University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Sacred Heart
Men's Lacrosse Makes Garber Field Debut On Tuesday
February 12, 2018 | Men's Lacrosse
Massachusetts hosts Sacred Heart at 3 p.m.
| University of Massachusetts Men's Lacrosse Game Notes & Information | |
| Game Two | Massachusetts (0-1 overall) vs. [-/RV] Sacred Heart (1-0) |
| Date | Time | Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 | 3 p.m. |
| Location | Garber Field | Amherst, Mass. |
| Live Statistics | Statbroadcast |
| Watch | UMass All-Access (Free) |
| Series History | Massachusetts leads, 7-1 Last: Massachusetts 15, Sacred Heart 12; Feb. 12, 2010 • Fairfield, Conn. |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Sacred Heart |
| @UMassAthletics | @UMassMLacrosse | |
| UMass Men's Lacrosse | |
| Buy Tickets | Available through the UMass Ticket Central Page |
On Top Of The Tweet Game
Instant information about the 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 @UMassMLacrosse. Follow the Minutemen and catch information about each UMass Athletic Department program through @UMassAthletics.
@UMassMLAX On The Gram
UMass men's lacrosse joined Instagram during the 2016 season. Find the Minutemen on there via the handle @UMassMLAX for inside looks at the program in addition to content found on Twitter (@UMassMLacrosse) or via the UMass Athletics Facebook page.
Staying Power
Head coach Greg Cannella now approaches career win No. 200 as he enters his 24th season at the helm of the Minuteman program, one of the longest tenured coaches active in Division I men's lacrosse. He is the second-longest tenured head coach at one institution and fifth nationally in terms of total years spent as a Division I head coach. Cannella began his time as the leader of the team ahead of the 1995 season and, since then, won 10 or more games during seven campaigns. He guided the Minutemen to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and currently stands at 194-136 overall (58.8 win percentage).
When Cannella was hired, the following had not been invented yet...
• Nintendo 64 (1996)
• The DVD player (1996)
• Google (1998)
• The iPod (2001), iPhone (2007) or iPad (2010)
• MySpace (2003)
• Facebook (2004)
• Twitter (2006)
...and the following events were yet to happen:
• 2018 NFL Hall of Fame class members Brian Dawkins (1996), Ray Lewis (1996), Terrell Owens (1996), Randy Moss (1998) and Brian Urlacher (2000) debut in the league
• Spacecraft Pathfinder lands on Mars (1997)
• "Dolly the Sheep" is cloned by Scottish scientists (1997)
• J.K. Rowling publishes the first Harry Potter book (1997)
• Tiger Woods wins his first major championship (1997)
• The International Space Station is launched (1998)
• SpongeBob Squarepants debuts on Nickelodeon (1999)
• The European Union launches its currency, the "Euro" (1999)
• George W. Bush is elected president, the first time (2000)
• Enron Corporation files for bankrupcy (2001)
• Major League Lacrosse plays its inaugural game (2001)
CAA Preseason Poll, All-Conference
Massachusetts collected third place on the CAA Coaches Poll while junior close defenseman Isaac Paparo earned preseason all-conference. Towson was picked first and Hofstra second. Drexel earned fourth, followed by Fairfield and Delaware. The full poll and preseason all-conference team is available on page 11.
The Captains: Lisauskas, Paparo, Rinkus
UMass men's lacrosse seniors Jake Lisauskas and Shane Rinkus, and junior Isaac Paparo lead the team as tri-captains in 2018.
Lisauskas played first and second-line midfield over his opening three seasons. Rinkus is the team's top long-stick midfielder who also saw time on close defense during his tenure. Paparo started his career at long-stick midfield before he transitioned into close defense five games into the 2017 season.
Paparo is only the third junior elected captain during head coach Greg Cannella's tenure. The honor was previously bestowed on Ryan Izzo during his junior year in 2014 and Buddy Hoffman in 1995.
First Goal Status
Sophomore attack Devin Spencer scored the team's first goal of the season with his tally at No. 16 Army on Feb. 10, 2018. He converted following the game's second faceoff on a pass by freshman attack Chris Connolly.
Devin older brother, junior midfielder Ben Spencer, had the team's first goal of the season in 2016. They are the only two active Minutemen with a season-opening goal.
Chuck The Deuces
Freshman attack Chris Connolly posted a pair of points via two assists in his collegiate debut. He sent goal-creating passes to Devin Spencer and Jeff Trainor for the first two Minutemen conversions of the game.
Paparo For The Course
Junior close defenseman Isaac Paparo recorded five groundballs and three caused turnovers at No. 16 Army. It was his third career game with five or more groundballs and his seventh with three or more caused turnovers.
His defensive success against the Black Knights reflected a continuation of his sophomore year output, which included 46 groundballs and a program-record 33 caused turnovers.
Goals From Longpoles
Junior close defenseman Isaac Paparo scored on his only show of the 2018 season-opener at No. 16 Army. He has four career tallies. It moved Paparo ahead of Shane Rinkus (3) for most among active Minuteman longpoles.
FO-GOals
Senior faceoff specialist Noah Rak scored a pair of goals at No. 16 Army in the season-opener, the first multi-goal game for Rak in his career and the first by the Minutemen in 2018. He enters play against Sacred Heart with 13 career points via six goals and seven assists. Rak also had two goals apiece during his sophomore (2016) and junior (2017) seasons.
Mr. 300
Senior faceoff specialist Noah Rak eclipsed 300 career faceoff victories during the season-opener at No. 16 Army. His 300th faceoff victory came 12:20 remaining in the first quarter. He is 310-of-555 (.559) entering play against Sacred Heart. Dane Collins holds the record for most faceoff victories by a Minuteman in program history with 423 secured between 2003-06.
The First-Timers
Five Minutemen made their collegiate debuts during the game at No. 16 Army West Point, including Hampton Brannon, Joe Casucci, Chris Connolly, Sam Eisenstadt and Kevin Tobin. Connolly started at attack. Tobin played as a reserve midfielder while Casucci and Eisenstadt rotated into the close defense lineup. Brannon relieved starting goalie Sean Sconone during the fourth quarter. Logan Danenza made his first appearance as a Minuteman on defense as well. He previously appeared in eight games as a member of the High Point program in 2017.
Three Minutemen also made their first collegiate starts at Army West Point, including Connolly, first-line midfielder Ben Spencer and close defenseman Jackson Suboch.
