CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Stony Brook University's Tom Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppague) and Binghamton University's Matt Springer (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) each led their respective teams to important men's lacrosse wins last week and have earned America East weekly honors as a results. Compitello was named Player of the Week, while Springer garnered Rookie of the Week accolades. The winners for the week ending April 25 were announced Monday afternoon.
Compitello tallied seven points in Stony Brook's 15-0 win over Albany Saturday, which secured his team at share of the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the America East Championship. The senior attack tallied five goals, four of which came in the first half, and added a pair of assists. Compitello, who also tied his season-high with four ground balls, leads the league with 28 assists, ranks second with 56 points and is tied for fourth with 28 goals.
Springer, a freshman attack, scored a game-high four goals and added a pair of assists in Binghamton's pivotal 13-12 win over Hartford Saturday. The wins helped keep the Bearcats' hopes of a conference tournament bid alive. Springer, the league's leading rookie scorer, helped his team build a 7-1 lead with a pair of goals and an assist in the first half. He also factored into the Bearcats' last three scores (2 goals, one assist), all of which they ended up needing for the win. A three-time Rookie of the Week recipient, Springer is tied for fourth among league leaders with 28 goals.
Stony Brook rose four spots in the USILA Coaches'and Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Polls and is ranked eighth both polls. The Seawolves, winners of five straight, moved to 4-0 in conference play and recorded their first shutout in 20 years with a 15-0 win over Albany Saturday to clinch at least a share of the America East regular-season title for the second straight year.
Stony Brook and UMBC have secured the top two seeds for the America East Championship, which will take place May 5 and 8, and will each host semifinal contests. Albany, Binghamton and Vermont are alive for the final two spots with the Great Danes and Catamounts controlling their own destiny. Check out full recaps of Saturday's action and complete tournament implications.
Team Notes
Albany (3-10, AE 2-2) faced conference-leader Stony Brook, ranked No. 12 in both national polls, as part of the Alumni Association’s Spring Stomp festivities on April 24 ... the Spring Stomp crowd of 1,846 was the largest at home since May 13, 2007 when UAlbany hosted Loyola, Md. in an NCAA first-round game … the Seawolves posted a shutout, the first for a UAlbany team in the program’s Division I history … the Great Danes’ previous lowest goal total came in a 19-2 loss to Rutgers on April 7, 2001 … UAlbany has played seven national top-20 teams this season … UAlbany is 15-40 all-time against nationally-ranked squads … sophomore defenseman Travis Lyons (Farmingdale, N.Y. / Farmingdale) picked up a career-high four ground balls vs. Stony Brook … Dave Brock (Burlington, Ontario / Nelson) leads the team in scoring with 31 points (27 goals, 4 assists) … the senior attackman had scored two or more goals in seven straight games prior to the Stony Brook contest … UAlbany previously lost last year’s top two scorers during the season, including Brian Caufield (Bay Shore, N.Y. / West Islip) and Joe Resetarits (Hamburg, N.Y. / Hamburg) … Caufield fractured his jaw on April 11 and Resetarits broke his foot on March 15 … defenseman Brendan Gleason (Wading River, N.Y. / Shoreham-Wading River) is the most veteran Great Dane with 56 career appearances … Gleason ranks eighth nationally in caused turnovers (1.92 pg) … all-conference defender Mark Kelly (Syracuse, N.Y. / West Genesee) is having a solid season …the senior is averaging 2.46 ground balls and 1.54 caused turnovers per game … defender Anthony Ostrander (Massapequa, N.Y. / Farmingdale) and midfielder Kyle Crotty (Bethpage, N.Y. / Bethpage) each forced a career-high two turnovers against Stony Brook.
With one week left in the regular season, Binghamton (4-9, AE 1-3) remains alive for a berth in its seventh consecutive America East Conference Tournament. … freshman attack Matt Springer (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) scored a game-high four goals and tallied two assists in the Bearcats’ 13-12 win at Hartford. He now has a team-high 28 goals this season, which broke the program’s single-season program record set by Phil Cavallo in both 2003 and 2004. Furthermore, Springer’s 41 points ranks second in program history behind only Matt McNamara’s 45 points in 2004. Springer has eight goals and six assists in his last three games. He also has three hat tricks this season … senior attack Jeff Rurey (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal), who had a goal and an assist against Hartford, now has 23 goals this season. He is in fourth place in program history for the most goals in a season, trailing only Cavallo and Springer. Rurey headed into the week ranked fourth in the nation with a .537 shot percentage … senior midfielder Andy Cook has recorded two consecutive hat tricks and now has a career-high 19 goals. In his past three games, he has scored 11 goals and tallied five assists.
In a clash between a pair of conference foes both in search of its first win in the America East, Hartford (3-10, AE 0-4) fell short to the Binghamton Bearcats and dropped a 13-12 decision to on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at Al-Marzook Field … The Hawks erased a 7-1, second quarter deficit but could not come back from a four goal disadvantage late in the contest … The loss, coupled with UMBC’s overtime victory over Vermont on Saturday, eliminated the Hawks from the America East playoff race … Tim Fallon (Lowell, Mass/Lawrence Academy) notched a career day for the Hawks with his first career hat trick … The junior also dominated the face-off X, winning 22 of 28 duels while scooping up a game- and career-high 16 ground balls … Junior Vinny Pellizzi (Bohemia, N.Y./Connetquot) also produced career numbers with three points on a pair of goals and an assist while Carter Bender (Caledon, Ontario/Brewster Academy) scored twice in the contest … Fallon entered the week with the 10th-best face-off percentage in the nation while leading the NCAA in ground balls for the third-straight week with 8.42 per game … The midfielder ranks eighth on Hartford’s all-time list with 225 career ground balls …Bender holds the 12th longest scoring streak in the nation at 26 games … Hartford honored seniors Leif Abrahamson (Billerica, Mass./Billerica Memorial) and Justin Bearse (Hyannis, Mass./Barnstable) prior to the start of Saturday’s game … Abrahamson has played in 39 games and has netted seven career goals … Bearse, a two-year captain, has tallied 73 points over four seasons, including 48 goals and 25 assists … Hartford wraps up the regular season at UMBC on Saturday, May 1 at noon … The game will be televised on ESPNU … Last season, the Hawks posted a historic win over the Retrievers who were ranked sixth in the nation.
UMBC (4-7, AE 3-1) senior midfielder Maxx Davis (Baltimore, Md./Friends School) scored an unassisted goal with 1:27 to play in the first overtime period to propel the Retrievers to an 8-7 victory over Vermont at Moulton-Winder Field…The victory clinched a playoff berth and a home game in the four-team America East Tournament for UMBC, their seventh in a row in seven America East campaigns. The Retrievers won their third straight game and temporarily denied the Catamounts (3-11, 2-2) a playoff berth…Davis, a short-stick defensive midfielder, led the Retrievers by posting his first career three-goal game… Senior midfielder Kyle Wimer (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and sophomore attackman Rob Grimm (Black River,N.Y./Carthage) each had two goals for UMBC…Neither team led by more than a goal and it was the Retrievers who needed a Wimer dodge and inside score with 2:14 remaining to knot the game at 7-all… UMBC has hosted at least one America East tournament game in six of seven conference seasons… The Retrievers did not host a game in 2007 when the entire tournament was held at Albany… The Retrievers won for the first time this season when allowing the game’s first goal and trailing at halftime… UMBC outshot Vermont, 37-15, but the Catamounts controlled the pace of play as they controlled 12 of 18 draws… The Retrievers had won eight consecutive overtime decisions until dropping an 11-10 double overtime decision vs. Delaware to open the 2010 campaign… UMBC is 13-4 in its last 17 one-goal decisions and 15-5 in overtime in head coach Don Zimmerman’s 17 seasons at UMBC…UMBC has defeated Vermont in all seven meetings between the two squads… Wimer has scored at least one point in 30 consecutive games… UMBC concludes the regular season vs. Hartford in a nationally-televised game (ESPNU) on Saturday, May 1 at noon… Before the game, UMBC will honor the largest class in school history as 16 seniors will be recognized.
#8/8 Stony Brook (9-3, 4-0) shut out Albany, 15-0… The win combined with Vermont’s loss to UMBC clinched a share of the America East regular-season title for the second year in a row… The win also gives Stony Brook the number one seed in the America East Championships and home field advantage… Junior Jordan McBride (New Westminster, British Columbia/New Westminster) scored two goals, setting a new career-high in a season with 46… He’s two shy of Kevin Pall’s school record of 134… Three goalies, including senior Charlie Paar (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) who made 11 saves, combined on the shutout… Senior Tom Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) scored four of his five goals in the first half… The Seawolves held Albany under 10 goals for the first time since 2002 when they beat the Great Danes, 8-6, in the America East Championship final… Stony Brook moved up to eight in both national polls and hosts Vermont in the regular season finale on Saturday night at 7… A win over the Catamounts clinches the first outright America East regular-season title in school history… Saturday’s game marks the third annual Lacrosse For Autism doubleheader… Suffolk County high school powers Ward Melville and Northport square off in game one.
Vermont (3-11, AE 2-2) dropped an 18-13 decision to Dartmouth on Tuesday at home before losing 8-7 in overtime to UMBC on Saturday at Moulton Winder Field … With a 2-2 record in league play Vermont can clinch a spot in the America East playoffs with a win at Stony Brook on Saturday (7 p.m.). The Catamounts can also clinch a spot in the playoffs with a loss by Binghamton at Albany. Should the Catamounts lose to the Seawolves and the Bearcats defeat the Great Danes there would be a three-way tie for third-place and goal differential would be the deciding factor in seeding for the final two playoff spots … Freshman Drew Philie (Sandwich, Mass./Deerfield Academy) had nine goals and 12 points in two games last week … He leads the team in scoring with 28 goals and 50 points … Sophomore David Barton (Hanover, Mass./Boston College H.S.) had 23 saves in last week’s two games … Nine different Catamounts scored a goal in Tuesday’s loss to the Big Green, including goalie Alex Plavner (Arnold, Md./Severn School) … There were seven ties and eight lead changes in Vermont’s overtime loss to UMBC on Saturday … The Retrievers have won seven straight against the Catamounts … Vermont wraps up the regular season on Saturday at Stony Brook at 7 p.m.