Feb. 10, 2017 Villanova, Pa. -
Watch | | Villanova Game Notes
Facing Off: The Villanova Men's Lacrosse team opens their 2017 season this Saturday, February 11th at home against the Monmouth Hawks. Game time is scheduled for Noon inside Villanova Stadium.
Series History: Saturday marks the first meeting between Monmouth and Villanova. This is the second season that the Wildcats have opened the season against a new opponent. Last year Villanova traveled to Harvard for the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Villanova This Season: The Wildcats return to the turf after a 9-5 overall record last season and 3-2 in conference play. Villanova was selected to finish second this year in the BIG EAST Coaches Preseason Poll. Preseason scrimmages against Stonybrook and Towson have prepared the Wildcats for Saturday's season opener.
A Look at Villanova: Villanova returns 31 letterwinners from 2016 and adds nine newcomers who will push to make an impact on the turf. The Wildcats welcome back 81% of their total goals and 91% of the faceoffs from last season.
A Look at Monmouth: The Hawks are entering their fourth season as a program. Last year Monmouth finished 7-7 and 3-3 in MAAC conference play. They were selected to finish second in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll. In 2016, the Hawks were a perfect 6-0 on the road ending the regular season with an overtime win at Siena.
A Look at Monmouth's Offense: The Hawks return their top six goal scorers from last season. Senior Chris Daly led the offense with 33 points on 26 goals and seven assists. Eamon Campbell and Bryce Wasserman both added 15 goals each last season, Campbell lead the team with 10 assists. Dylan Schulte, Dan Bloodgood, and Eric Berger also finished the 2016 season with double digit goal scoring. Junior Keegan Teluk was on the X 214 times last season and finished with a .444 faceoff percentage.
A Look at Monmouth's Defense: Senior defender Andrew Grajewski was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team after being named to the All-MAAC First Team last season. Grajewski is the only Monmouth player to start every game over the last three seasons. He finished 2016 ranked fourth on the team with nine caused turnovers and collected 15 groundballs. In goal for almost 800 minutes last season was Nick Hreshko, he finished with a .529 save percentage and 8.28 goals against average.
The Last Meeting: Saturday marks the first time in program history Monmouth and Villanova will faceoff.
Returning Strong: Villanova is returning 31 letterwinners from last season. In 2016 these veterans scored 81% of the team's goals, took 91% of the faceoffs, and play 99% of the minutes in goal.
Season Openers: Villanova is 17-19 (.472) in season-openers dating back to 1981 when the Wildcats began sponsoring men's lacrosse as a varsity sport.
