Brown Men’s Lacrosse Hosts Defending National Champion Virginia On Sunday

Sunday, March 8

12:00 pm

Brown University

University of Virginia

Photo by: David Silverman Photography

Brown Men’s Lacrosse Hosts Defending National Champion Virginia On Sunday

3/5/2020 9:16:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse

Brown Lacrosse Notes vs. Virginia 3-8-20

Providence, R.I. – Brown looks to get back on the winning track after two straight overtime losses by welcoming #8 Virginia, the defending national champions, and former head coach Lars Tiffany '90 to Stevenson-Pincince Field on Sunday, March 8 at 12:00 noon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and NESNplus. Don't forget to set your clock forward one hour for the start of Daylight Savings.

The Bears:Brown (2-2) fell in overtime for the second straight week, dropping a 13-12 decision to Providence after rallying from a five goal deficit in the fourth quarter. Three straight Brown goals in the final 1:28 of regulation by George Grell '21, Ryan Aughavin '21 and Luke McCaleb '20 sent the game into overtime, 12-12.

The Cavaliers: Virginia (4-1), ranked eighth nationally, is coached by former Brown head coach Lars Tiffany '90, who guided the Bears to the NCAA Semifinals in 2016.  The Cavaliers, coming off an NCAA National Championship season, have posted wins over #14 Loyola, 12-9, #18 Lehigh, 12-8, High Point, 18-15 and Air Force,15-5, with a loss against Princeton, 16-12.

Brown vs. Virginia – Series Record:  Brown and Virginia have met 14 times, dating back to 1968 with the Cavaliers holding a 12-2 series advantage.  Last year, Virginia rallied from a four goal fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Bears, 14-13, in overtime. The two teams had previously met in 2016 with Brown coming away with a 19-11 victory.

Purchase Brown Tickets: Tickets for all Brown men's lacrosse home games can be purchased online at brownbears.com, calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or walking up to the Box Office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Advance tickets prices for Sunday's game against Virginia are $12 for adults, $8 for youths and $7 for groups of 20 or more.  Gameday tickets are priced at $15 for adults and $10 for youths.

Center for Lacrosse and Soccer:  Brown unveiled its new Center for Lacrosse and Soccer at Stevenson-Pincince Field on February 18, a premier facility for lacrosse and soccer that will enhance both the team and game day experience and replaces the existing press box and stands in the same location. The approximately 22,500 square foot building has a grandstand to accommodate 1,250 people, as well as concessions and restrooms located on a concourse level. The building will have event space for game-day hosting and team gatherings, new staff and team locker rooms, a training room, and players will have direct access to the field through a tunnel.

McCaleb – 8^thAll-Time Career Scorer: Brown senior attackman Luke McCaleb ranks eighth among Brown's Top 10 All-Time Scorers with 168 career points. His 15 points (10 goals, 5 assists) leads the Brown team. He scored two goals and handed out two assists vs. Providence. McCaleb scored three goals against Stony Brook and exploded for four goals and added two assists vs. Sacred Heart. McCaleb opened the 2020 season with a goal and an assist vs. Quinnipiac. His 35 ground ball in 2019 also led all field players. Last year, McCaleb netted a career high five goals in the Bears' overtime win over UMBC and followed that up with a hat-trick vs. #12 Virginia.  He led the Bears with 59 points (36 goals, 23 assists) in 2019
Career Goals:  96        Career Assists:72       Career Points:168

Brown – Top 20 Leading Scorers
Player                                                          G              A               Pts.
1. Dylan Molloy (2017)                         197           121           318
2. Darren Lowe (1992)                         111           205           316
3. David Evans (1996)                           145           87             232
4. Tom Gagnon (1986)                          109           99             208
5. Andy Towers (1993)                         150           53             203
6. Kylor Bellistri (2016)                         124           48             172
7. Oliver Marti (1993)                         144          27             171
8. Rick Handelman (1980)                 59             109           168
     Luke McCaleb (2017-present)       96             72             168
10.Tom Draper (1964)                          123           39             162
      Andrew Feinberg (2011)               124          38             162
12. John Keogh (1986)                          83            75             158
13. Henry Blynn (2016)                        117           37             154
14. Thomas Muldoon (2010)              116          37             153
15. Jamie Munro (1989)                      88             64            152
16. Bernie Buonano (1988)                 83             66            149
17. Mick Matthews (1985)                66             80            146
18. Bob Anthony (1970)                      48             97            145
19. Stephen Russo (1973)                    57             86             143
20. John Meister (1979)                      67             71            138
21. Bob Scalise (1971)                          121           16             137
      Jon Thompson (2003)                    97             43             137
23. Angelo Lobosco (1981)                  100           35             135
24. Brian McNally (1996)                   80             52            132
25. Jay McMahon (1991)                   92             37            129

Defensive Unit:Coach Mike Daly's defensive unit is led by a pair of sophomores, Second Team All-Ivy Andrew Geppert, who started Brown's last 10 games a year ago,  and Luke Gaydos, who earned starting roles in the Bears' final six games. Last year,Geppert paced the Bears with 17 caused turnovers, while picking up 25 ground balls. He caused three turnovers in Brown's win over Sacred Heart and had two caused turnovers vs. Stony Brook. Gaydos picked up 17 ground balls and caused eight turnovers a year ago. He also caused three turnovers in the Bears victory over Sacred Heart and had two caused turnovers and four ground balls vs. Providence. Senior Michael Brown caused 14 turnovers and picked up 26 ground balls a year ago, while scoring two goals with three assists.

Cook Has Recipe For Success:  Sophomore attackman Darian Cook started all 16 games a year ago, scoring 25 goals and handing out 22 assists. He netted two goals vs. Providence and picked up two ground balls. Cook opened the 2020 season with two goals and two assists against Quinnipiac and added two goals and three assists vs. Sacred Heart. He had two assists vs. Stony Brook. Last year, Cook scored goals in 14 of Brown's 16 games with a season high five goals vs. Stony Brook.

Grell Scores From The Midfield:Bears' junior middy George Grell, a Second Team All-Ivy selection, ranked third on the 2019 Brown team in scoring with 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists). He scored a goal and handed out two assists vs. Providence. Grell came up with a hat-trick vs. Stony Brook, and scored a goal in Brown's 2020 season opening win over Quinnipiac. Last year, Grell registered six points vs. Bryant with four goals and two assists.

Goss Named Senior CLASS Candidate:  Twenty of the top NCAA men's lacrosse student-athletes, who excel both on and off the field, were selected as candidates for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award^®in collegiate lacrosse, including Brown senior All-American goalie Phil Goss(San Francisco, CA). To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Kniffin Steps Up On Attack:  Sophomore attackman Jack Kniffin earned a starting role in Brown's last eight games in 2019, scoring 17 goals in those games and 23 goals for the season. Kniffin had three goals vs. Providence, while causing two turnovers. He opened the 2020 season with three goals and five ground balls in Brown's win over Quinnipiac and added two goals and two assists vs. Sacred Heart. Kniffin also netted two goals vs. Stony Brook. Last year, Kniffin registered six points in Brown's win over Bryant with four goals and two assists and had four goals and handed out an assist vs. Yale.
Career Goals:65                     Career Assists:  34                  Career Points:  99

Two-Time All-American Phil Goss In Goal: Bears' senior goalie Phil Goss, a two-time All-American and All-Ivy selection, team captain and a preseason USILA Second Team All-American, is recognized as one of the top goalies in the nation.  His 632 career saves ranks second in the Brown record book to USILA Goalie of the Year Jack Kelly '16. He was named to the Tewaaraton Watch list for the second straight season and is a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award. Goss made 12 saves against Providence and registered 12 saves against Stony Brook. He also stood out in Brown's win over Sacred Heart, making 11 saves, while allowing just five goals. Goss registered 11 saves in the Bears' season opening win over Quinnipiac. A First Team All-Ivy choice in 2018, Goss made 13.13 saves per game to rank second nationally. In 2017, he led the nation in saves (12.75 saves per game) and started all 16 games, playing 900 out of a possible 967:31 minutes.

Brown Record Book: Career Saves
1.         673     Jack Kelly '16
2.         632     Phil Goss '20
3.         631     Dick Alter '66
4.         624     Charlie Meister '81
5.         605     Steve Ayers '90
6.         580     Greg Cattrano '97

Aughavin Finds The Back of the Net:  Brown's midfield features junior Ryan Aughavin, who earned Second Team All-Ivy honors a year ago after scoring 30 goals, second best on the Brown team. Aughavin had a big game vs. Providence with three goals and two assists. He opened the 2020 season with two goals vs. Quinnipiac and added a natural hat-trick with three consecutive goals vs. Sacred Heart. Last year, Aughavin scored four goals twice against both Holy Cross and Penn.

Facing-Off:Brown returns its top two face-off specialists with senior Jason Simaan and junior Matt McShea splitting duties in the face-off x. Simaan captured 4-of-6 face-offs vs. Sacred Heart and scored a goal. He led the Bears with 66 ground balls and captured 117-of-218 (.537) face-offs last year, and had a career performance vs. Dartmouth, winning 17-of-19 face-offs, picking up 12 ground balls and handing out an assist. McShea, who had 51 ground balls, won 100-of-205 face-offs last season.  He captured 14-of-22 face-offs against Stony Brook (.636). Last year, McShea had a successful outing vs. UMBC, capturing 6-of-8 face-offs and came back by winning 11-of-23 face-offs vs. Virginia. Freshman Matt Gunty stepped up in Brown's season opening victory over Quinnipiac by capturing 9-of-12 face-off attempts, and won 6-of-10 face-offs vs. Sacred Heart. He won 18-of-24 face-offs vs. Providence. His face-off percentage is .708 (34-48).

Pronunciation Guide:
2- Darian Cook              Dah-ree-onCook
6- Kniffin                      niff-in
8- Simaan                     simm-on
18 – Gaydos                  gay-dos
20 – Moshyedi              mo-shed-ee
23- Yeboah-Kodie        Ya-bow-a -code-ee
25 –Baranker                ba-rank-err
26- Gendron                 genn-dron
27- Caputo                   ca-pew-toe
39- Enchill                    N-chill
40- McCaleb                 mick-kale-ib
42- Aughavin                aug-a-vin

Defensive Middies:  Senior captain Riley Stewart will lead a talented defensive midfield unit along with sophomore George Pike and freshman Trevor Yeboah-Kodie, who has seen playing time at several other positions. Senior Michael Brown will also see the field at a variety of positions.

Enchill - Long Stick Middie:  Junior Adrian Enchill picked-up five ground balls and caused a turnover vs. Sacred Heart, while adding an assist. He picked up 33 ground balls and caused seven turnovers a year ago.

Coaching Staff:  Head coach Mike Daly's staff includes fourth-year assistant coach Brett Holm, and a pair of former head coaches in their second season at Brown – John Svec from Siena and Michael Higgins from Trinity.

Head Coach Mike Daly:Fourth-year head Brown lacrosse coach Mike Daly posted a 10-6 overall record in his initial season on College Hill and has brought the Bears to the Ivy League Tournament in each of his three seasons at Brown, including the finals in 2017. He came to Brown after guiding the Tufts University men's lacrosse program to three NCAA National Championship titles while boasting the nation's highest scoring offense. Daly, the sixth Brown men's lacrosse coach since 1963, posted a record of 244-83 in 18 seasons as head coach at Tufts, with nine NCAA Tournament appearances and seven NESCAC titles. His Tufts teams won national championships in 2010, 2014 and 2015. Tufts led the nation in scoring in 2016 with 402 goals in 23 games for a 17.48 per game average. The Jumbos won their seventh consecutive NESCAC title and finished the year with a 20-3 record, falling in the National Championship game. Daly is among the top 10 active coaches for winning percentage and is in the top 20 for victories. A two time USILA F. Morris Touchstone National Coach of the Year (2010 and 2014), Daly's teams have won 20 or more games four times and made five appearances in the National Championship game. Daly oversaw a prolific Tufts offense that scored 423 goals in 2014 to set an NCAA record for a single season for all divisions.

The Ivy League on ESPN:  Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing a monthly package for $4.99 or a yearly package for $49.99. Mike Rubin '00 will call the play for all Brown home games with Mike Mancuso '98 providing the analysis.

Ivy League Tournament:  The four-team 2020 Ivy League Men's Lacrosse Tournament will be played at Hofstra's James Shuart Stadium, with the semifinals on Friday, 5/1, and the finals on Sunday, 5/ 3.

Next Game:  The Bears open their Ivy League schedule next Saturday, March 14, traveling to Allston, Mass., to face Harvard starting at 3:00pm on ESPN+.