ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men's lacrosse team returns to Casey Stadium this weekend, kicking off a four-game home stand against NJIT.
 
Game Info
April 15, 2023 vs. NJIT (3:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Game Notes | Game Program
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany is 3-3 at home this season; NJIT is 0-5 on the road
• NJIT's head coach Eric Wolf played at UAlbany under Scott Marr, as did NJIT assistant coach Sean Eccles
• NJIT ranks sixth in the America East in scoring offense; UAlbany ranks seventh
• UAlbany ranks sixth in the America East in scoring defense; NJIT ranks seventh
• Jake Piseno leads the America East and ranks second nationally in caused turnovers per game
• UAlbany ranks sixth nationally in clear percentage
• The Thompsons will be holding a clinic on John Fallon Field before Saturday's game with their 4 the Future Foundation. There will be an autograph signing session before the game, and a brief recognition ceremony at halftime

Scouting NJIT
NJIT is 2-8 on the season so far, and winless in four games against America East opponents.  The Highlanders have lost each of their last four following back-to-back victories over Wagner and Lindenwood.  The Highlanders are in their first season under head coach Eric Wolf, who played for and coached under Scott Marr at UAlbany.  Three Highlanders have scored 20 or more points, led by Jack Bowie and Owen Corry, each of whom have scored 28.  NJIT is now in its third year as an America East program, and UAlbany has so far gone 2-0 against the Highlanders, winning by 10 in each game.
 
Last Time vs. NJIT
April 22, 2022 | The Great Danes clinched their spot in the America East postseason for the 10th-straight year when they wrapped up their 2022 conference slate with a victory at NJIT on Friday evening.  A low-scoring first half saw UAlbany take a 4-3 lead into halftime, but the Great Danes' offense came alive in the second half, outscoring the Highlanders 12-3 in the final 30 minutes.  Amos Whitcomb scored four goals and Graydon Hogg added three goals and one assist, while Regan Endres won 15 of 23 faceoff opportunities.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany played its third, and penultimate, road game of the 2023 regular season, paying a visit to first-year America East program Bryant.  After Thomas Decker scored just 64 seconds after the opening faceoff to give UAlbany an early lead, the Bulldogs scored 15 of the next 18 goals to take a 15-4 lead at halftime.  UAlbany regrouped, outscoring Bryant 6-1 in the third quarter, closing within five before Bryant rolled off three-straight to reextend their lead to eight.  Ultimately, UAlbany fell 20-16 after scoring each of the last three, and six of the last eight, goals of the game.
 
Around the America East
Two-time defending champion Vermont and conference newcomer Bryant have narrowly separated themselves atop the America East standings, with both teams going 4-0 ahead of their showdown this weekend.  Binghamton dropped their first conference game, to Vermont, to fall to third place.  UAlbany and UMBC are tied for fourth at 2-2.  Merrimack earned its first-ever America East victory last weekend, over NJIT, while the Highlanders and UMass Lowell remain winless in-conference.
 
Saturday's America East Games

• NJIT at UAlbany, 3:00 pm
• Binghamton at UMBC, 3:30 pm
• Bryant at Vermont, 3:30 pm 

Common Opponents

• Vermont
  • UAlbany: 3/25 at Vermont, L, 7-14
  • NJIT: 3/18 vs. Vermont, L, 10-16
• Bryant
  • UAlbany: 4/8 at Bryant, L, 16-20
  • NJIT: 4/1 vs. Bryant, L, 8-16

Upcoming Milestones

• Program – 390 wins
• Scott Marr – 349 games coached
• Camden Hay – 43 points
• Tommy Heller – 87 saves
• Graydon Hogg – 41 appearances
• Jake Piseno – 41 appearances
• Jack VanValkenburgh – 97 saves

Milestones Achieved

• Jake Piseno – 50 caused turnovers (2/18/23 vs. #2 Cornell)
• Scott Marr – 200 wins (2/25/23 vs. Drexel)
• Elijah Gash – 50 ground balls (2/25/23 vs. Drexel)
• Regan Endres – 300 faceoff wins (3/7/23 vs. UMass)
• Graydon Hogg – 50 ground balls (3/11/23 vs. #4 Maryland)
• Graydon Hogg – 100 points (3/18/23 vs. UMass Lowell)

Division I Program Career Rankings (since 2004)

• Jake Piseno: Ground Balls (7th, 174)

Walled Off
UAlbany has allowed 10 goals or fewer in four of its eight games so far this season, and has further allowed seven goals or fewer in each of its three victories.  Their first win came by four points, 11-7 over visiting Drexel, and The Great Danes followed that performance by allowing nine in defeat to UMass.  In their next two victories, UAlbany allowed just seven to UMass Lowell, and then a season-low six to UMBC.
 
Hot Start
Freshman attack Silas Richmond announced his presence early for the Great Danes, scoring two goals in each of his first three games for UAlbany, before recording a hat trick in his fourth.  It took Maryland's sixth-ranked defense to stifle Richmond in his early career and hold him without a single point.  Through five games, Richmond ranked second on the team with nine total goals, just one behind team leader Jack Pucci.
 
Haudenosaunee Nationals
Seven current and former Great Danes were named to the Haudenosaunee Senior National Team roster for the 2023 World Championships in San Diego this summer.  Head Coach Scott Marr will serve as an assistant coach on the squad, overseeing six additional Great Danes: Lyle Thompson, Jakob Patterson, Tehoka Nanticoke, Ron John, Jake Piseno, and Jack VanValkenburgh.
 
200
Three games into the 2023 season, his 23rd at the helm, UAlbany men's lacrosse head coach Scott Marr claimed his 200th career victory, 11-7 over visiting Drexel, one of the longest-tenured rivals of the Great Danes under Marr.  Marr becomes the 40th head coach in NCAA Division I history to record 200 wins and, at the time of his 200th win, ranked eighth among active Division I coaches.  Marr has averaged more than nine wins per season in his career, and has led UAlbany to nine America East championship titles.  
 
2023 NCAA Quarterfinals
On October 14, 2020, the NCAA announced among its selections for over 450 championship sites for the 2023-26 seasons that the University at Albany was awarded hosting responsibilities for a quarterfinal bracket in the 2023 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament.  It will be the first time the Great Danes host a quarterfinal, having previously hosted three First Round games, in 2007, 2017, and 2018.  UAlbany's host date is scheduled for May 20, 2023.
 
Picked Second
UAlbany was picked in a tie for second place in the 2023 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, equaling UMBC's points total, 39, with the Retrievers taking one first-place vote.  Two-time defending conference champion Vermont was picked as the unanimous favorite with 49 points and all seven available first-place votes.  Bryant and Merrimack, newcomers to the America East this season, were picked fourth and sixth, respectively, while the final 2022 America East semifinalist, Binghamton, was picked fifth.
 
New Addition
Joey Carino was a late addition to the men's lacrosse roster this season.  Carino was recruited to UAlbany to play quarterback, where he appeared in 17 games over three seasons, passing for three touchdowns and running for three more.  Carino, who played both football and lacrosse at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, N.Y., originally committed to Syracuse to play lacrosse before switching to UAlbany football.  Carino will play in UAlbany's defensive midfield.
 
Schedule Strength
Once again, UAlbany men's lacrosse boasts one of the toughest schedules in the country.  Four of the Great Danes' 14 opponents hold top-10 preseason rankings: #2 Maryland, #4 Cornell, #7 Yale, and #10 Penn.  Three others, Syracuse, Vermont, and UMass, received votes in the preseason media poll.  The Great Danes will host both the 2022 national champion Maryland and the 2022 national runner-up Cornell, and will further host 2022 quarterfinalists Yale and Penn.  Including Vermont, UAlbany has five 2022 NCAA Tournament teams on its schedule.
 
Homecoming
For the first time in program history, the 2023 UAlbany men's lacrosse schedule features a record 10 regular-season home games, all of which will be played at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.  Following their season opener on the road, the Great Danes will play their next five games at home.  Additionally, UAlbany will play four-straight home games leading up to their regular-season finale.  UAlbany has never exceeded eight regular-season home games, but has hosted 10 games at home twice, in 2007 and 2018, including postseason games.  UAlbany went 10-0 each of those seasons at home.  Including the 2023 NCAA quarterfinal round, Casey Stadium is scheduled to host a minimum of 12 Division I men's lacrosse games this season.
 
Team USA
Two former Great Danes, goalkeeper Blaze Riorden and faceoff specialist TD Ierlan, were selected to the 23-member United States Senior National Team roster for the 2023 World Championships in San Diego.  Riorden and Ierlan are the only two players in UAlbany history to have been named America East Defensive Player of the Year.  The 2023 World Championships, which will feature 30 nations, begin June 21 and run through July 1.
 
Extended
On December 12, 2022, the UAlbany Department of Athletics announced that men's lacrosse head coach Scott Marr agreed to a contract extension through the 2026 season.  Marr, enters his 23rd season in 2023, took over as head coach of the Great Danes' men's lacrosse program in 2001.  Since then, he has accumulated 199 victories, including nine America East championships, and appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments, while winning America East Coach of the Year six times.  In 2018, Marr led the Great Danes to the program's first-ever berth into the Final Four.  That same season, UAlbany earned its first-ever #1 ranking in the national media poll, marking the first time in history a Division I-affiliated State University of New York program was ranked #1 in any sport.
 
Lyle Thompson
One of the most prolific players in the history of the sport, Lyle Thompson was named to the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022.  He won the Tewaaraton Award in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015.  The Great Danes' all-time leading scorer, Thompson holds the NCAA single-season points record, and ranks second in NCAA history with 400 career points and 225 career assists.  During his career at UAlbany, Thompson led the Great Danes to three America East titles and 46 total victories, while making two NCAA quarterfinal appearances.
 
U21 World Championship
Associate Head Coach Merrick Thomson led six active members of the UAlbany men's lacrosse program at the 2022 World Lacrosse Men's U21 World Championship in Ireland over the summer.  Thomson was a member of Canada's staff, overseeing Graydon Hogg.  The Haudenosaunee team saw four Great Danes, Jake Piseno, Keelan Seneca, Jack VanValkenburgh, and Amos Whitcomb, among members of its roster.  Canada won the Silver medal and Haudenosaunee the Bronze.
 
World Games
Former Great Danes Lyle Thompson, Ron John, and Tehoka Nanticoke competed for the Haudenosaunee Men's National Team at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.  Lacrosse at the World Games was played with the sixes format, and featured a field of eight teams.  Additionally, former UAlbany women's player Ivy Santana competed on the Haudenosaunee Women's National Team.
 
New Look
The 2023 season will feature a new-look America East men's lacrosse conference.  Stony Brook departed for the Colonial Athletic Association and Hartford has started its reclassification to Division III.  The America East brought in Bryant as a full member, and Merrimack has a two-year deal to play men's lacrosse in the America East as an associate member.
 
PLL Year Five
The Premier Lacrosse League will once again return to the campus of the University at Albany for their fifth season in 2023.  For the second-straight year, UAlbany will host the league's training camp and opening weekend games.  Four games will be held at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium between June 2 and 4.
 
PLL Year Four
UAlbany once again hosted a weekend during the Premier Lacrosse League's fourth season.  In previous years, UAlbany hosted its weekend towards the middle or end of the summer, but in 2022, UAlbany's spot was moved to opening weekend in addition to the League's training camp.  Five Great Danes appeared in three of the league's four games of opening weekend.  The Whipsnakes defeated the Chaos 9-8 in a rematch of the 2022 final, The Atlas beat the Redwoods 17-11, the Cannons beat the Waterdogs 16-10, and the Chrome defeated the Archer 11-10.  Former Great Danes turned heads during year four once again, with Blaze Riorden and Troy Reh making the league for a third-straight season with Chaos LC.  Previously, Riorden, Reh, and Lyle Thompson were named to the PLL All-Star Game.  Finally, Thompson was named Attackman of the Year, and repeated as Humanitarian of the Year.
 
Next: UAlbany hosts Yale on April 21.