Men's Lacrosse Finishes Road Swing at St. Joseph's

LIVE STATS AND STREAM... Saturday's game will have a video stream and live stats available through NEC Front Row and St. Joseph's. Both can be found by visiting sjuhawks.com.

SERIES BREAKDOWN - PROVIDENCE VS. ST. JOSEPH'S.. The Friars lead the all-time series with the Hawks, 10-6.
Last season the Friars earned a 4-3 win over the Hawks. The three goals against were the fewest for the Friars since the 2008 season. Sean Leahey (Cranford, N.J.) scored the game winner with 6:39 left in the game. Mike Adler made 16 saves for SJU, while Tate Boyce (Matthews, N.C.) made seven for Providence.

BATTLE AT BRYANT... The Friars dropped a road contest at Bryant, falling 11-8 last weekend (Feb. 16). Nick Hatzipetrakos (Syosset, N.Y.) led the offense with three goals. Ryan Nawrocki (Smithtown, N.Y.) had a five-point game, posting one goal and four assists. Providence outshot Bryant 37-30, but Bulldogs' goalkeeper Luke Caracciolo made 15 saves.

VICTORY AT HOLY CROSS... Providence notched its first victory of the season on Feb. 9, defeating Holy Cross by a score of 12-5. Nick Hatzipetrakos scored a season-high four goals. Freshman Matt Grillo (Setauket, N.Y.) added two goals and three assists for a team-high five points. Brendan Kearns (Wantagh, N.Y.) collected four total points on three goals and an assist. Boyce made 10 saves in net and allowed just five goals.

OPENING DAY AGAINST BU... The Friars fell to Boston University, 8-7, on Sunday, Feb. 3. Brendan Kearns and Ryan Nawrocki each had two points on one goal and one assist. Freshmen Jake Antonucci (Westwood, Mass.) and Matt Grillo each recorded their first-career goals in the game. Boyce made 10 saves in net, while Terriers' goalie Joe McSorely had a stand-out, 24-save performance. Providence held advantages in shots (48-38) and turnovers (12-23).

HATZ TRICK... After being held scoreless on opening day against BU, Nick Hatzipetrakos has recorded seven goals in the last two games. He posted four at Holy Cross and tacked on three more at Bryant. The senior has 56 goals and 22 assists in his career for 78 total points.

GRILLO GETS GOING... Freshman Matt Grillo has had a strong start to his rookie campaign, starting all three contests. He is tied for the team lead in points, with seven. He has four goals and three assists.

FRIARS PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN BIG EAST POLL... Providence was picked to finish fifth in the 2019 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll with a total of 10 points. Denver was picked to win the league, having collected four first-place votes and 25 points overall. Marquette (18 points) was picked to finish second and Georgetown (17 points), who received one first place vote, was picked third.

TWO FRIARS EARN PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST SPOTS... It was announced by the league on Wednesday, Jan. 23 that Providence College men's lacrosse players Tate Boyce and Alex George (Simsbury, Conn.) were named to the 2019 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Boyce, who has now been on the squad for three-consecutive seasons, was a unanimous selection.

2019 CAPTAINS.. Tate Boyce, Nick Crews (Longmeadow, Mass.), Brendan Kearns, and David Procopio (Syracuse, N.Y.) will serve as the team captains for the 2019 campaign. All four players are seniors and have made major contributions to the program during their careers as Friars.

BOYCE RETURNS TO NET... Boyce, a three-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection, returns for his senior season. The goalkeeper has already had a storied career in Friartown, including being named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and a USILA/Nike Third-Team All-American in 2017. For his career, Boyce holds a 9.35 goals against average, a .540 save percentage and has accumulated 551 total saves. Last season, he was one of 50 players named to the Preseason Tewaaraton Watch List.

So far this season Boyce has a 8.00 goals against average and a .520 save percentage. He currently ranks 12th in the nation in GAA.

WHERE KEARNS RANKS... Last year, senior Brendan Kearns became the 22nd player in program history to reach the 100-point mark. He currently has 72 goals and 43 assists for 115 total points. He is tied for 13th all-time in points and ranks 14th all-time in goals.

ROOKIES... The Friars welcomed 11 freshmen to the men's lacrosse program in the fall of 2018. Newcomers include Jake Antonucci (Westwood, Mass.), Will Ciccarelli (West Chester, Pa.), Matt Gould (Darien, Conn.), Matt Grillo (Setauket, N.Y.), Michael Harris (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Rainier Lee (Alexandria, Va.), Cam Martin (Westwood, Mass.), Ryan Mechler (Marlborough, Mass.), Luke O'Grady (Wayne, Pa.), Mike O'Grady (Milton, Mass.) and Will Thomas (Cohasset, Mass.).

SCOUTING ST. JOSEPH'S.. The Hawks are 2-0, having beaten St. Bonaventure (15-7) and Fairfield (21-10). Last season, SJU went 11-4, falling to Robert Morris in overtime of the NEC Championship Game.

So far this year, the Hawks average 18.0 goals per game, which ranks sixth in the nation. The team is also third in the nation in face-off winning percentage (.746).

PLAYERS TO WATCH... Freshman face-off specialist Zach Cole has been strong for the Hawks this season. He went 19-for-23 in his collegiate debut and was named NEC Co-Rookie of the Week (Feb. 11). Overall he is 40-of-51 from the 'X.'

Offensively, sophomores Nate Patterson and Shane Fable lead the way. They each have a team-best seven goals. Patterson also ranks first on the team in assists (four) and total points (11). Classmate Mike Adler has started both games in net for SJU. He holds an 8.34 goals against average and a .568 save percentage with 21 total saves.

WHAT'S NEXT... The Friars return home after a three-game road swing to face Sacred Heart on Saturday, March 2. The game is set for 1:00 p.m. on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium.

Men's Lacrosse Finishes Road Swing at St. Joseph's

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jake Antonucci

Tate Boyce

Will Ciccarelli

Nick Crews

Alex George

Matt Gould

Matt Grillo

Michael Harris

Nick Hatzipetrakos

Brendan Kearns

Sean Leahey

Rainier Lee

Cam Martin

Ryan Mechler

Ryan Nawrocki

Luke O'Grady

Mike O'Grady

David Procopio

Will Thomas

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at RV/#19 Fairfield on March 1, 2025 , Loss , 7, to, 15

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Loyola (Md.) on March 8, 2025 , Win , 12, to, 11

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at #6/#8 Duke on March 12, 2025 , Loss , 10, to, 16

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at #18/#19 Saint Joseph's on March 22, 2025 , Loss , 8, to, 16

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at #17/#15 Georgetown on March 29, 2025 , Loss , 13, to, 14

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Villanova on April 5, 2025 , Loss , 8, to, 11

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Marquette on April 12, 2025 , Win , 14, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at #16/#16 Denver on April 19, 2025 , Win , 10, to, 6

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus St. John's on April 25, 2025 , Win , 16, to, 10

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus No. 2 Villanova on May 1, 2025 , Loss , 14, to, 16

Providence College Athletics