May 6, 2004
Buffalo, NY - The 2004 Marist College men's lacrosse season continued to reach new heights this evening, as the Red Foxes were honored at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament Dinner, this evening in Buffalo, NY. Marist finished the 2004 regular season with a 10-6 overall record and as the conference champion, with an 8-0 mark, its first-ever MAAC Regular Season Title.
Highlighting the awards for the Red Foxes were first-year head coach Andrew Copelan and freshman Keith Detelj, who both received accolades Thursday night. Copelan, in his first-year at the helm of the Red Foxes, was named the MAAC Coach of the Year. He led the team to the third double-digit win season in program history and the first winning season since 1988 and the most wins since 1988.
Detelj made an immediate impact on the Red Foxes and earned MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year accolades on the year. Detelj led the Red Foxes in scoring, tallying 38 goals in his 16 games played. He was the team's leading goal scorer with 30, including a pair of game-winners. He also added eight assists, which was good for third on the team. He ranks second in the MAAC in both points and goals scored.
Detelj headlined three Red Foxes named to the All-MAAC First Team this season. Joining Detelj were sophomores Steve Gravino and Billy Duerr. Gravino finished the regular season with a goals-against-average of 7.23 and a save percentage of 63.4 percent. Through games of May 3rd, he ranks fourth in the nation in save percentage and sixth in the nation in goals-against-average. He made 206 saves during the year, facing 462 shots, and allowing only 118 goals. Duerr finished the year with 34 total points, coming on 20 goals and a team-high 14 assists.
Brian Diele and Justin Casano were named to the All-MAAC Second Team for their efforts during the 2004 campaign. Diele was the Red Foxes third leading scorer, with 30 points in his 16 games. He netted 17 goals and was second on the team with 13 assists. Casano was one of the keys to the Red Foxes defensive success this year. In stating 15 games, he recorded 33 groundballs, and helped Marist to a national ranking of first in man-down defense, and to being the 11th stingiest defense through May 3rd, allowing only 7.56 goals per game.
Marist is the number one seed in this weekends MAAC Tournament, being hosted by Canisius College. The Red Foxes will take on the number four seed, Manhattan, in the first semifinal on Friday, at 1:30 pm. Second seeded Canisius will play number three seed, Providence, at 4:00 pm. The Championship game, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line, will be played on Sunday at noon.