UMass Headlines Men's Lacrosse Postseason Honors
Kelly McCarthy
RICHMOND, Va. (May 2, 2018) – No. 16/16 University of Massachusetts junior
Isaac Paparo was named the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Year while Minutemen teammate
Chris Connolly was named the CAA Rookie of the Year and their coach
Greg Cannella was voted as the CAA Coach of the Year by the league’s six head coaches. Towson University’s
Zach Goodrich was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
UMass led all teams with six All-CAA First Team selections, the most-ever for the Minutemen. This is also the first time in which UMass has picked up three major awards in the same season.
Paparo, who was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, put together an impressive campaign on close defense. The All-CAA First Team selection ranks 12th in the nation in caused turnovers per game (1.79) and has a total of 25 this season. He’s caused at least one turnover in every game this year and forced multiple eight times. He’s tops in the league among non-faceoff specialists in ground balls per game (2.79). Paparo also has two goals to his credit. Paparo is only the second Minuteman to earn CAA Player of the Year honors, joining Will Manny in 2012.
Goodrich, a Tewaarton Award Top-25 nominee, continues to be one of the top defensive midfielders in the nation. He has forced 18 turnovers in 13 games this season, one shy of his career single-season best. The All-CAA First Team selection has also posted 28 ground balls and scored a pair of goals. Goodrich has garnered numerous accolades this season, including CAA Preseason Player of the Year honors and Inside Lacrosse Media Preseason and Mid-Season All-American recognition. This is the second straight time a Towson Tiger has been named CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Connelly, who also landed on the CAA All-Rookie Team, had an outstanding debut for the Minutemen. The four-time CAA Rookie of the Week led all freshman with 21 goals. He ranks sixth in the CAA in total points (40) and is fifth in assists (19) and assists per game (1.36). Connolly has recorded at least one point in all 14 games this season and has four five-point efforts. He’s also picked up 26 ground balls. Connolly is the third Minuteman to earn CAA Rookie of the Year honors, joining Will Manny (2010) and Nick Mariano (2014).
Cannella guided UMass to a 10-4 overall record and a 5-0 mark in league play to capture the CAA Regular Season Championship and the top seed in the upcoming tournament. The Minutemen enter the CAA Championship on a nine-game winning streak. UMass is nationally ranked in 11 statistical categories. Notably, the Minutemen are 11th in caused turnovers (8.29/g), ninth in assists (7.50/g), ninth in faceoff percentage (.598), 24th in ground balls (29.50/g), 14th in points (19.07/g) and 13th in saves (11.71/g). This is the third CAA Coach of the Year honor for Cannella, who also took home the award in 2011 and 2012.
UMass saw six players on the All-CAA First Team, including Paparo, senior attackman
Buddy Carr, who leads the CAA with 53 points (32g, 21a), sophomore midfielder
Jeff Trainor (24g, 17a), senior defenseman
Luc Valenza (17gb, 10ct), senior long stick midfielder
Shane Rinkus (33gb, 17 ct) and senior faceoff specialist
Noah Rak, who has won 63.1 percent of the time at the X and also has 115 ground balls.
A pair of sophomores rounded out the All-CAA First Team attack unit in Delaware’s
Charlie Kitchen (35g, 14a) and Hofstra’s
Ryan Tierney (27g, 22a). Delaware’s
Austin Haynes (29gb, 22ct) and
Dean DiSimone (23g) also earned First Team status. Hofstra goalie
Jack Concannon (7.64 GAA) picked up First Team honors for the third consecutive season.
The 2018 CAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship gets underway on Thursday, May 3 with top-seeded UMass taking on fourth-seeded Hofstra at 5:00 p.m. That game is followed by a 7:30 p.m. match-up between second-seeded Towson and third-seeded Delaware. The two winners advance to Saturday's championship game at 1:00 p.m. All three games of the CAA Championship will be streamed live on the
Lax Sports Network. Be sure to follow the CAA on Twitter (
@CAASports) using the #CAAChamps and #CAALax, and on Snapchat (caasports) for game day coverage. For complete tournament information, visit
CAASports.com/mlax.
| 2018 All-CAA Men’s Lacrosse Teams |
| First Team |
| Name |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Buddy Carr |
UMass |
Sr. |
A |
Exeter, N.H. |
| Charlie Kitchen |
Delaware |
So. |
A |
Marlton, N.J. |
| Ryan Tierney |
Hofstra |
So. |
A |
Massapequa, N.Y. |
| Dean DiSimone |
Delaware |
Sr. |
M |
West Deptford, N.J. |
| Zach Goodrich |
Towson |
Jr. |
M |
Stevensville, Md. |
| Jeff Trainor |
UMass |
So. |
M |
Billerica, Mass. |
| Isaac Paparo |
UMass |
Jr. |
D |
Westport, Conn. |
| Luc Valenza |
UMass |
Sr. |
D |
Foxborough, Mass. |
| Austin Haynes |
Delaware |
Jr. |
D/LSM |
Moorestown, N.J. |
| Shane Rinkus |
UMass |
Sr. |
LSM |
Pembroke, Mass. |
| Noah Rak |
UMass |
Sr. |
FO |
Norwich, Conn. |
| Jack Concannon |
Hofstra |
Sr. |
GK |
Lindenhurst, N.Y. |
|
|
|
|
|
Second Team |
| Name |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Reid Bowering |
Drexel |
So. |
A |
Coquitlam, British Columbia |
| Joe Rodrigues |
Fairfield |
Sr. |
A |
Saratoga, Calif. |
| Matt Varian |
Drexel |
So. |
A |
Island Park, N.Y. |
| Dylan Alderman |
Hofstra |
Sr. |
M |
Downingtown, Pa. |
| Will Hirschmann |
Delaware |
Sr. |
M |
Edgewater, Md. |
| Marshal King |
Drexel |
Jr. |
M |
Victoria, British Columbia |
| Tanner Griffin |
Hofstra |
Sr. |
D |
Loveland, Ohio |
| Brett Osman |
Hofstra |
Sr. |
D |
Miller Place, N.Y. |
| Koby Smith |
Towson |
Fr. |
LSM |
Towson, Md. |
| Kyle Gallagher |
Hofstra |
So. |
FO |
Northport, N.Y. |
| Jimmeh Koita |
Drexel |
So. |
FO |
Bronx, N.Y. |
| Matt DeLuca |
Delaware |
So. |
GK |
Farmingdale, N.Y. |
| Sean Sconone |
UMass |
Jr. |
GK |
East Islip, N.Y. |
All-Rookie Team |
| Name |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Shane Brennan |
Towson |
R-So. |
GK |
Huntington Station, N.Y. |
| Chris Connolly |
UMass |
Fr. |
A |
Glastonbury, Conn. |
| Dylan McIntosh |
Hofstra |
Fr. |
A |
Pitt Meadows, N.Y. |
| Dominic Pryor |
Hofstra |
Fr. |
M |
South Setauket, N.Y. |
| Sean Quinn |
Drexel |
Fr. |
D |
Summit, N.J. |
| Keegan Santos |
Hofstra |
Fr. |
D |
Wilmington, N.C. |
| Taylor Strough |
Fairfield |
Fr. |
M |
Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. |
| Koby Smith |
Towson |
Fr. |
LSM |
Towson, Md. |
| Kevin Tobin |
UMass |
Fr. |
M |
Reading, Mass. |
| Phil Wies |
Towson |
Fr. |
A |
Towson, Md. |
2018 CAA Player of the Year: Isaac Paparo, UMass
2018 CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Zach Goodrich, Towson
2018 CAA Rookie of the Year: Chris Connolly, UMass
2018 CAA Coach of the Year: Greg Cannella, UMass
|