NASHUA, N.H. – After completing a perfect 9-0 conference slate, including a 6-0 mark against North Division opponents, and riding a program-best 11-game winning streak, the Rivier men's lacrosse team has secured the No. 1 overall seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament. The Raiders will host the No. 4 seed from the South Division, JWU (Providence), in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, April 26 at 1:00 p.m. at Joanne Merrill Field.
In his 15th year at the helm, Head Coach James DeLanoy led the Raiders to their 14th consecutive playoff appearance, highlighted by a semifinal run in 2024. Under his leadership, the team achieved both the best overall and conference records in program history.
The Raiders opened the season at home with a contested 10-7 victory over Wheaton (Mass.), avenging a loss from the previous year. They followed with a 11-7 road win against Lasell, snapping a 19-game losing streak to the Lasers in their first-ever victory over the program. Their first and only setback came against non-conference opponent Roger Williams in a competitive 14-11 contest. Rivier closed out its non-conference slate on a high note, defeating U. of New England and Curry by a combined score of 29-7.
The Raiders opened GNAC play with back-to-back home victories, defeating New England Col., 16-11, and JWU (Providence), 15-5. They then traveled to Regis (Mass.) and secured their seventh straight win over the Pride with a 23-4 victory. The momentum continued in a rematch of the 2024 GNAC semifinal round as the Raiders upended Dean, 14-9, to extend their winning streak to six games.
Following a home victory over Saint Joseph's (Me.), the Raiders traveled to West Hartford and knocked off the reigning GNAC champions, Saint Joseph (Conn.), with a gritty 10-7 win. Rivier then hosted Emmanuel (Mass.) in a clash of the GNAC undefeated squads, and emerged victorious by a score of 9-5. The squad closed out the regular season in dominant fashion, defeating Anna Maria on Senior Day, 19-1, and Norwich 14-6, capping off a historic campaign.
Throughout the season, the Raiders outscored opponents by a 195–89 margin, the largest in the GNAC, while limiting conference foes to just 54 total goals. Rivier ranked second in NCAA Division III in goals allowed per game at 6.36, trailing only Trine. The team also ranked ninth in NCAA Division III in assists per game with 10.79 and posted an 81.5% clearing percentage.
Reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Year and program points leader Michael Ference led the charge in his graduate season, recording a team-best 69 points on 22 goals and a conference-leading 47 assists. Ference also earned a GNAC Player of the Week nod and ranks 38th in NCAA Division III in points per game at 4.93 entering Saturday's clash. Senior classmates Chris Heitmiller and Michael Zapatka each contributed 51 points, while graduate students Coby Mercier and Connor Eck added 48 and 45 points, respectively, to round out the dynamic and well-rounded offensive unit.
Defensively, the Raiders were anchored by graduate student Adam Hailey, who led the squad with 33 caused turnovers, ranking third in the GNAC and 37th in the nation in caused turnovers per game (2.21). Hailey also collected 38 ground balls and scored two goals over the 14-game schedule. The defensive unit was further bolstered by Joseph O'Reilly, Scott Miller, Parker Williams, and Robert DelPrete, who combined for 59 caused turnovers.
Faceoff specialists junior Owen McDuffie and sophomore Noah Zeman both ranked among the top ten in GNAC faceoff win percentage. McDuffie finished 113-of-187 (60.4%), earning a spot in the top ten for faceoffs won, while Zeman excelled with a 68-of-102 (66.67%) campaign. McDuffie also led the team with 66 ground balls, while Zeman followed closely with 44.
Graduate student goalkeeper Sawyer Gagnon started 12 games this season, recording 139 saves and finishing with an 11-1 overall record. He ranked third in NCAA Division III with a 7.11 goals-against average and sixth in save percentage at 62.9%, both of which were the best in the GNAC.
JWU (Providence) wrapped up the season with a 7-8 record overall and a 4-5 mark in conference play. Rivier currently holds a six-game winning streak over the Wildcats, with an 8-3 all-time record against them, which includes the regular-season victory back on March 29.
Sophomore Jack Davis leads the Wildcats with 56 points, registering 19 goals and 37 assists, followed by first-year Jacob Tresser (35 points) and senior Donny McInnis (32 points). Defensively, first-year Tyler Chiccino leads the team with 16 caused turnovers, while first-year Andrew Sforza heads the goalkeeping unit with 110 saves in his twelve starts.
The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the GNAC Semifinals, where they will face the winner of the matchup between No. 2S Saint Joseph (Conn.) and No. 3N Saint Joseph's (Me.) on Tuesday, April 29.
