ALBANY, N.Y. – For the second-straight season, the University at Albany men's lacrosse program will visit top-seed Vermont in the America East semifinal round.
 
Game Info
May 4, 2023 at No. 1 Vermont (4:00 pm)
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Leading the Pack

• UAlbany is 0-4 on the road this season; Vermont is 4-2 at home
• Vermont ranks fourth in the America East in scoring offense; UAlbany ranks sixth
• Vermont ranks second in the America East in scoring defense; UAlbany ranks sixth
• UAlbany leads the America East in caused turnovers per game
• Vermont leads the America East in faceoff percentage
• Jake Piseno leads the America East and ranks second nationally in caused turnovers per game
• UAlbany ranks 10th nationally in clear percentage
• Vermont has won each of its last six games
• UAlbany and Vermont meet in the America East Tournament for the fifth-straight season

 Scouting Vermont
The Catamounts have won each of the last two America East titles and are went through their America East schedule 6-0.  Against nonconference opponents, the Catamounts defeated then-#14 Boston University and claimed an overtime victory at Utah.  After last season's run, Vermont was unanimously picked to finish first in the 2023 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.  The Catamounts return All-American faceoff specialist Tommy Burke, but have to replace the production left behind by Thomas McConvey, who, after scoring 60 goals last season, elected to transfer to Virginia for his graduate season.  Anchoring the Catamounts' offense is David Closterman, who scored 29 goals with 36 assists last season to rank second on the team with 65 total points.  This year, Closterman has scored 47 points, second on the team behind Brock Haley's 52.  Two players, Matt Shaffer and George Egan, have seen regular action at goalkeeper this year, filling in for graduated 2022 America East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Cornell.  UAlbany is 17-11 lifetime against Vermont, but has lost each of the last eight.
 
Last Time vs. Vermont
March 25, 2023 | UAlbany played just its second road game of 2023 with a trip to two-time defending America East Champion Vermont, the team's first road game in 43 days since their season opener at Syracuse.  Vermont, who had won each of the last seven against the Great Danes, jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first quarter and rolled to a 14-7 victory.  The Catamounts won big at the faceoff X, going 19-25.  UAlbany freshman Silas Richmond led the Great Danes in scoring, with two goals and two assists on the day.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes closed the 2023 regular season at Binghamton, playing the Bearcats for the three-seed in the America East Tournament.  It was only the fourth road game of the season for UAlbany.  Elijah Gash scored immediately for the Great Danes, but the Bearcats steadily built a four-goal lead mid-way through the second quarter.  UAlbany rallied to tie the game at nine, and again at 10, before Binghamton went back up by four with 11:19 left in the fourth.  UAlbany scored the final three goals of the game, including two in the final 90 seconds, but ultimately fell short by one, 15-14.
 
Around the America East
The America East Tournament will take place in Burlington for the second-straight season after Vermont went through their conference schedule unbeaten.  First-year America East program Bryant locked up the two-seed, and Binghamton defeated UAlbany head-to-head on the final day of the regular season to secure the three-seed.  The Great Danes will play the Catamounts in the semifinals for the second-straight season, and meet Vermont in the conference tournament in any round for the fifth-straight season.
 
Thursday's America East Games

• No. 4 UAlbany at No. 1 Vermont, 4:00 pm
• No. 3 Binghamton vs. No. 2 Bryant, 7:00 pm

 Common Opponents

• Syracuse
  • UAlbany: 2/10 at Syracuse, L, 7-20
  • Vermont: 2/4 at Syracuse, L, 5-7
• UMass
  • UAlbany: 3/7 vs. UMass, L, 6-0
  • Vermont: 3/11 vs. UMass, L, 4-12
• UMass Lowell
  • UAlbany: 3/18 vs. UMass Lowell, W, 15-7
  • Vermont: 4/22 vs. UMass Lowell, W, 21-3
• UMBC
  • UAlbany: 4/1 vs. UMBC, W, 12-6
  • Vermont: 4/29 at UMBC, W 11-7
• Bryant
  • UAlbany: 4/8 at Bryant, L, 16-20
  • Vermont: 4/15 vs. Bryant, W, 13-12
• NJIT
  • UAlbany: 4/15 vs. NJIT, W, 13-7
  • Vermont: 3/18 at NJIT, W, 16-10
• Merrimack
  • UAlbany: 4/23 vs. Merrimack, W, 13-11
  • Vermont: 4/1 at Merrimack, W, 13-8
• Binghamton
  • UAlbany: 4/29 at Binghamton, L, 14-15
  • Vermont: 3/8 at Binghamton, W, 11-9

Defensive Player of the Year
Jake Piseno was named America East Defensive Player of the Year, becoming just the third Great Dane to earn the award after Blaze Riorden in 2016 and TD Ierlan in 2018.  Piseno finished the 2023 regular season leading the conference and ranked second nationally, averaging 3.00 caused turnovers per game.  Piseno set Division I-era program single-season and career records in caused turnovers this year, with 42 on the season so far and 86 in his career.
 
All-Conference
UAlbany landed two players each on the All-Conference First, Second, and Rookie Teams following the 2023 regular season.  Jake Piseno and Jack Pucci earned First Team honors, while Elijah Gash and Graydon Hogg were named to the Second Team.  Freshmen Silas Richmond and Alex Pfeiffer landed spots as All-Rookie selections.
 
Four-Seed
For the second-straight season, the UAlbany men's lacrosse team earned the four-seed in the America East Tournament, and, also for the second-straight season, the Great Danes will face top-seed Vermont, in Burlington, in the semifinal round.  UAlbany fell to Binghamton in the regular-season finale, securing the three-seed for the Bearcats and the four-seed for the Great Danes.
 
Clinched
With their win over first-year America East associate member Merrimack, the UAlbany men's lacrosse team clinched a spot in the America East Tournament for the 11th-straight season.  The Great Danes rounded out the four-team field, joining regular-season champion Vermont, as well as Bryant and Binghamton.
 
Seniors
Before their home game against Merrimack, the UAlbany men's lacrosse program honored the members of its 2023 senior class, a total of 13 individuals.  The senior class has appeared in the America East Tournament each year of their careers.
 
Knocking Loose
Senior long-stick midfielder Jake Piseno has moved into first place in Division I-era program history this season in two caused turnover categories.  Piseno now has caused 84 turnovers in his career, overtaking Troy Reh as the new program career leader in the category.  Additionally, Piseno's 40 caused turnovers this season sets a new all-time program best mark, surpassing his own total of 27 from last year, a mark he shared with Tanner Hay, also from 2022.
 
Walled Off
UAlbany allowed 10 goals or fewer in five of its first 10 games this season, and had further allowed seven goals or fewer in each of its four 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.  The fourth win of the season came against NJIT, against whom the Great Danes again allowed just seven goals.
 
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.  In his 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: The winner of UAlbany's game against Vermont will play either Bryant or Binghamton in Saturday's championship game.