant on Tuesday. He added another goal and four ground balls at No. 1/1 Syracuse on Sunday.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
James Kennedy, Holy Cross
Fr., A, Summit, N.J.
Notched two goals and an assist in Holy Cross’ Saturday loss at Yale. Also picked up one ground ball.
Vinny DePasquale, Lafayette
Sr., GK, East Meadow, N.Y.
Made 15 saves in Lafayette’s 12-9 win at Binghamton. Helped the Leopards move to 2-0 for the first time since 1997.
Patriot League Notebook
Leopards Living Large
Lafayette recorded a 12-9 victory at Binghamton on Saturday, giving the Leopards their first 2-0 start since 1997. As a result of Lafayette’s fast start, the Leopards are ranked for the first time in school history. Lafayette was voted 20th in the latest USILA coaches poll.
Bucknell Marches On
Bucknell moved up two spots in both polls this week, coming in at No. 13 in both the coaches’ and media rankings. After dropping their season-opener against national power Duke, the Bison have rattled off two straight wins, including a 13-9 victory at Towson on Saturday.
Patriot League Teams Battle Ranked Foes
Ranked opponents dotted last week’s schedules for Patriot League teams. Among the Patriot League’s ranked foes was two-time defending national champion Syracuse. Army ventured to the Carrier Dome to take on the top-ranked Orange, falling by a 12-7 count. Another top-five team on the schedule was North Carolina. The No. 4/3 Tar Heels handed Navy an 11-4 loss.
League Play Gets Underway
The first two Patriot League games of the season will be played this week. Both contests involve No. 18 Navy. The Mids will travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on Lehigh in a Tuesday night match-up. Navy will then host No. 13/13 Bucknell on Saturday afternoon.
Still Battling In Non-League Action
While three teams will play Patriot League games this week, the rest of the League will be competing in non-League action. Lehigh will venture west to take on Air Froce and Denver. Both games will be played in Denver. Holy Cross will host No. 15/11 Harvard and travel to Marist. Colgate will play a pair of home contests, hosting Vermont and Hobart. No. 20 Lafayette will host Penn and Wagner. Army will hit the road to take on No. 8/8 Cornell.
Patriot League Teams in the Polls
Joining Bucknell and Navy in the national polls this week is Lafayette. The Leopards entered the rankings for the first time in school history, coming in at No. 20 in the USILA coaches’ poll. Bucknell moved up two spots to 13th in both the coaches’ poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll. Navy dropped out of the coaches’ poll, but the Mids are ranked 18th in the media rankings.
Patriot League Announces TV Schedule
Twelve games involving Patriot League teams are currently scheduled to air on television. As part of the Patriot League’s package with CBS College Sports, two regular season games will be televised. The network will carry the Mar. 6 game between Bucknell and Navy and the Apr. 10 contest featuring Lehigh and Colgate. In addition, CBS College Sports will broadcast Navy’s games against North Carolina, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins. As part of the Smartlink Day of Rivals, the Army-Navy game will be televised by ESPNU. Army will meet Syracuse on Time Warner on Feb. 28, while Colgate will meet Lafayette on Time Warner on Apr. 16. In addition, CBS College Sports will broadcast the Patriot League Tournament for the second consecutive season.
Team Notebooks
Army The Black Knights fell to 1-2 with a pair of losses last week. Army started the week with a 7-6 home loss against Bryant. The Black Knights then closed the weekend with a 12-7 setback at No. 1/1 Syracuse. Junior goalkeeper Tom Palesky made 28 saves during the week, including 21 against Syracuse. Palesky’s 21 saves were one short of a career-high, which he achieved last year against Cornell. A 3-0 Army run pulled the Black Knights into a 5-5 tie with the Orange in the third quarter, but a 7-1 run by Syracuse prevented an Army upset. Army will play at No. 8/8 Cornell on Saturday.
Bucknell The No. 13/13 Bison have won two straight games to improve to 2-1. Most recently, Bucknell recorded a 13-9 win at Towson on Saturday. Following his six-goal effort against the Tigers, senior Tim Brandau now has a team-leading 11 goals and 13 points on the season. Also recording a multiple-goal effort was Mike Danylyshyn, who tallied three goals. Senior Austin Winter added three assists, giving him 100 career assists. Winter is one of just three players in school history to tally 100 career assists.
Colgate The Raiders got a goal and an assist from sophomore Patrick Campbell, but fell to Dartmouth 7-3 in a snow-covered home opener at Tyler’s Field. Sophomore John Donnally and senior Michael Crown also added goals for the Raiders, who fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2008, the same year they advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Colgate will look to break into the win column with a pair of games this week. The Raiders will host Vermont on Tuesday before welcoming Hobart to Hamilton on Saturday.
Holy Cross The Crusaders were dealt a 14-7 defeat by Yale on Saturday. In the loss, senior Edison Parzanese notched a goal and an assist, giving him 41 goals and 58 assists for 99 career points. He has recorded at least one point in 15 straight games. In 33 career games played, Parzanese has only failed to recorded at least one point in two games. Senior Chris Smirti also scored on Saturday, giving him 50 career goals, more than than any other current Crusader. Holy Cross will play a pair of games this week. The Crusaders will travel to Marist on Tuesday before hosting No. 15/11 Harvard on Saturday.
Lafayette The Leopards picked up a 12-9 win at Binghamton on Saturday, giving Lafayette its first 2-0 start since 1997. The Leopards’ fast start has propelled Lafayette into the national rankings for the first time in school history. The Leopards are ranked 20th in the latest USILA coaches’ poll. Lafayette seized control of Saturday’s game early, using the first 11 minutes of the contest to leap out to a 5-0 lead. Tom Perini and Matt Mersky each scored three goals to pace the Leopards’ attack. Senior goalkeeper Viny DePasquale made 15 saves to pick up the victory. The Leopards will be at home for the first time this season when they host Penn on Tuesday. Lafayette will then host Wagner on Saturday.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks’ Saturday contest against Villanova was postponed due to weather. No make-up date has been scheduled yet. Lehigh will now turn its attention to its Patriot League opener against No. 18 Navy. When the Mountain Hawks take the field on Tuesday, it will mark their first game in 10 days. Coming into the game, junior Will Scudder has won 22-of-34 face-offs, good for 65 percent, while freshman Dan Carr has started both games in goal and sent back 17 shots during that time.
Navy The Midshipmen dropped to 1-2 with an 11-4 loss to No. 4/3 North Carolina on Thursday. It was Navy’s first regular-season loss against the Tar Heels since 2002 and its first loss at home against North Carolina since 2001. Four different players - Taylor Cook, Basil Daratsos, Joe Lennon and Evan Sullivan - scored goals for the Mids with Lennon extending his point streak to six straight games dating back to last season. The Midshipmen will open Patriot League play with a pair of games this week. Navy will travel to Lehigh on Tuesday before hosting No. 13/13 Bucknell on Saturday.
