Men's Lacrosse

#AEMLAX Week 1: NJIT Sweeps Awards in 2-0 Week

BOSTON – The #AEMLAX regular season opened up on Tuesday as NJIT secured a victory over Hampton. The Highlanders closed the week with a win over St. John’s and were one of three teams to compete this week.
 
Need to Know:
  • NJIT opened the season with a 22-8 win over Hampton and then took down St. John’s 17-10. Blake Piscitiello had 19 points in the two games to lead the conference.
  • Bryant fell 16-11 to Providence on Friday. The Bulldogs led 8-7 early in the third but gave up six straight goals to fall behind for good. Zac Amend had three goals.
  • Quinnipiac took down UMass Lowell 15-12. Lowell scored four straight to tie it 9-9 in the third, but was outscored 6-3 the rest of the way.
 
Up Next:
  • Binghamton begins its season on Tuesday against Lafayette on the road.
  • Vermont and UMBC both open their seasons Friday, with the Retrievers at home against Drexel.
  • On Saturday No. 19 UAlbany hosts No. 4 Cornell, in an NCAA Tournament rematch.
  • Bryant, Binghamton and NJIT are all home on Feb. 14 as well, while UVM plays at No. 11 Duke on Sunday.

#AEMLAX Weekly Award Winners – Feb. 9
Offensive Player & Rookie of the Week
Blake Piscitiello, NJIT – Fr., Attack, Lakeville, Minn.
  • Finished with 17 points on nine goals and eight assists in two wins.
  • Totaled six goals and three assists in an impressive 17-10 victory against St. John’s
  • This is Piscitiello’s first #AEMLAX Offensive Player or Rookie of the Week honor this season.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
Sullivan O'Brien, NJIT – Jr., Defense, Orchard Park, N.Y.
  • Had 12 ground balls and six caused turnovers as NJIT allowed just 18 goals in two games.
  • Posted six ground balls and four caused turnovers in a 22-8 win over Hampton.
  • This is O’Brien’s first #AEMLAX Defensive Player of the Week honor.
 
Goalkeeper of the Week
Cameron Kurdyla, NJIT – So, Goalkeeper, Bridgewater, N.J.
  • Totaled 28 saves with a 60.9 save percentage and 9.0 GAA in a pair of wins.
  • Made 17 saves with just eight goals allowed in a victory over Hampton
  • This is Kurdyla’s first #AEMLAX Goalkeeper of the Week honor
 
Faceoff Specialist of the Week
Nirio Garcia, NJIT – R-So., Face-Off, Millington, N.J.
  • Went 30-of39 (76.9%) on face-offs in a pair of victories.
  • Won 16 of 18 face-offs with nine ground balls in a 22-8 win over Hampton.
  • This is Garcia’s first #AEMLAX Faceoff Specialist honor.
 


 #AEMLAX Links
Fans will once again be able to watch the majority of the #AEMLAX this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the brand new America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.

Follow the @AmericaEast on X to stay up-to-date on America East men's lacrosse news all season long and use #AEMAX to join the conversation.
 
2026 #AEMLAX Weekly Award Winners
Feb. 9 – Offensive Player of the Week: Blake Piscitiello, NJIT; Defensive Player of the Week: Sullivan O'Brien, NJIT; Goalkeeper of the Week: Cameron Kurdyla, NJIT; Faceoff of the Specialist of the Week: Nirio Garcia, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Blake Piscitiello, NJIT
 
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