Men's Lacrosse Season Preview
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – When the final horn sounded last March in Durham, no one knew it would be 340 days until the Black and Gold took to the lacrosse field again.
Despite all of the hardships that the last 11 months have brought, Saturday's faceoff against Providence College brings with it a great deal of hope and excitement for everyone involved with Bryant men's lacrosse.
That hope and excitement is boosted by what could be one of the deepest squads in Mike Pressler's 15 years in Smithfield. Bryant welcomes back all 88 goals from the shortened 2020 season and a defensive unit that has combined to appear in 159 games in the Black and Gold. And that doesn't even include a three-year starter between the pipes.
Attack
Bryant's attack will be led once again by the dynamic trio of Marc O'Rourke, Logan McGovern and Jake Buonaiuto. They combined to score 78 points in just seven games a season ago.
O'Rourke was on pace to produce one of the greatest seasons in program history, registering 26 goals and seven assists for 33 points. He ranked fourth nationally in goals scored, registering back-to-back seven-goal games before the season came to a screeching halt. In three seasons, O'Rourke has produced 91 goals, 43 assists and 134 points in 36 games, good for 3.7 ppg.
McGovern enjoyed a breakout season in 2020 after his true freshman campaign was ended after three games due to an injury in 2019. He registered 12 goals and 13 assists a season ago, posting at least three assists in four of Bryant's seven games. McGovern's breakout performance came at Manhattan when he posted eight points (5g, 3a). He finished the season averaging 5.7 ppg over his final three outings.
Buonaiuto is the elder statesman of the group, returning to Smithfield for a sixth season and a chance to attend to some unfinished business. The Miller Place, New York, native posted 51 combined points in 2017 and 2018 but managed just six points in 2019. Buonaiuto bounced back big time last spring, posting 20 points (16g, 4a). He opened the season by scoring four goals in each of the first two games and finished the season with three hat tricks.
Bryant also added to its attack in the offseason, bringing in CJ Carpenter, an experienced sniper from Duke. Carpenter scored 21 goals in 2019, including a hat trick in the NCAA quarterfinals and two more in the NCAA semifinals. He followed that up with 14 points (8g, 6a) in the first six games of the 2020 season.
The Black and Gold will also welcome back Mason Balch, Pat Brosnan and Kevin Groeninger. The three combined for 20 points (12g, 8a) in 2020. Brosnan scored all three of his goals over the final two games of the season, including a pair at No. 5 North Carolina, while Groeninger registered four multi-point games. Balch is a proven scorer, registering 15 goals as a true freshman in 2019.
Midfield
The veteran leadership of No. 85 will once again carry the Bryant midfield this spring. Trevor Weingarten chose to use his extra year of eligibility and returns to Smithfield with 45 games under his belt. He's also coming off the start of what could have been his most productive offensive season. Weingarten registered 20 points (12g, 8a) in seven games, over a point per game higher than he had averaged in his first three seasons.
Weingarten will joined in the midfield by several familiar faces, including Nick Beeson, Sam Goforth, Keaton Jones, Emmet Kemble, Austin Kent, Ryan Ramirez and CJ Sweitzer. Kent has totaled 29 points (19g, 10a) in 34 career games, while Goforth and Kemble each scored in the final game of the year at UNC.
Faceoff
Jack Aigner returns as Bryant's most experienced man at the faceoff X, winning 48-of-100 a season ago. He won 55 percent in 2019 and enters this season 147-of-279 in his career.
Defense
Arguably the most talented position on the field, the Black and Gold will look to a veteran defense to lead the way this season. The core of Bryant's defensive unit has combined to play in 159 career games.
The group is led by sixth-year Jack Horan and fifth-years Jake Fiske and Zach Coffey. Horan has appeared in 36 games over his career, posting 31 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. He was a Second Team All-NEC selection back in 2019.
Fiske is a veteran of 46 games and has recorded four goals, 77 ground balls and 32 caused turnovers in his career. His best season came in 2018 when he registered five points, 34 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers.
Coffey has continued the Bryant tradition of goal-scoring long poles, registering 13 goals in his career. The two-time All-NEC selection has 69 career ground balls and has caused 32 turnovers in 45 career games.
Bryant's defense will also welcome back senior Ryan Baker, fourth-year Dante Pasqualoni and sophomore Brody Rule. Baker has 28 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers in 18 career games, Pasqualoni caused 11 turnovers in just seven games a season ago and Rule posted seven ground balls and three caused turnovers in six games as a true freshman.
Goalie
The Black and Gold's veteran defense will be playing in front of a veteran goalie as junior Luke Caracciolo returns for his third season between the pipes. Caracciolo was an All-Rookie selection in 2019 after posting the fifth-best save percentage in the country at .569. Last spring, he posted 15+ saves in three games, including a career-high 18 in Bryant's win over Stony Brook.