Brockport, NY – The Brockport Men's Lacrosse team will open its 2021 campaign this weekend, finally getting back to the field after having the 2020 season canceled early on. The team will be on the road for a showdown against Alfred University on Saturday, March 20^th at 12 pm.
 
Introduction to Divisional Play: As the SUNYAC Conferences adjusts to its COVID-19 Protocols, the league will be split into two divisions within the conference. There will be a Western Division which will contain Brockport, Cortland, Geneseo, and Oswego. Along with the Eastern Division, which includes New Paltz, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, and Potsdam. Each team will play each other twice within the division in order to determine the top two teams from each division, who will make the SUNYAC Tournament. Official standings of each division can be found on the SUNYAC website's page: https://sunyacsports.com/sports/mlax/2020-21/standings.
 
Wineburg at the Wheel: Head Coach Ben Wineburg is now entering his 21^st season leading the charge for the Green and Gold. Not including the 2020 canceled season, Wineburg has pushed the men's lacrosse program into the SUNYAC Semifinals or better in three of his last four years at the helm. Prior to the season shutdown last year, the team was playing well and will look to build on that for 2021.
 
Back to the Field: Last year the Golden Eagles were able to go 2-1 in three games played before, the COVID-19 outbreak caused a shutdown of the rest of the 2020 season. It has been over a full year since the they have been on the field, with the last game being a 15-5 win over SUNY Delhi on March 7^th, 2020. After the long delay in the action, Brockport is ready to get back to work on the field.
 
Key Returners: Brockport is returning multiple starters from last year's shortened season. Brendan Halleran is back after recording an impressive 10 goals in just three games played in 2020. Owen VanWie led the 2020 roster with six assists and nine total points, while Brandon Sveda notched five goals for the team. Defensively Aidan Fitzgerald remains with the squad, after leading the team with 12 caused turnovers and 14 ground balls in just three games. John Felice resumes his role in net, after going 2-1 as the starter in 2020 and coming up with 36 saves.
 
New Faces: Men's lacrosse is welcoming in a large freshman class, bringing in 16 new faces to the Golden Eagle family. The group of first years includes: Chris Coonan, Blake Palozzi, Jordan Testa, Ryan Haugh, Andrew DiPalma, Colby Reese, Michael Marincic, Carson Colucci, Patrick Erway, Jhovanny Olivares, Dillon McCann, Alex Hopkins, Justin Sullivan, Gavin King, Ben Hay, and Brendan Hamm. Sophomores Chris Wolfe Jr and Cameron Kuzniar are both entering their first season with Brockport, after transferring in this spring.
 
Schedule Layout: Brockport is on the road for its first two contests of 2021, meeting Alfred to open the season. Divisional play begins on March 26^th with a trip to Cortland before the team hosts Oswego for its season opener on April 2^nd. Playing each team twice, the Green and Gold will battle through this shortened schedule to earn a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament, which is currently set to begin on May 4^th.
 
How to Watch: Due to the restriction of fans attending events, more emphasis will be put on bringing the game to the fans through our live statistics and broadcasting options. Here are provided links for both live stats and broadcast to follow for Saturday's game. Links for each game are also available on the Men's Lacrosse 2021 Schedule page on the official Brockport Athletics website.
 
Live Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/alfred/
Live Broadcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/alfred/

Looking at Alfred: Alfred is currently 1-0 on the 2021 season, as the team dominated Elmira 24-7 in game one of the year. Justin Mosher totaled nine points off of seven goals and two assists, while Drew Cartwright added three goals and assists each. Scott Kimiecik got the winning decision in net, making three saves while allowing just two goals in 32 minutes of action.
 
Up Next: Following Saturday's season opener against the Saxons from Alfred University, Brockport will then travel to take on the Red Dragons from Cortland to begin SUNYAC Divisional play. The matchup is slated for Friday, March 26^th at 4 pm.