March 8, 2010
Center Valley, Pa.--Navy is off to a roaring start in Patriot League play. The Midshipmen recorded victories over Lehigh and Bucknell to stake an early lead in the standings. Defense paved the way to Navy's triumphs, as the Midshipmen allowed just 10 goals during the week. As a result, Navy claimed Defensive Player of the Week honors, as well as Goalkeeper of the Week recognition.
Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Release - 3.8.10 
Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week
Tom Perini, Lafayette Jr., A, Huntington, N.Y.
In two games, Perini scored 10 goals while notching two assists and four ground balls. He tallied seven goals in the Leopards’ 14-9 win over Penn. He added five more points in Lafayette’s 15-4 triumph over Wagner. Perini registered three goals and two assists against the Seahawks to help the Leopards improve to 4-0. This is the second time in his career that Perini has received Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week
Jaren Woeppel, Navy Sr., LSM, Camillus, N.Y.
Woeppel held Lehigh senior attackman Brian Bienemann, who had five goals over the weekend, scoreless in Navy’s 8-3 Patriot League win on Tuesday. He caused a season-high three turnovers and scooped up a season-best four ground balls against the Mountain Hawks. Woeppel helped the Navy defense limit 2009 Patriot League Rookie of the Year Charlie Streep to just one goal, an extra-man score in the fourth quarter. This is the first time Woeppel has been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week
RJ Wickham, Navy So., GK, Penn Yan, N.Y.
Wickham made 27 saves and gave up just 10 goals in Navy’s two Patriot League victories last week. He turned away nine shots on goal while allowing a season-low three goals in the Mids’ Tuesday win at Lehigh. He then made 18 saves against No. 13/13 Bucknell in Navy’s triumph over the Bison. Wickham stopped a point-blank shot at the end of regulation to force overtime against the Bison. It is the second time this season that Wickham has been named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.
Patriot League Rookie of the Week
Garrett Thul, Army Fr., A, Flemington, N.J.
Thul picked up his second consecutive Patriot League Rookie of the Week award after recording four goals and an assist in the Black Knights’ overtime loss at No. 8/8 Cornell He had a goal and an assist in Army’s 3-0 run late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and force overtime against the Big Red. For the season, he leads Army with 11 goals and ranks second with 13 points.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
Ryan Klipstein, Bucknell
Jr., M, Califon, N.J.
Led Bucknell with three goals in the Bison’s 8-7 overtime loss at No. 18 Navy. Scored twice in the fourth quarter to help Bucknell tie the game with 1:25 left in regulation.
Connor Sweeney, Holy Cross
Sr., GK, South Salem, N.Y.
Averaged 10 saves per game in two contests. Recorded a career-best 14 saves against No. 15/11 Harvard. Allowed just nine goals against a Crimson team that was averaging 14.0 goals per outing.
Cameron Lao-Gosney, Lehigh
So., M, Raymond, Maine
Scored the game-winning goal with no time remaining in Lehigh’s 14-13 victory over Air Force. Finished with three goals against the Falcons, including two in the fourth quarter. Closed the week with five goals and two assists in three games.
Patrick Moran, Navy
Sr., M, Annapolis, Md.
Notched four points, including the game-winning goal, in Navy’s 8-7 overtime win against No. 13/13 Bucknell. Registered three goals and an assist against the Bison. His four points tied a career high.
Patriot League Notebook
Navy Sets The Tone
After a quick start, Navy has set the early standard for Patriot League teams. The Midshipmen recorded an 8-3 road win over Lehigh on Tuesday before topping Bucknell in overtime on Saturday. The only team to have played multiple Patriot League contests, Navy holds a perfect 2-0 mark in League play. Four teams have yet to begin Patriot League competition.
Leopards Still Unblemished
Lafayette improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1979 with its Wednesday win over Penn. The Leopards then tacked on another win with its 15-4 win over Wagner. Lafayette is now nationally ranked in both major polls.
Wild, Wild West
Lehigh split a pair of heart-pounding games at the DU Face-Off Classic in Denver over the weekend. The Mountain Hawks got a goal from Cameron Lao-Gosney as time expired in Lehigh’s 14-13 win over Air Force on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks then dropped an 8-7 decision to host Denver on Sunday.
Colgate Breaks Into The Win Column
Colgate became the sixth Patriot League team to record a victory this season, doing so with an 11-10 win over Vermont on Tuesday. Holy Cross is now the lone Patriot League team without a victory.
Nearly A Classic
Brand new Holy Cross Field was unveiled Saturday, and the Crusaders nearly opened the stadium in style. The Crusaders dropped a 9-7 decision to No. 15/11 Harvard.
League Play Continues
Of the four Patriot League teams that have not started League play, three will play League contests this week. On Friday, Lafayette will host Navy, which comes into the game with a 2-0 Patriot League mark. A day later, Holy Cross will welcome Colgate to Worcester, Mass.
Patriot League Teams in the Polls
Lafayette and Navy each picked up two victories last week. As a result, both climbed in the latest national rankings. The Leopards are in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll for the first time in school history, debuting at No. 19. The Leopards moved up four spots to No. 16 in the USILA coaches’ poll. Navy, which notched a pair of Patriot League wins, returned to the media rankings after a one-week absence. The Mids are ranked No. 18. Navy also climbed to No. 13 in the coaches’ poll. Bucknell, which fell to Navy on Saturday, dropped seven spots to No. 20 in the coaches’ poll. The Bison fell from No. 13 to No. 16 in the media rankings.
Six On Tewaaraton Watch List
A total of six Patriot League men’s lacrosse student-athletes were named to the 2010 watch list for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the sport’s premier individual accolade. Named to the list were Army’s Bill Henderson and Tom Palesky, Bucknell’s Austin Winter, Lafayette’s Tom Perini and Navy’s Tim Paul and Matt Vernam.
Team Notebooks
Army The Black Knights dropped their third straight game in the form of a 12-11 overtime defeat at No. 8/8 Cornell. It was Army’s second straight game against a top-10 opponent. It was the Black Knights’ third one-goal defeat against the Big Red in as many seasons. Two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Garrett Thul leads Army in goals with 11. Last week, juniors Bill Henderson and Tom Palesky were named to the Tewaaraton Trophy watch list. The Black Knights will play at Air Force on Saturday.
Bucknell The No. 20/16 Bison dropped their Patriot League opener at Navy on Saturday, falling in overtime by an 8-7 count. Freshman Kyle Feeney made his second career start, making 12 saves while yielding just eight goals. Trailing 6-2 after three quarters, Bucknell rallied in the fourth quarter. The Bison outscored the Midshipmen by a 5-1 count in the fourth quarter to send the game in overtime before Navy’s Patrick Moran gave Navy the victory. Earlier in the week, senior Austin Winter was named to the Tewaaraton Trophy watch list. Bucknell will attempt to rebound from its weekend loss when it takes on Hobart on Saturday.
Colgate The Raiders got their first victory of the season on Tuesday, knocking off Vermont by an 11-10 count. The Raiders then suffered a 12-9 setback against Hobart on Saturday. Ian Murphy scored three goals in the Raiders’ win over the Catamounts. He then tallied three assists against the Statesmen. Freshman Peter Baum tallied four goals during the week, including three against Hobart. Baum leads the Raiders with seven goals and 17 points. Colgate will open Patriot League play on Saturday at Holy Cross.
Holy Cross The Crusaders opened Holy Cross Field with a 9-7 loss to No. 15/11 Harvard on Saturday. Holy Cross also dropped an 11-8 decision against Marist on Tuesday. Senior Edison Parzanese scored in both contests, giving him at least one point in 17 straight games. Parzanese now has 42 goals and 50 assists for 102 career points. Douglas Broussard, who had five ground balls and two caused turnovers against the Crimson, helped the Holy Cross defense hold Hard to five goals fewer than its season average. The Crusaders will open Patriot League play on Saturday when they host Colgate.
Lafayette The Leopards outscored their foes by a 29-13 margin last week, as Lafayette improved to 4-0 on the season. It is the Leopards’ best start since 1979. Tom Perini scored a total of 10 goals during the week, including seven against Penn. Late last week, Perini was named to the 2010 Tewaaraton Trophy watch list. Lafayette is ranked in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll for the first time in school history, debuting at No. 19. The Leopards moved up four spots to No. 16 in the USILA coaches’ poll. Lafayette will take on Patriot League leader Navy on Friday.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks had a busy week, going 1-2. Lehigh opened the week with an 8-3 loss to Navy in the team’s Patriot League opener. The Mountain Hawks then ventured west to play in the DU Face-Off Classic in Denver. Lehigh recorded a wild 14-13 win over Air Force before dropping an 8-7 decision to host Denver. Cameron Lao-Gosney and Evan Guerrero were both named to the All-Tournament Team. The Mountain Hawks will return home for a Saturday meeting with Yale.
Navy The No. 18/13 Midshipmen scored two valuable wins in Patriot League play, topping Lehigh and Bucknell. Navy produced an 8-3 win over Lehigh on Tuesday. It was the fewest goals allowed by the Midshipmen since last season’s 6-2 win over Mount St. Mary’s. Patrick Moran then pushed Navy to an 8-7 overtime win against No. 13/13 Bucknell on Saturday in front of a national television audience. Moran scored the deciding goal 1:20 into the extra period. Moran and Joe Lennon have each produced a point in all five of Navy’s games this season. The Midshipmen will attempt to remain unbeaten in Patriot League play when it travels to Lafayette on Friday.
