Men's Lacrosse Brings in Record-Breaking All-Conference Awards
4/26/2024 9:57:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
O'Reilly brings in Player of the Year to highlight three major award winners and eight All-MAAC selections
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced the men's lacrosse All-MAAC teams and major award winners. The regular season champions and number one seed for the postseason, the Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team was well-represented, bringing in three major award winners and had eight athletes named to all-conference teams.
Morgan O'Reilly was named the Player of the Year, Zach Buffington was named the Long Stick Midfielder of the Year, and Head Coach Jon Basti was voted the 2024 Coach of the Year.
Along with their major award selections, O'Reilly and Buffington earned a spot on the All-MAAC first team. Joining the pair on the first team is midfielder Carson Spooner.
Jake Ward, Jack Ramsay, Alex Pazienza, and Luke Romanek earned a spot on the All-MAAC second team. First-year James Moran was placed on the All-MAAC rookie team.
Sacred Heart is having its best season in program history. Coach Basti brings in his first Coach of the Year honor, leading the Pios in their record-breaking season. In his 11th season as head coach, Basti has led the Pioneers to an 11-4 overall record and an undefeated 9-0 in conference play to claim Sacred Heart's first regular season title. SHU is currently riding a nine-game win streak and has set the program record for wins in a season. The eight All-MAAC selections are the most all-conference honorees in program history, and O'Reilly is the third Pioneer to win an Offensive Player of the Year award, the first since Joe Saggese in 2019.
O'Reilly is having the best season of his career, leading the team with 62 points, coming from 49 goals and 13 assists. His 49 goals are the most in the NCAA this season and is the new Sacred Heart single-season record. He is first in the conference and fifth in the nation in goals per game with 3.27, and is third in the country in man-up goals, at eight. The Rockville Center, NY native is on a 16-game goal-scoring streak, dating back to last year's MAAC quarterfinal game. This season, O'Reilly put up a career-high nine points against Stony Brook to open the 2024 campaign, coming from seven goals and two assists. He has scored five or more goals in three games and has 13 multipoint games this year.
Buffington has been a key part of the Pioneers midfield. He is second on the team in caused turnovers with 12 and second in ground balls at 43. The senior LSM also has two points on the year coming from one goal and one assist. As a team, the Pioneers have a .903 clearing percentage in conference play, Buffington is a huge part of that transition and making the clears from defense to offense so successful. Overall this season, SHU's clear percentage is .906, which is ranked sixth in the country.
Spooner earns his second All-MAAC selection of his career after being named to the second team last year. He is another part of the successful midfield unit for Sacred Heart. An offensive threat with 35 points this season, he is third on the team in goals at 20 and assists with 15. The graduate captain has also picked up 15 ground balls and has caused two turnovers. Spooner has recorded 12 multipoint games this season and has tallied one point in all but one game. He picked up his 100th point of his career on March 30 in the Pios road victory over LIU, where he scored a hat trick for the first time this season.
Ward earns a spot on the All-MAAC second team for the first time in his career. He is second on the team in points at 48, coming from 27 goals and a team-leading 21 assists. The Highlands Ranch, Colo. Native has 13 multipoint performances and has tallied four or more points in seven games this season. As a junior, he eclipsed the 100-career point margin in SHU's road win at Mount St. Mary's, where he scored three goals and added six assists.
Ramsay earns his first All-MAAC nod as one of the biggest defensive threats in the conference. He is the team leader in caused turnovers with 17 and has picked up 26 ground balls. The junior defender has tallied at least one caused turnover in 11 games this season, and he has a pair of games with three caused turnovers in each.
Pazienza claims his spot on the All-MAAC second team for the first time in his career. The senior goalie is having the best season of his career and has proven to be one of the top goalies in the country. His 9.37 goals-against average is the top in the conference and is ninth in the NCAA. The Holtsville, NY native spots a .554 save percentage, ranking third in the MAAC and 15th overall in the NCAA. Pazienza holds an 11-4 record this season and is the new Sacred Heart record holder for most wins in a season for a goalie. He has recorded 10 or more saves in 11 games this season, he is also fourth on the team in caused turnovers with seven and third in ground balls at 36. Another highlight this season was his goalie goal against Siena at home on March 9.
Romanek dominated faceoffs all season long during his first year with the Pioneers, earning the first All-Conference accolade of his career. He has the top faceoff percentage in the MAAC at .569 and a faceoff record of 167-294. The New Hampton, N.H. native is the team leader in ground balls with 83. His 167 faceoff wins rank him 14th in the nation. This season, he had a pair of games with 20 faceoff wins apiece and had eight games with 10 or more faceoff wins.
Moran wraps up the All-MAAC accolades for SHU, earning a spot on the All-Rookie team. The first year is sixth on the team in goals with 15 and has one assist on the season. He has a hat trick in three games this season and has recorded five multipoint games. Moran is a two-time MAAC Rookie of the Week winner after playing a key role in SHU's offense.
Sacred Heart is the number one seed in the MAAC Postseason Tournament and earned a first-round bye. The Pios will be back in action on Thursday, May 2, for a semifinal game. Opponent, time, and location are TBA.
