Click Here For NEC Championship Headquarters
Click Here For Highlights
Click Here For Box Score
 
Philadelphia, PA – A new chapter was written in Hobart's storied men's lacrosse tradition today in Philadelphia after the Statesmen took down top-seeded Saint Joseph's to secure the program's first NEC men's lacrosse championship. The Statesmen will be making their NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth in school history.

Seeded third in the four-team field, Hobart struck three times during a 2:09 span in the first quarter, getting goals from Mark Darden (Dayton, MD/Glenelg), Frank Brown (Salamanca, NY/Silver Creek) and NEC Rookie of the Year Chris Aslanian (Westfield, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton). The Statesmen would take a 4-1 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Statesmen extended their lead in the second quarter when Max Romm (Rockville, MD/Avon Old Farms) scored his first goal of the game to make it 5-1. Saint Joseph’s responded with two goals from NEC Player of the Year Mike Rastivo (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) and a behind-the-back goal from Chris Blewitt (Lincoln Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic). The two teams traded goals in the final 4:41 of the first half putting the Statesmen up 6-4.
 
NEC Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Jones (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) came up with a huge save at the 11:30 mark of the third quarter which led to Blewitt finding the back of the net for the second time of the day to bring the Hawks to within a goal at 6-5.
 
Hobart scored three more goals in the 3^rd quarter to take a 9-6 lead into the final frame.
 
Kyle Cain (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) scored at the 11:09 mark of the 4^th quarter, but Bryan Hancock (Highlands Ranch, CO/Mountain Vista) scored twice including a goal from just over midfield to complete the hat trick. Tournament MVP Jackson Brown (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon St. Jude) stopped 13 shots for the Statesmen including six in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 saves in the tournament, holding Bryant and Saint Joseph’s to a combined 13 goals.
 
Hobart never trailed in the game and outshot the Hawks 41-30. The Statesmen also held a 21-13 advantage in ground balls.
 
The Statesmen return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004 and find out who they will play when the field is announced Sunday, May 8, at 9 pm on ESPNU.
 
2016 NEC All-Tournament Team
Tucker James, Bryant
Chas South, Bryant
Luke Laszkiewicz, Robert Morris
Zachary Bryant, Robert Morris
Hayes McGinley, Saint Joseph’s
T.J. Jones, Saint Joseph’s
Kevin Forster, Saint Joseph’s
Frank Brown, Hobart
Grant Soucy, Hobart
Cooper Stefaniak, Hobart
Jackson Brown, Hobart
 
Tournament MVP
Jackson Brown, Hobart