Thursday, April 30
Loudonville, NY
4:00 PM
Sacred Heart
vs
Marist University
Photo by: Greg Vasil
Men's Lacrosse Set For MAAC Semifinal Against Marist on Thursday
4/29/2026 12:18:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — The Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team is set for its fourth consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship appearance. The No. 3 seed Pioneers will face No. 2 seed Marist on Thursday, April 30 at 4:00 p.m. on Hickey Field at Siena.
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES
THE MATCHUP
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES
THE MATCHUP
- Sacred Heart and Marist meet for the first time in MAAC postseason history in Thursday's semifinal. It marks the 18th all-time meeting between the programs (since 1995), with SHU holding a 10–7 advantage.
- The Pioneers enter as the No. 3 seed after finishing 11–3 overall and 5–3 in MAAC play. SHU is coming off a 14–6 home win over Iona.
- Marist is the No. 2 seed with a 9–4 overall record and a 7–1 conference mark. Its lone MAAC loss came to Siena, 11–10, in double overtime.
- Sacred Heart secured its fourth straight MAAC Tournament berth, earning the No. 3 seed via a three-way tiebreaker following a win over Iona and Manhattan's win over Quinnipiac.
- The Pioneers had eight All-MAAC selections. John Murray was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year, while Jake Carney earned Co-Rookie of the Year honors.
- The 2026 season marks the 35th year of men's lacrosse at Sacred Heart.
- Luke Catolico, Craig Daria, Murray, and Finn Hoey serve as team captains.
- Head coach Jon Basti is in his 13th season leading the program.
- Sacred Heart totaled eight All-MAAC selections in 2026.
- Murray (Co-Offensive Player of the Year) and Carney (Co-Rookie of the Year) headline the honors.
- Murray and junior Garrett Mangels earned First Team All-MAAC recognition.
- Daria, Matt Pepe, Michael Amoruso, and Will Moulton were named to the Second Team.
- Carney and Ryan Grove were selected to the All-Rookie Team.
- Murray becomes the program's second MAAC Offensive Player of the Year (Morgan O'Reilly, 2024) and earns First Team honors for the second straight season.
- Carney is the program's first MAAC Rookie of the Year and third conference Rookie of the Year overall. He is the first since Jake Ward (NEC, 2022).
- Sacred Heart opened the season with a program-record 10-game winning streak.
- The Pioneers went 6–0 in non-conference play with wins over Stony Brook, Wagner, Holy Cross, Fairfield, and NJIT.
- SHU suffered its first loss on April 4, falling to Quinnipiac, 16–14, and dropped the next two games to Siena (15–11) and Marist (14–13).
- The Pioneers closed the regular season with a 14–6 win over Iona to clinch the No. 3 seed.
- Sacred Heart ranks among national leaders in multiple categories: 7th in assists per game (8.57), 5th in points per game (22.79), 7th in scoring offense, 6th in man-down defense, 13th in ground balls per game (33.43), 16th in faceoff win percentage (.566), and 21st in clear percentage (.888).
- The Pioneers also rank 30th in saves per game (12.14), 32nd in scoring defense, and 20th in shot percentage (31.1%).
- Individually:
- Pepe ranks 29th in assists per game (1.71) and 47th in points per game (3.57).
- Grove is 15th in faceoff win percentage (.605) and 14th in ground balls per game (6.71).
- Carney is 32nd in goals per game (2.54) and tied for 20th in man-up goals (5).
- Daria ranks 21st in saves per game (12.00), 26th in save percentage (.530), and 38th in goals-against average (11.03).
- Carney (.465) and JJ Fox (.452) rank 6th and 14th nationally in shot percentage.
Players Mentioned
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SSDM
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/ Men's LacrosseWednesday, April 30
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