University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Cap Home Slate Against Hofstra Saturday
April 22, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse
| University of Massachusetts Men's Lacrosse Game Notes | ||
| Game 12 | Massachusetts (4-7, 0-3 CAA) vs. Hofstra (8-4, 2-1) | |
| Date | Time | Saturday, April 23, 2016 | 1:00 p.m. | |
| Location | Garber Field (5,000) | Amherst, Mass. | Directions | |
| Live Statistics | GameTracker | |
| Watch | UMass All-Access (Free) | |
| Series History | Massachusetts leads, 22-18. Last meeting: UMass 9, Hofstra 7; March 21, 2015 | |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Hofstra |
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| Team Information | Massachusetts | Hofstra | |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassMLacrosse | Instagram
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| Buy Tickets | Information available through the UMass Ticket Office or 866-UMASS-TIX | |
| Special Events | Senior Day Ceremony (Pregame) & 2006 Team Celebration (Halftime) | |
Scouting Hofstra Men's Lacrosse
Longtime non-conference opponents and now-CAA foes UMass and Hofstra meet for the 41st time with a Sat., April 23 contest at Garber Field. Initially dominated by extended winning streaks on either side, the head-to-head series has settled into a back-and-forth regiment with UMass the victors in six of the most recent 10 meetings.
Josh Byrne produced a squad-best 40 points through 12 games played via team highs in goals (26) and assists (14). He also leads all Pride players in shots (91) and shots on goal (57). The 2016 CAA Preseason Player of the Year, Sam Llinares, and Korey Hendrickson are second to Byrne with 25 goals and seven assists apiece.
Jack Concannon is in his first season as a starter in the cage for Hofstra and owns an 8.41 goals-against average, .579 save percentage and 18 groundballs. Three-year starter and two-time CAA All-Conference First Team pick Finn Sullivan organizes the defense in front of Concannon with 38 groundballs and 18 caused turnovers.
The Minutemen will recognize their 2006 squad during halftime Saturday on the 10th anniversary of their season, which culminated in an appearance in the NCAA National Championship Game. UMass defeated Hofstra twice during the campaign with an 11-7 victory over the Pride in the season-opener and an 11-10 win in overtime during the NCAA Quarterfinals nearly three months later.
On Top Of The Tweet Game
Instant information about the men's lacrosse program, including an inside look at key points and statistics in each game as well as updates from practice and other team events can be found through the Twitter handle @UMassMLacrosse. Follow the Minutemen there and catch information about each UMass Athletic Department program through @UMassAthletics.
All Home Contests Available On UMass All-Access
UMass men's lacrosse will have each of its seven home games broadcast online through UMass All-Access, a CBS Interactive product. The link for each broadcast was accessible in each game preview to direct fans or other interest parties to the event page. All UMass men's lacrosse home contests will be broadcast on this platform free of charge.
UMass Men's Lacrosse Honors 1976, 2006 Teams In April
The University of Massachusetts men's lacrosse program and head coach Greg Cannella welcome back members of the 1976 and 2006 teams in tandem with the final two home games in April in celebration of their respective 40- and 10-year anniversaries. The 1976 team was recognized on Sat., April 9 at halftime of the game against Towson. The 2006 team's celebration follows on Sat., April 23 versus Hofstra.
In 1976, former head coach and recent IMLCA Hall of Fame inductee Richard F. Garber led the Minutemen to a 10-3 overall record and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance. After suffering two losses in its opening three games, Massachusetts reeled off nine consecutive victories to earn the NCAA berth.
Led by Cannella, the 2006 squad became the first-ever New England-based team to reach the NCAA Championship Game. As an unseeded team, the Minutemen fought through the most difficult path to a lacrosse championship game in history, beating the second, third and fourth-ranked teams in the nation.
Minutemen Rank No. 1 In Nation For Strength Of Schedule
University of Massachusetts men's lacrosse head coach Greg Cannella continues a career-long trend of challenging his Minutemen against the top teams in NCAA Division I each year during 2016 as the Maroon and White rank No. 1 in the nation for strength of schedule through 11 games (April 19).
According to the USILA Top-20 Coaches Poll, UMass has faced seven ranked teams so far in No. 7 Brown, No. 7 Towson, No. 10 North Carolina, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 14 Harvard, No. 15 Albany and No. 20 Penn State. The Minutemen also played Army West Point when it was receiving votes for the top 20 and Hartford.
Since the 2001 season, the Minutemen appeared in the top-20 for strength of schedule in 10 of their 15 completed seasons, including the last three campaigns.
Karaska's 50 Starts A Rare Feat
Kyle Karaska stepped into the starting position at close defense during his freshman season and has not relinquished the spot since as Karaska reached 50 starts as a Minuteman with the opening whistle of the game at Delaware.
Attackman Art Kell (2009-12) was the last Minuteman to reach 50 starts for his career (53) while current assistant coach and former goalie Doc Schneider was the last player to accomplish the feat on the defensive side of the ball (61). The most recent close defenseman to notch 50+ starts Jack Reid (59; 2003-06).
Man-Down Unit Stands Tall
UMass is among the most successful man-down teams in the nation through 11 games. The Minutemen rank fourth nationally with a 76.9 penalty kill percentage as the Maroon and White have only allowed 12 extra-man opportunity goals in 52 man-down situations.
It is the best penalty kill percentage for the number of man down situations faced across all NCAA Division I teams and is 16 more man down situations than any team ranked above the Minutemen.
The next-most successful team with 52 or more penalties called against it is Providence (22nd; .679; 18-of-56). Massachusetts has only allowed more than one EMO goal in any individual game so far this season three times (No. 10 North Carolina, No. 15 Albany, No. 20 Penn State). The team averages only 1.1 man-up goals allowed per game in 4.7 man-down situations.
Paparo A Workhorse Out Of The Gate
Freshman Isaac Paparo provided an immediate boost at long-stick midfielder through 11 games with 24 groundballs, five caused turnovers and five points (two goals, three assists). Over the course of an entire season, it is the most points by a long-stick midfielder since Jake Deane (seven goals, two assists) in 2006 and the greatest number of groundballs and caused turnovers by a rookie LSM since Austin Spencer had 22 and 10 in 2014.
Goals From Assorted Long Poles
Four UMass long-stick midfielders or close defensemen sport one goal each this season in Isaac Paparo (LSM), Kevin Porzelt (D), Shane Rinkus (LSM) and Tyler Weeks (LSM).
Paparo and Porzelt scored against No. 14 Harvard while Weeks added his versus No. 10 North Carolina. Paparo added another in the game at Delaware and also has a trio of assists for five points on the year while Weeks owns two points courtesy of one goal and an assist. Rinkus added his first collegiate point and goal during the game against No. 7 Towson.
Meyer's Shows Power In Return To Keystone State
Freshman Tom Meyers made his return to Pennsylvania, his native state, with a 16-for-24 afternoon at faceoff as the lone UMass specialist to step to the X at No. 20 Penn State on March 19. It reset personal bests in faceoffs won and taken while Meyers tied his record for most groundballs (3) during the victory.
Meyers' dominance at the X sprung the Minutemen to sizeable advantages in three key team categories: total possessions (31-27), shots taken (41-21) and groundballs (31-21). He outdueled three Nittany Lions faceoff specialists: Josh Wellman (7-18), Chris Young (1-3) and Billy Lombardi (0-3).
Carr, Meyers Tabbed CAA Co-Player, Rookie Of The Week
Sophomore Buddy Carr and freshman Tom Meyers tallied CAA Co-Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Mon., March 21. Carr scored three times - all in the second half - during the 11-9 win at No. 20 Penn State and provided the eventual game-winning goal in the process. Meyers went 16-for-24 at the faceoff X versus the Nittany Lions during his first game as the primary specialist. His ability to win plays away from Penn State helped the Minutemen to sizable margins in three team categories: total possessions (32-27), shots (41-21) and groundballs (31-21).
Muller Nets Two And Two Against Tar Heels
Redshirt junior midfielder Dan Muller totaled a career-high four points during the 14-9 win over No. 10 North Carolina. Muller scored twice and assisted on two more tallies. His pair of assists came during a crucial five-goal UMass run that turned a 7-6 advantage into a 12-6 margin. He scored once each in the second and fourth quarters.
Muller previously scored three points on four occasions, most recently in a 12-9 win over Drexel on April 18, 2015. His four-point game against UNC doubled his scoring output from the opening seven contests of the year when Muller totaled four points via three goals and an assist.
Carr Converting From Near And Far
Buddy Carr ranks tied for 29th in the nation for shot percentage as of games on Tues., April 19. Carr tallied 17 goals on 42 attempts (.405) to also rank tops among CAA competitors. The next-highest accuracy guy across the CAA is Hofstra's Korey Hendrickson, who is tied for 31st at 40.3 percent (25-of-62).
After being held scoreless at Army, Carr has all 24 of his points during the last 10 games.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Garber Field has proven to be one of the toughest home field advantages in all of college lacrosse as UMass has posted a 81-31 record (72.3 win percentage) at Garber since the beginning of the 2001 season.
The squad won at least four home games in 11 of the last 15 seasons, including a program-record 10 victories in 2003 and another nine wins in Amherst during the 2012 campaign.
The Minutemen played their first five home games of 2015 at McGuirk Stadium due to winter weather-related damage to the playing surface at Garber. They went 2-3 at McGuirk in 2015 and 1-1 at Garber Field following their return against Drexel (4/18) and Delaware (4/24).
FOGOs Figure it Out
UMass only lost the faceoff battle in one of its previous six games as sophomore Noah Rak (38-of-66; .576) and freshman Tom Meyers (35-of-60; .583) account for the recent success at the faceoff X. The Minuteman duo is 73-of-126 (57.9 percent) with 27 groundballs in that span.
As a team in those six contests, the Minutemen outperformed No. 15 Albany (15-23), No. 20 Penn State (16-24) and No. 7 Towson (16-23), tied Delaware (10-20) and Fairfield (9-18) and were undone by No. 10 North Carolina (8-25).
