Men's Lacrosse Heads To Richmond For A-10 Championship

Game 14	Atlantic 10 Semifinal - #3 Seed Massachusetts (8-5) at #2 Seed Richmond (9-4)
Date \| Time	Thursday, May 4, 2023 \| 8:00 p.m.
Location	Robins Stadium \| Richmond, Va.
Live Statistics	StatBroadcast
Watch	ESPN+
Series History	Richmond leads, 1-0 Last: Richmond 13, Massachusetts 12 Robins Stadium \| Richmond, Va. \| May 4, 2023
Twitter	@UMassAthletics \| @UMassMLacrosse
Instagram	UMass Men's Lacrosse
Tickets	Atlantic 10 Championship
Tournament Info	Atlantic 10 Championship Central

Against The Field

- UMass is 1-2 against the three teams in the Atlantic 10 Championship field, defeating High Point 12-10 with one-goal losses at Richmond (13-12) and Saint Joseph's (11-10).
- In the Gorillas' regular season meeting with the Spiders, senior Mike Tobin had a team-best five points on three goals and two assists. Graduate student Gabriel Procyk, redshirt sophomore Shane O'Leary and Freshman Zach Auble all scored twice. Faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett won 17 of 29 draws against Richmond and picked up nine ground balls and Matt Knote made 10 saves. The Spiders out-shot UMass, 48-29 and edged the Gorillas in ground balls, 33-32. Massachusetts converted the only extra man opportunity of the contest.

Where UMass Stacks Up

- UMass is currently third in the nation in scoring defense at 9.00 goals per-game, first in the Atlantic 10. The Gorillas are also first in the A-10 in saves per-game, 13.38, 15th nationally.
- Massachusetts ranks second nationally in man-down defense at .769, first in the A-10.
- Senior Matt Knote leads the nation in save percentage (.597), third in goals-against average (8.89) and 14th in saves per-game (13.00). He is the A-10 leader in all three categories.
- Mike Tobin finished third in A-10 play in points per-game (3.80), first in shots per-game (8.40), fifth in goals per-game (2.60) and eighth in assists per-game (1.20).

A Knote-Worthy Performance

- Senior goalkeeper Matt Knote collected a host of accolades after UMass' win over Army on Feb. 11.
- Knote was named USA Lacrosse Magazine Division I Player of the Week, to the USILA Division I Team of the Week and earned the first-ever Atlantic 10 Men's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week.
- The Speonk, New York, native made 19 saves and picked up the win in a 10-8 victory over Army at Garber Field, also collecting four ground balls. He made 11 stops in the first half and allowed just one goal. The win marked the first for UMass vs. Army since 2014, ending a streak of seven straight wins by the Black Knights.

Knote Honored Again

- Goalkeeper Matt Knote was selected as the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week on March 13, earning the honor for the second time this season after helping the Gorillas to a pair of road wins over UAlbany (9-6) and Vermont (12-4).
- Knote posted a 4.15 goals against average and a .771 save percentage on the week, making 27 saves over the two games and collecting five ground balls. He had 15 stops on 21 shots on goal vs. UAlbany then followed up with 12 saves on 14 shots at Vermont.

Knote Picks Up Third Weekly Accolade

- University of Massachusetts men's lacrosse senior goalkeeper Matt Knote was selected as the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season on April 17.
- Knote allowed just two goals on 10 shots for a .800 save percentage, making eight stops in a 14-3 win over St. Bonaventure over 56:02 minutes of action on April 15. The Speonk, New York native grabbed two ground balls as well.

Tobin Earns A-10 Weekly Recognition

- Senior midfielder Mike Tobin was selected as the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on April 3. It marked the first career honor for Tobin and the third time a UMass player has been recognized this season.
- Tobin helped the Gorillas secure the program's first-ever conference win as a member of the A-10, in a thrilling 12-10 win over High Point on Garber Field on April 1. The Reading, Massachusetts native posted his first hat trick of the year and added an assist for a four-point afternoon.
- Two of his goals came in man-up situations, while he grabbed two ground balls and had two caused turnovers. Tobin scored the game winner, his third tally of the day with the score tied at 10-10 with 4:06 to play in regulation.
- Through 12 games on the season, Tobin ranks second on the squad in scoring with 29 points on 15 goals and 14 assists.

Pair of Gorillas Receive Final Weekly Awards of the Season

- Seniors Mike Tobin and Matt Knote both earned recognition from the Atlantic 10 for their performances in the final weekend of the regular season. Tobin was named the A-10 Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this year, while Knote collected A-10 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the fourth time. Both were instrumental in UMass' 13-9 win over Hobart on Garber Field last Friday that helped the Gorillas secure an Atlantic 10 Tournament berth.
- Tobin posted his fourth hat trick in A-10 play and added two assists for a game-best five points in the victory over the Statesmen. The Reading, Massachusetts native scored the game winner, had a man-up goal and also snagged one ground ball. UMass trailed Hobart 6-5 when Tobin responded with his first two tallies of the night in the second quarter and the Maroon & White would not trail again in the contest.
- Knote totaled 16 saves with 11 coming in the second half against Hobart.

To Quickly Recap

- University of Massachusetts men's lacrosse secured a berth to the Atlantic 10 Tournament with a 13-9 win over Hobart on Senior Night on Garber Field last Friday.
- Once again UMass spread the love offensively with 10 individuals combining for 13 goals. Mike Tobin paced the pack with a hat trick and two assists for five points, redshirt sophomore Mason Bregman had two goals and an assist for three points and senior Will Abbott contributed three points (1g, 2a). Redshirt sophomore Caleb Hammett picked up 12 ground balls and won 14 of 23 faceoffs (.609).
- The Gorillas edged the Statesmen in shots, 42-41 and collected a season-best 40 ground balls to Hobart's 26. Both teams went 2-for-5 in extra-man opportunities.
- Senior Matt Knote finished the contest with 16 saves, including 11 second half stops, while Statesmen netminder Elhanan Wilson had 10 saves.

Minutemen Milestones

- With a hat trick against Albany, Gabriel Procyk moved into sole possession of seventh all-time in program history for career goals. He passed Kevin Patterson (1975-77) for sixth with a goal against Brown and is now 11 goals away from cracking the top-five all-time. Procyk is the program record holder in man-up goals with 23.
- Freshman Aiden Drunsic scored his first collegiate goal against Yale on March 3. Sophomore John Krisch scored his first career goal against High Point on April 1 and collected his first collegiate assist on April 15 vs. St. Bonaventure.
- Freshman Zach Auble registered his first career point vs. Army on Feb. 11 with an assist. He scored the first two goals of his career at Richmond on April 8.
- Redshirt sophomore Jack Wittmaack picked up his first career goal at Vermont on March 11.
- Redshirt sophomore Caleb Hammett dished an assist on April 1 vs. High Point for his first collegiate point and scored his first career goal against St. Bonaventure on April 15.
- Sophomore Brady Hoff netted his first collegiate goal at Saint Joseph's on April 22.

Back For More

- The Gorillas have four players on this year's roster who are in their fifth seasons with the Maroon & White: midfielder Jack Gump, attack Gabriel Procyk, midfielder Tim Hoynes and attack Jackson Cummings.
- Procyk was second on the team in goals (26) and third in points (33). He is the leading active career points scorer with 153 points over 59 career games.

Out Of The Portal

- UMass has added five transfers to the squad ahead of the 2023 campaign: defenseman Giuseppe Chiovera from NJIT, defenseman Chris Campbell from Hartford and LIU, midfielder Will Abbott from Quinnipiac, attack Conor Foley from UMass Lowell and defenseman Ryan Sharkey from Canisius.
- Abbott and Sharkey are graduate transfers, Campbell and Foley are seniors and Chiovera is a sophomore.
- Sharkey was a two-time All-MAAC selection at Canisius (second team 2021, first team 2022).

Hammett & O'Leary Look To Build Off Breakout 2022 Campaigns

- Redshirt sophomores Caleb Hammett and Shane O'Leary are looking to build off stellar seasons as redshirt freshmen in 2022.
- Hammett was an All-CAA First Team and All-CAA Rookie Team selection in 2022. He appeared in all 14 games and went 185-for-301 (.615) over X, leading the CAA in faceoff percentage and ranking fifth in the nation. The Hanover, Massachusetts native also paced the league in ground balls per-game (8.50) and ranked sixth nationally. He finished the 2023 campaign with 119 ground balls on the year.
- O'Leary was named to the All-Rookie Team after registering 16 points over 13 games on 14 goals and two assists during the regular season with 24 ground balls and four caused turnovers. The Byfield, Massachusetts, native opened the 2022 season with a hat trick at Army, tallying the first three goals of his career. He also put up three points (2g, 1a) at Yale and scored a pair of goals in a 12-9 win over UAlbany as both games were part of a six-game goal scoring streak for the midfielder. He finished the 2022 campaign ranked sixth on the squad with 17 points on 14 goals and three assists.

Welcome To The Troop

- Massachusetts has 10 first-year players on its roster this season: midfielder Zach Auble (Burlington, Mass.), face off specialist TJ Casey (Medfield, Mass.), attack Aiden Drunsic (Exeter, N.H.), defender Russ Hutchinson (Marblehead, Mass.), midfielder Brian Jackman (Oakville, Ontario), defenseman Zander Johnson (Downers Grove, Ill.), midfielder Liam Maher (Melrose, Mass.), goalkeeper Ryan Mazzariello (Watervliet, N.Y.), defenseman Kyle Swanson (Evanston, Ill.) and defenseman Rob Travers (Wycoff, N.J.).

Leading The Way

- Graduate student defenseman Jack Gump, senior goalkeeper Matt Knote and senior midfielder Mike Tobin have been named team captains for the 2023 season.
- Tobin logged 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists in 2022 as a junior, finishing fourth on the team in scoring and earning a NEILA All-New England Second Team nod.

Preseason Accolades

- Senior defenseman Chris Campbell and senior goalkeeper Matt Knote were named to the inaugural Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team. The duo was also selected to the NEILA All-New England Preseason teams alongside redshirt sophomore faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett.
- The Gorillas were picked third in the preseason poll with 20 points, while Richmond was selected as the preseason favorite (33 points) with Saint Joseph's in second (29). Behind UMass, High Point (19), Hobart (18) and St. Bonaventure (7) rounded out the poll in fourth, fifth and sixth.
- Campbell comes UMass from LIU where he was an All-NEC first team and NEC All-Tournament Team honoree in 2022 after starting 14 games, collecting 31 ground balls and forcing 19 turnovers. The Shrewsbury, Massachusetts native previously spent two seasons at Hartford where he earned an America East All-Rookie Team nod in 2019. He started all 21 games for the Hawks over the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.
- Knote started all 14 games of his junior season in 2022, logging an 8-6-0 record with an 11.07 goals against average and a .527 save percentage, making 173 stops between the pipes to garner his second consecutive First Team All-CAA nod. The Speonk, New York native finished the 2022 regular season as the CAA leader in GAA and save percentage, while ranking second in saves per-game.
- Knote currently ranks sixth all-time in the UMass record book in career saves (551) and holds a career save percentage of .550 and a goals-against average of 10.30 over 2621 minutes in net.
- Hammett was an All-CAA First Team and All-CAA Rookie Team selection in 2022. He appeared in all 14 games and went 185-for-301 (.615) over X, leading the CAA in faceoff percentage and ranking fifth in the nation. The Hanover, Massachusetts native also paced the league in ground balls per-game (8.50) and ranked sixth nationally. He finished the 2023 campaign with 119 ground balls on the year.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Will Abbott

Zach Auble

Mason Bregman

Chris Campbell

TJ Casey

Giuseppe Chiovera

Jackson Cummings

Aiden Drunsic

Conor Foley

Jack Gump

Caleb Hammett

Brady Hoff

Tim Hoynes

Russ Hutchinson

Brian Jackman

Zander Johnson

Matt Knote

John Krisch

Liam Maher

Ryan Mazzariello

Shane O'Leary

Gabriel Procyk

Ryan Sharkey

Kyle Swanson

Mike Tobin

Rob Travers

Jack Wittmaack

Scoreboard

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