POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – With an overall record of 14-4, including 6-0 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, the Marist men's lacrosse team enjoyed a record setting season in 2015. The Red Foxes won the program's second MAAC title and hosted the first ever NCAA playoff game in the college's history. Marist made it to the first round of the NCAA Tournament and was ranked no. 19 in the final Cascade/Maverik Media Poll of the season released May 29.
Marist's 11 regular season wins tied a single-season record and the Red Foxes went unbeaten in conference play for the first time since 2004. After six straight victories to conclude the 2015 regular season, the Red Foxes extended the winning streak to nine contests in postseason play for the second longest undefeated run in program history.
A 15-3 win for Marist on April 18 at Manhattan clinched the MAAC regular season title and the right to host the conference tournament for the second straight year. Following an 11-6 semifinal win over Monmouth, the Red Foxes defeated Quinnipiac in a highly contested final that ended 16-14 and vaulted Marist to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. The NCAA Selection Committee pitted Marist against Northeast Conference Champion Bryant in a First Four matchup. In front of a record crowd of 1,873 fans in Tenney Stadium on May 6, the Red Foxes beat the Bulldogs, 10-6, to advance to the first round where they would fall to Syracuse.
A high powered offense led Marist throughout the season, as the Red Foxes finished among the nation's top 20 in five statistical categories. The man up offense, led by junior Joseph Radin's (Long Beach, N.Y.) 11 goals, was second in the nation to the NCAA Champion Denver Pioneers. Marist scored 56 percent of the time on extra man opportunities. The Red Foxes were ranked 14th in goals per game (11.78), 13th in assists per game (7.06) and shooting percentage (32 percent), and 15th in points per game (18.83).
Five Red Foxes reached the 100-point milestone in 2015: Radin, senior Drew Nesmith (Montclair, N.J.), senior Colin Joka (Conshohocken, Pa.), senior Mike Begley (Brookeville, Md.) and sophomore J.D. Recor (Lancaster, N.Y.). Radin also shattered a 29-year-old program record for goals in a single season, netting 55, and earned MAAC Offensive Player of the Year. Recor was on the other end of most of Radin's goals, finishing with 43 assists for the third highest single-season total in program history. His career assists tally stands at 74. Joka ended his career in Red and White eighth on the all-time list with 95 career goals, while Nesmith was right ahead of him with 96. A member of the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, Begley proved to be a versatile asset at midfield. His 63 ground balls were second on the team and he picked four hat tricks throughout the season.
Defensively, senior Dave Scarcello (Buffalo, N.Y.) ranked seventh in the nation between the pipes with a .570 save percentage and was 15th in goals against average (8.48). He helped lead Marist to three one-goal wins and collected 42 ground balls for fifth best on the team. MAAC Faceoff Specialist of the Year Dominic Montemurro (Kings Park, N.Y.) finished second in the conference, going 217-for-413 (52.5 percent) from the X, while senior Patrick Eaker (Redding, Conn.) was named the conference's Long Stick Midfielder of the Year for the third straight season after leading Marist with 18 caused turnovers.
The Red Foxes will be returning 27 student-athletes from the 2015 roster for the 2016 season.
