WNE Men’s Lacrosse, Union to Clash in Second Straight NCAA Tournament on Saturday
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 11, 2023) – For the second straight season, the Western New England men's lacrosse team will voyage to Schenectady, New York to take on No. 17 Union College in the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Second Round. Western New England makes the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season after taking down Endicott in the 2023 CCC Championship game on road turf, defeating the Gulls 18-9.
Western New England: The 2023 Season
The Golden Bears picked up the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament last Saturday afternoon after the blue and gold swept through CCC play, defeating University of New England, Salve Regina University, and top seeded Endicott College to punch their ticket into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and 12th time overall in the program's history. Unlike a season ago, Western New England got off to a slow start to the year, playing one of NCAA Division III's toughest schedules. WNE opened the year with an emphatic 23-12 victory of Keene State College, though would drop their next six games, falling to 1-6 on the year, playing the likes of (RV) Coast Guard, eventual NEWMAC Champion Beavers of Babson College, No. 15 Bowdoin College, and No. 7 Saint Lawrence University in that stretch. The Golden Bears would see the month of March close with a 1-6 record, with their lone win coming in their conference opener against Roger Williams University, defeating the Hawks 24-10.
The historic strong CCC play would turn the season around in the month of April after Western New England would close out their road non-conference schedule, with one final home non-conference game remaining, with a tough 17-9 loss on the road to No. 8 Amherst College. Western New England would rip of wins in their next three games, at University of New England (W, 18-9), vs. Curry College (W, 17-6), and vs. Wentworth Institute of Technology (W, 11-10). From there, the Golden Bears would host their final non-conference game of the season, taking on cross-town rival Springfield College. Western New England would need triple overtime to take the thrilling victory from Golden Bears stadium as WNE would defeat Springfield College 13-12. WNE would coast along in conference play, defeating Gordon College (W, 24-4) and Salve Regina University (W, 15-12). WNE would be stopped in their tracks on their way to a perfect CCC record on the season as Endicott College would get the best of WNE, defeating the Golden Bears 16-7, as WNE drops their first CCC game since April 10, 2021. With one game remaining in conference play, Western New England would run through Nichols College (W, 20-5) to secure the second seed in the CCC Tournament.
The Golden Bears would grab home field advantage for their first two games in the Tournament, defeating University of New England by a final score of 24-9 while also taking down Salve Regina University 23-11 to punch their ticket to their 12th straight CCC Championship game. In a battle of the Gulls and Golden Bears for the 10th straight season, Western New England would come out on top and win their second straight CCC Championship game and pick up the automatic qualifier bid in the NCAA Tournament. After the NCAA Selection show, the Golden Bears drew No. 17 Union College, who was also selected to be the host of the four-team pod, for the second straight season.
Western New England's Top Performers:
It was a season of record-breaking lacrosse for WNE. Multiple Golden Bears contributed on the offense end, which included All-CCC First Team contributor Dylan Hanley. Hanley smashed the WNE men's lacrosse single season record in points, currently sitting at 116 points on the season. The number from the senior attackman is tops in the conference and sits tied third in all of NCAA Division III men's lacrosse. Hanley, who has played in all 20 games for the Golden Bears this season, has scored 48 goals and picked up 68 assists, scoring in double figures in three games for WNE while also collecting at least one point in all 20 games and two points in 19 of 20 games this season. Hanley's 68 assists are a single season Western New England men's lacrosse record. The New Fairfield, Connecticut native has scooped 63 ground balls and caused 16 turnovers this season while taking 130 shots, placing 95 on goal. Hanley's previous point high total was 45.
Graduate student Mike Bannon has 73 points on the season, four shy of tying his career best, which was put up in the 2022 season. Overall, Bannon has put up 41 goals and 32 assists and broke the career points record for the Golden Bears men's lacrosse program this season, totaling 279 career points through 77 games. Bannon has mad starts in every game played over his career with Western New England and has recorded 30 ground balls, three caused turnovers on the 2023 season while taking 117 shots, placing 80 on goal.
Sophomore Jack Houlden has lit up the scoreboard this season, leading Western New England in goal scoring with 57 goals scored this season. Houlden has 70 total points on the season and was a key contributor in Western New England's CCC Championship run, having scored 15 goals through three games, taking 27 shots, putting 24 on goal.
Also contributing on the offensive end for Western New England has been Zachary Mein (28 G, 10 A), Ben Kolb (12 G, 14 A), Noah Rust (16 G, 10 A), Thomas Labbe (21 G, 4 A), James Wrynn (16 G, 8 A), and Jacob Roy (17 G, 3 A), all Golden Bears with at least 20 points on the season.
Defensively, Western New England has been led by a trio of classmen as senior Anthony Gamba, junior Michael Knapp, and First Year Jack Gara have stunned their opponents through 20 games this season. Gamba has collected 25 caused turnovers this season while scooping 28 ground balls. Gamba caused three turnovers in the CCC Tournament while scooping four ground balls. Knapp came away with 33 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers on the season for WNE which included three caused turnovers and six ground balls in the CCC Tournament. Gara was rock solid in the CCC Tournament, grabbing 12 ground balls and causing four turnovers for the Golden Bears.
In between the pipes, Western New England has seen Carter Randall make 12 starts on the season, making 132 saves while dotting an 11-1 record on the year. Randall has accumulated a 56.2 save percentage for the Golden Bears while notching a 9.20 GAA on the year. In the CCC Championship game at Endicott, Randall made 16 saves to secure the win for the blue and gold.
Union College: The 2023 Season
Union, who finished the season with an 11-6 record and 4-3 mark in Liberty League play, started the season with a 5-0 record before finishing the season with a 5-6 record down the stretch. Union defeated Babson College, Endicott College, Springfield College, Williams College, and Emerson College to begin the year at a perfect 5-0. Three ranked opponents would face Union as the Garnet would fall to No. 11 Middlebury College, defeat No. 7 Saint Lawrence University and fall at home to No. 2 Tufts University. Through the month of April, Union would fall to Clarkson University, No. 3 RIT, the 2022 NCAA Division III men's lacrosse champions, and RPI while defeating Skidmore College, St. John Fisher, Ithaca College, and Vassar College to close out the regular season. In the Liberty League playoffs, Union defeated No. 18 RPI before falling again to No. 3 RIT in the Liberty League title game. Union picked up an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and received hosting rights in the tournament's opening weekend.
Union's Top Performers:
Unlike the Golden Bears, Union does not have a single scorer with more than 45 points on the year as Union spreads the goal scoring throughout their lineup. Junior Zach Davis leads Union with 32 goals on the season while also producing 13 points, good for 45 points on the season. Jake Mabardy, the Winchester, Massachusetts native, has 42 points on the season for Union, second best on the team. Mabardy has scored 26 goals and assisted on 16 others, good for 42 points. Union also has been Peter Kip, the Cohasset, Massachusetts native, also collect 42 points on the season while taking 114 shots for Union. 25 different players from Union have registered at least one goal on the season.
On defense, Union has leaned heavily on Clint Gourdeau, who has collected 24 caused turnovers on the season while scooping 35 ground balls. Union has also seen John Sula cause 14 turnovers on the year and scoop a team high 51 ground balls.
Junior Dan Donahue has made 16 starts for Union this season, dotting a 60.8 save percentage while making 222 saves on the year. Donahue has collected a 9.19 GAA and has a record of 10-6 on the season.
NCAA Tournament History:
Western New England enters the NCAA Tournament for the tenth time, with their last win coming a year ago as the Golden Bears defeated University of Lynchburg, the No. 11 team in the country at the time, knocking down the Hornets 14-10. WNE would succumb to Union College a game later, in the NCAA Tournament's third round game. Prior to that, WNE's last win came back in 2013, when WNE went 2-1 in the tournament, taking down both Eastern Connecticut and Nazareth College before falling in the quarterfinal round.
Union College made a deep run in the 2022 NCAA Tournament after beating Western New England in the third-round game. Union defeated John Carroll University, WNE, No. 16 Gettysburg University, and No. 5 York College (Pa.) to make it all the way to the NCAA Championship game before falling to eventual champion No. 2 RIT, 12-10.
Second Round Contest:
Western New England and Union College with dual for the ninth time in the programs two histories. Western New England has the upper hand, having won five of the eight contests. The Golden Bears and Union will play at 3:00 PM from Schenectady, New York. Prior to the game, at 12:00 PM, No. 5 Middlebury College and Saint Mary's University (Maryland) will meet in the NCAA Second Round Game with the winner advancing to Sunday, May 14 to take on the winner of Union and Western New England at 3:00 PM.
The NCAA Division III men's lacrosse national championship game will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May, 28, 2023 from Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
