Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College men's lacrosse team begins the 2021 season on the road as the Seahawks gear up to face the Long Island University Sharks at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday, February 27th at 12:00 p.m.
Wagner steps onto the field to compete for the first time since March 7th, 2020. The Seahawks and Sharks square off after an instant classic last season, which saw the Green & White secure a 9-8 overtime victory. Junior
Stephen Dwyer was the catalyst in the Seahawks' win, scoring both the game-tying and game-winning goal while finding the back of the net four times.
The LIU contest on February 27th will not be counted as an official conference game.
Per LIU's Covid-19 protocols,
no spectators are allowed at their venue. The game however will
be streamed via
NECFrontRow
About LIU:
The Seahawks will face a Sharks' lacrosse program in their second season at the Division I level. LIU dropped their season opener on Wednesday, in a road loss to fellow NEC member Sacred Heart by a score of 12-10.
Against the Pioneers, junior Jake Gills and sophomore Richie LaCaIndra each netted three goals. Gills fine performance follows up a six-game, 17-point 2020 campaign. LaCaIndra's introduction to college lacrosse was equally impressive, as the attackman recorded 28 points in seven games.
Sophomore goalkeeper Will Mark set a program record after he saved 21 shots in the Sharks 2021 season opener.
Seahawks Preview:
Third-year head coach
Bill McCutcheon returns 23 members from last season while welcoming 17 newcomers (13 freshmen and four transfers). The Green & White are led by their four captains: graduate students
Matt McAnaney &
Tim Schmidt, senior
Dan Baker, and junior
Tommy Scarpello.
Stephen Dwyer and graduate student
Nic Ancona are the leading returning scorers for the Seahawks as Dwyer tallied a team-high 12 goals a season ago. Ancona ranked third on the squad with 10 points, as he found the back of the net six times and dished out four assists.
Wagner's defense features three returners in
Connor Sweeney, Scarpello and
Brendan Higgins who made starts in all six games in 2020. In goal,
Danny Brady is the incumbent, having started every game a year ago.
2021 Schedule
Following the Seahawks' non-conference matchup with the Sharks, they return to Long Island to compete against Hofstra on March 3rd.
Northeast Conference (NEC) play will be conducted over a eight-week period in a round-robin format with the home and conference opener set for March 6th against Saint Joseph's. The Seahawks make their first journey away from the Empire State on March 13th with a game against Merrimack in North Andover, MA.
The Green & White will host consecutive league contests on March 20
th and 27th as they square off with Bryant and Long Island. Saint Joseph's will return the favor on April 3rd before a match-up with Sacred Heart on April 10th rounds out a two-game road swing.
The home finale for Wagner will come against Hobart on April 17th with the regular season concluding on April 24th at Mount St. Mary's.
