PDF Release
NEC Player of the Week: Justin Scott, HOB
NEC Defensive Player of the Week: Sam Lucchesi, HOB
NEC Rookie of the Week: Stephen Dwyer, WC
Previous NEC Releases: March 18 | March 11 | March 4 | February 25 | February 18 | February 11 | Preseason Poll Release 


NEC MEN’S LACROSSE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Justin Scott, Hobart 
Jr., A, Mississauga, Ontario/Trinity-Pawling School 
Scott helped power the Statesmen with seven points in a pair of road wins against Colgate and Sacred Heart last week to earn his second NEC Player of the Week honor this season. In Tuesday's 12-6 triumph over Colgate, Scott totaled one goal and two assists, including an assist on the eventual game winner. In Saturday’s conference clash with Sacred Heart, the junior recorded his third hat trick of the year and added an assist in a 10-9 victory over the Pioneers that improved Hobart to 2-0 in league outings. Scott’s unassisted goal with 5:13 remaining in the fourth quarter would provide the winning margin and lead the Statesmen to their fifth straight victory. The Mississauga, Ontario native leads Hobart with seven points in conference play.   

NEC MEN’S LACROSSE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sam Lucchesi, Hobart 
Jr., G, Garden City, NY/Garden City  
Lucchesi followed up an 11 save outing against Colgate on Tuesday with a career-high 20 save performance on Saturday afternoon, including a stop right at the final horn, to preserve Hobart’s 10-9 win over Sacred Heart. Lucchesi became the first Hobart player to tally 20 or more saves in a single game since 2015. Seven of his stops came in the fourth quarter, with the most notable being his denial of SHU's Logan Liljeberg in the closing moments to avoid overtime. Lucchesi added a career-high six ground balls and a caused turnover in helping lead the Statesmen to their fifth consecutive win. Four days earlier in a 12-6 victory over Colgate, the junior goalkeeper made 11 saves while only allowing six goals. Overall, the Garden City, NY product finished the week with a .674 save percentage and a 7.50 GAA. Lucchesi leads the NEC with a .580 save percentage and 9.34 GAA on the year.

NEC MEN’S LACROSSE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Stephen Dwyer, Wagner
Fr. M, Somerville, NJ/Immaculata  
Dwyer was the Seahawks' leading scorer with a career-high seven points, compiling two goals and five assists in Wagner’s 14-11 victory on Saturday over NJIT. Dwyer, who entered the afternoon with just one career assist in his first eight games, managed to finish with a career-high five helpers, the most for a Seahawk player in any game this season. Dwyer would have a hand in four out of the Seahawks’ first five goals, recording two goals and two assists in the game’s first 20 minutes. The freshman would also add assists on back-to-back goals to start the second half, helping to build Wagner’s lead up to five. The Somerville, NJ native has recorded points in each of his last four games and stands third on Wagner with 16 points on the season.



NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Mike Adler, SJU – SO – G 
*Made 13 saves while only allowing six goals in the Hawks' 11-6 victory over Bryant on Saturday.  

Brooks Dutton, SHU – JR – G 
*Held the nation’s second-best scoring offense to a season-low 10 goals in one-goal setback to Hobart on Saturday.
*Matched his season high with 17 saves, with 12 of the 17 saves coming in the first half.  

Stephen Dwyer, WC – FR – M 
*Had a career day with seven points and five assists in Saturday's 14-11 win over NJIT.

Eric Holden, HOB – JR – A 
*Recorded six goals on the week, leading all scorers with four on Tuesday against Colgate, his fifth hat trick of the season. Holden then added two more against Sacred Heart. Holden’s goal with 5:06 to go in the third tied the game at 8-8 and sparked a 3-0 run that led to Hobart’s victory.

Spencer Kaufman, WC – SR – M 
*Scored a career-high five goals on Saturday against NJIT, including three straight during a key 6-1 second quarter run for the Seahawks.  

Sam Lucchesi, HOB – JR – G 
*Made a career-high 20 saves on Saturday, including a clutch stop at the final horn, to preserve Hobart’s one goal victory over Sacred Heart. 
*Made 11 stops on Tuesday against Colgate, finishing the week with a combined.674 save percentage and a 7.50 GAA.

Nate Patterson, SJU – SO – A 
*Registered four points on two goals and two assists in Saint Joseph’s 11-6 road win over Bryant in its 2019 NEC opener. 

Matt Sefcik, WC – SR – G 
*Set a new career high with 22 saves while only allowing 11 goals in Wagner’s 14-11 victory over NJIT. 

Justin Scott, HOB – JR – A 
*Totaled seven points on the week for Hobart in a pair of victories over Colgate and Sacred Heart. 
*His three goals and one assist against the Pioneers helped lead Hobart to a 2-0 start in NEC play for the first time since 2015. 

Sam Stephan, MSM – SO – FO
*Won 17-of-27 faceoffs on the day and added 11 ground balls in a 14-11 win over RMU on Saturday. It marked his third game of the season with double-digit ground balls


AROUND THE NEC
Week 7 of NEC men’s lacrosse saw all four road teams pick up victories, including Hobart’s 10-9 win over Sacred Heart, in the lone battle of the weekend between two teams who came in unbeaten in conference play. 

Hobart’s goalkeeper Sam Lucchesi stopped Sacred Heart sophomore midfielder Logan Liljeberg at the final horn to preserve the one goal win and lead the Statesmen to a 2-0 start in league play for the first time since 2015. Hobart is nationally ranked at #19 in this week’s Inside Lacrosse poll and stands 20th in the USILA Coaches Poll.  

Joining Hobart at the top of the league standings with a 2-0 mark is Mount St. Mary’s, as the Mountaineers went on the road and knocked off preseason favorite Robert Morris, 14-11. Entering the fourth quarter trailing by three, the Mount rolled off six straight goals to finish off the game, leading to their first 2-0 NEC start since 2011. 

After competing in non-conference action last weekend, Saint Joseph’s opened up their conference slate with an 11-6 victory at Bryant. The Hawks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and would never trail. Their defense was dominant, led by goalkeeper Mike Adler who made 13 saves and only allowed six scores. 

Next weekend’s action is highlighted by Sacred Heart looking to rebound at Mount St. Mary’s while the Bulldogs and Seahawks match up, each looking for their first NEC win of the season.