Men's Lacrosse 2020 Season Review

Posted: Apr 07, 2020

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Under the helm of first year head coach Zach Wilfong, the men's lacrosse program was off to it's best start (2-2) since the 2014 spring season. The Redhawks two victories in 2020 equalled their total number of wins collectively from the previous three seasons. LRU earned their first win on the road against Mount St. Joseph on February 29th, 21-17. Coach Wilfong received the water bottle treatment after winning his first collegiate game as a HC. Then, on March 4th, La Roche defeated Franciscan 16-9 in their home opener at the Baierl Athletic Complex, the programs first home win in nearly four years.

"We identified early on what kind of team we wanted to be, knowing full well that we weren't there yet. We knew we would have to mature and grow in a team that reflected our core values (Family, Accountability, Service and Toughness). We believed that if we took care of these core values, sucess on the field would follow." - Head Coach Zach Wilfong

And it did. The Redhawks were 3rd in D-III for shooting percentage (39.2%), 49th in faceoff winning percentage (61.2%), 46th for man down defense (80%), and 84th for man up offense (34.6%).

Individually, many Redhawks shined as well.

The 2019 AMCC Offensive Player of the Year, Shawn McDanel, tied 1st in D-III for ground balls per game (14.5) and 54th for face-off winning percentage (64.8%).

Senior attack Mitchell Bachman finished 6th in the country with 4.5 goals per game and 47th in shooting percentage (51.4%). Bachman netted a career-high eight goals in the teams win this season over Franciscan.

Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Sylvis, who was named the AMCC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season, was fourth in the country for saves per game (19.25) and 58th for save percentage (57.9%).

Junior midfielder Austen Lunt was the Redhawks main facilitator as he dished out 3.25 assists per game (14th in D-III).

Three of the programs seniors (Mitchell Bachman, Bryan Pajewski and Janet Aland) will be graduating this spring. Each of them will be individually recognized this week.