Four Pioneers Selected for USILA Senior All-Star Game
5/22/2024 2:19:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
SHU will have four athletes play under head coach Jon Basti in the All-Star game
FAIRFIELD, Conn.—The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) has announced the rosters for the 2024 USILA Senior All-Star Game, which will take place on Friday, May 24. The Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team is well represented as Jake Candelino, Morgan O'Reilly, Zach Buffington, and Carson Spooner will play for Team North under Pioneers' head coach Jon Basti.
The Pioneers will participate in the USILA Senior All-Star Game for the first time since the 2010 season. Four players are the most that SHU has ever had on the USILA All-Star roster, and Basti is the second head coach in program history to lead a USILA All-Star team.
This year's USILA All-Star game will be held on Friday, May 24, at Widener University in Chester, Pa., at 6:00 pm.
All four Pioneers played an integral part in the historic season for Sacred Heart. O'Reilly brought in several postseason honors including; USA Lacrosse All-America Honorable Mention, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Co-Player of the Year award, along with earning a spot on the All-MAAC first team. He set a single-season scoring record for Sacred Heart with his 54 goals and was one of the top two scorers in the country.
Buffington, the 2024 MAAC Long Stick Midfielder of the Year, was a key part of the Pioneers midfield. The All-MAAC first-teamer was second on the team in caused turnovers with 16 and second in ground balls at 49. The senior LSM also had two points on the year coming from one goal and one assist. As a team, the Pioneers had a .903 clearing percentage in conference play, Buffington was a huge part of that transition, making the clears from defense to offense so successful. Overall this season SHU's clearing percentage was .906, ranked sixth in the country.
Spooner was another All-MAAC first-team selection as a midfielder for the Pioneers. An offensive threat with 45 points this season, he was third on the team in goals at 24 and assists with 21. The graduate captain has also picked up 20 ground balls and has caused two turnovers. Spooner has recorded 13 multipoint games this season and has tallied one point in all but one game. He also was named to the All-MAAC Tournament Team.
Candelino, a starting defender for the Pioneers, played a significant role in the successful defensive unit this season. He had 17 ground balls to go along with six caused turnovers. He also tallied two points coming from one goal and one assist. The senior captain helped Sacred Heart maintain a 9.61 goals-against average for the season.
The four athletes were all a part of the Pioneers' historic season, winning a program-best 13 games en route to claiming the program's first regular season and postseason title and first NCAA Tournament appearance.
