BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's lacrosse team begins its 2017 season on Saturday against Stevens, on the road, at 12:30 PM. Here's a preview of the upcoming season.
RETURNING CAST (ROSTER): On the offensive end, Endicott will return many key components that helped the Gulls finish the 2016 season ranked first in the CCC in face-off wins, second in goals (228) and goals per game (12.67), and third in assists (135). Headlining the offensive unit in their senior seasons are captains Colin Bannon (Westport, Conn.), Tommy Hughes (Coram, N.Y.), and Will Jennings (Danvers, Mass.). Along with Bannon, Hughes, and Jennings, senior Thomas Harvey as well as sophomores Matthew Faucher (Western Springs, Ill.), Kenneth Speak (Melbourne, Australia) and Luke Wallahan (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) all return experience to the offensive end.
Defensively, several student-athletes will be stepping in to new roles alongside a core group of key returners and veteran leaders including senior captain Shane Hughes (York Beach, Maine), junior Charles Goulburn (Basking Ridge, N.J.), sophomore Grant Garrity (Duxbury, Mass.), and sophomore short-stick defensive specialist Hayden Souza (West Hartford, Conn.).
MARK YOUR CALENDAR (SCHEDULE): Endicott's first home game of the 2017 season takes place on Wednesday, March 1 against Union (N.Y.) at 4 PM. Live stats and live video will be available for every home game, and can be found on the team's schedule page. The Gulls will also play Springfield (3/19, 1 PM), Roger Williams (3/25, 3 PM), Nichols (4/5, 4 PM), Salve Regina (4/11, 7 PM), and Curry (4/15, 12 PM) at home this year.
In addition to their home schedule, the Gulls will play six teams that reached the NCAA tournament last season including Tufts University, who advanced to the NCAA championship last year. Six of the teams on the schedule in 2017 are also ranked inside the top-20 in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason rankings: Tufts (5), Bowdoin (9), Bates (11), Amherst (13), and Middlebury (16).
PRESEASON PLAUDITS (CCC POLL): The Endicott men's lacrosse team has been picked to finish second overall in the 2017 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) preseason coaches' poll, as voted upon by the league's nine head coaches. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
