FAIRFIELD, Conn.— The Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team is set for their second straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) postseason tournament. The Pioneers finished as MAAC Regular Season Champions with an undefeated 9-0 record in conference play and earned the number one seed in the postseason tournament.
 
SHU opens the postseason with a semifinal matchup against fifth-seeded Siena, who upset fourth-seeded Marist in the opening round of the tournament over the weekend. The game is set for Thursday, May 2 at 3:00 pm at Gaelic Park, hosted by Manhattan College.
 
Game Notes | ESPN+ | Tickets 
 
THE MATCHUP
The Pioneers and Saints opened MAAC play earlier this season on March 9. SHU won 18-8 at home on Campus Field. 
This is the second consecutive postseason meeting between the two teams after facing each other last season in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament. As the fifth seed, SHU fell 13-11, while Siena, the fourth seed, advanced to the semifinals.
This will be the sixth meeting overall between SHU and Siena, dating back to 2000. The Pios hold a 3-2 record all time. 
 
PIOS IN POSTSEASON
The Pioneers return to the MAAC postseason tournament for the second straight season. After going undefeated in conference play at 9-0, the Pios claimed their first-ever regular season title and are looking for their first-ever postseason championship. 
The 9-0 win streak is the longest in program history, landing SHU the number one seed in the MAAC Postseason Tournament and a first-round bye. 
This will be Sacred Heart's first MAAC Semifinal appearance after falling to Siena last season in the opening round on the road, 13-11. 
The 2023 season was SHU's first year in the MAAC for men's lacrosse, making its first postseason appearance since the 2019 Northeast Conference Semifinal. During its time in the NEC, SHU made four semifinal appearances since the NEC's inaugural men's lax season in 2011.
 
TEAM NOTABLES
The Pioneers are in the midst of their most successful season in program history. 
Their 11 wins is a new program record for wins in a season. 
The nine-game win streak is the longest in program history. 
Morgan O'Reilly is second in the nation in goals with 49, a new single-season scoring record for SHU. 
 
POSTSEASON AWARDS 
SHU brought in three major award winners and eight All-MAAC selections, the most postseason recognition in program history. 
Morgan O'Reilly was named the MAAC Player of the Year, Zach Buffington was named the LSM of the Year, and Head Coach Jon Basti was voted Coach of the Year. 
Buffington, O'Reilly, and Carson Spooner were placed on the All-MAAC first team. 
Jake Ward, Jack Ramsay, Alex Pazienza, and Luke Romanek earned a spot on the All-MAAC second team. First-year James Moran was named to the All-MAAC rookie team.
O'Reilly is SHU's third Player of the Year, and Coach Basti brings in his first-ever Coach of the Year honor. 
 
ON THE SIDELINES
Head coach Jon Basti is in his 10th season as head coach of the Pioneers. He came to SHU after serving as the associate head coach at the University of Hartford from 2009-13. His coaching career began at Sacred Heart as an assistant coach from 2000-02 before taking the head coach position at Eastern Connecticut State for two seasons, leading ECSU to a pair of Little East Conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Basti is a graduate of Fairfield University and was a member of the Stags' 1996 & 1997 MAAC Championship teams. He also received his master's degree from Fairfield and returned in 2005 as an assistant coach for three seasons. 
 
MORE ON THE PIOS
Senior Morgan O'Reilly leads the team and is second in the nation with 49 goals. He has 62 points and 13 assists. O'Reilly is fourth in the nation in goals per game at 3.27 and is tied for third in man-up goals at eight. 
Junior Jake Ward is another offensive threat for the Pios. He is second on the team in points at 48, coming from 27 goals and a team-leading 21 assists. He was named to the All-MAAC second team this season.
Carson Spooner and Zach Buffington play a huge role in SHU's midfield unit. Buffington, named the MAAC LSM of the Year and All-MAAC first team, is second on the team in caused turnovers (12) and is second in ground balls (43). He has two points from a goal and an assist. Spooner was also named to the first team, tallying 35 points from 20 goals and 15 assists.  
Luke Romanek is having a fantastic first season on the faceoff unit for Sacred Heart. He has the top faceoff percentage in the MAAC at .569 and has a record of 167-294. His 167 wins is ranked 19th in the country. Romanek leads the team in ground balls (83). 
On the defensive end, Jack Ramsay and Alex Pazienza were named to the All-MAAC second team. Ramsay leads the team in caused turnovers with 17 and ground balls at 26. Pazienza is one of the top goalies in the country. He posts a 9.37 goals against average, which is eighth in the nation. His .554 save percentage is second in the MAAC and 12th in the country. 
 
PIOS BREAKING RECORDS
Sacred Heart is having a record-breaking season. The Pios have won the most games in program history (11). Morgan O'Reilly set the single-season goal record (49). Tucker Spencer set the single-season record for man-up goals with nine, which is the nation's most this season. Alex Pazienza has the SHU D1 record for wins in a season (11). 
 
TOP IN THE NATION
The Pios are well represented in the national stat categories. Morgan O'Reilly is second in the country in goals (49) and fourth in goals per game (3.27). Tucker Spencer is first in the country in man-up goals with nine, and O'Reilly is tied for third with eight.  Alex Pazienza is eighth with his 9.37 GAA, and his save percentage of .554 is 12th in the country. As a team, SHU is fifth in clearing percentage .906, 20th in faceoff win percentage (.544), 17th in points per game (21.27), ninth in scoring defense (9.47 per game), 13th in scoring offense (13.80), ninth in scoring margin (4.33), and 11th in winning percentage (.733).