After starting the season 7-2, the men’s lacrosse team stumbled in Atlantic 10 play. The Hawks went 2-3, with wins over Hobart College and St. Bonaventure University. This record has earned St. Joe’s the three seed for the A-10 Tournament, taking place on Hawk Hill May 1-3.
The past two seasons, St. Joe’s went undefeated in conference play, going 5-0 both seasons, on the way to winning back-to-back regular season titles. While St. Joe’s did not complete the regular season championship three-peat, there is a lot of hope going into this tournament.
St. Joe’s lost to High Point University April 19 when Panthers’ junior goalie Zack Overend stuffed 23 Hawk shots, only allowing nine goals. Overend stepped up huge for the Panthers in the second half, making 10 saves and allowing two goals. The Hawks took good shots, but at the end of the day, when a goalie is feeling it, there’s not much you can do. St. Joe’s will have a quick rematch against #2 High Point May 1 at 2 p.m.
The Hawks were victorious in the 2024 A-10 Championship, defeating Richmond University 17-13, while Richmond won the 2023 A-10 Championship over High Point 15-8. St. Joe’s has the opportunity to be the first back-to-back A-10 champion since the A-10 added men’s lacrosse as a championship sport in the 2022-23 season.
The Hawks’ success will rest on the shoulders of first-year attackman Ben Dutton and junior goalie Tommy Gross. Dutton was the first player to lead the team in goals as a first-year since Levi Anderson ’22, MBA ’24, in the 2020 shortened season and Pat Swanick ’16 in 2013. Dutton’s 42 goals are also a first-year program record, passing Dave Wheelock’s mark of 29 goals.
Dutton had one goal in the April 25 loss to Richmond and none in the March 29 loss to University of Massachusetts Amherst. In fact, when the Hawks win, Dutton averages 3.9 goals a game; when they lose, he averages only 1.4. Dutton’s success in scoring and facilitating the offense could be the key to winning in the A-10 Tournament.
Gross had a standout game against Richmond, saving 23 shots and only allowing 10 goals. The Hawks need Gross to have another big game in the May 1 rematch if they want to beat High Point and advance to the A-10 Championship.
The location of the A-10 Championship certainly helps the Hawks’ chances. St. Joe’s won the Northeast Conference Championship in 2022 on Hawk Hill. The Hawks return to tournament lacrosse at Sweeney Field, looking now to win their third conference championship and their second in the A-10 conference. A win in the championship game May 3 would send St. Joe’s to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
