FAIRFIELD, Conn.—For the first time in program history, the Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team is hosting the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) postseason tournament. After claiming a share of the MAAC regular season title, the Pioneers secured the #1 seed with a win in the regular-season finale against Manhattan last Wednesday.
 
Sacred Heart opens the MAAC Championships with a semifinal game at 3 p.m. on Campus Field on Thursday, May 1, against the sixth seed, Quinnipiac University.
 
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THE MATCHUP

• Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac meet for the first time in the postseason in the two programs' histories.
• The teams have met 22 times, dating back to 1991. Sacred Heart holds a 15-7 advantage in the series. The Pioneers have won the previous four meetings between the two teams.
• The top-seeded Pioneers host the sixth-seeded Bobcats in an MAAC semifinal on Thursday, as QU is coming off a 12-10 upset win over #3 Canisius in the MAAC first round on Sunday.
• During the regular season, Sacred Heart defeated Quinnipiac 12-7 on the road in Hamden.
• The Pioneers have won four straight against the Bobcats from 2022-25. The teams had a nine-year hiatus from playing each other from 2013-22.

PIOS IN THE POSTSEASON

• Sacred Heart is making its third straight appearance in the MAAC postseason tournament.
• The Pioneers are the defending champions after winning the regular season and postseason titles in 2024 for the first time in program history.
• SHU made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, taking on UAlbany in the opening round.
• This is SHU's second consecutive number-one seed in the MAAC but it could not host last season as an affiliate member of the conference.

TEAM NOTABLES

• Sacred Heart has been nationally ranked, for the first time in program history, throughout the final weeks of the regular season. The Pioneers broke into the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll at #20 during the Week 10 poll. SHU moved up to the #16 spot in the Week 11 poll. The same week, the Pios had their first ranking in the USILA poll at #20. SHU is currently #16 in the IL Poll and #19 in the USILA poll.
• SHU has not lost a game on Campus Field since February 4, 2024.
• Graduate goalie Alex Pazienza broke the all-time saves record this season with 599 and counting and is the all-time wins leader with 29 so far.
• Jake Ward is third all-time in assists in SHU's DI history with 67 and is fifth all-time in points in the Pios DI history with 157.
• Tucker Spencer and Ward are the team leaders in points (38). Spencer is first on the team and second in the MAAC in goals (33) while Ward is first on the team and second in the league in assists (25).
• Defensively, Pazienza and Jack Ramsay led the team in caused turnovers (17). Luke Romanek is the team leader in ground balls with 56 and has a 132-244 faceoff record.

POSTSEASON AWARDS

• Sacred Heart had eight All-MAAC honorees for the second straight season, with four Pios on the first team, three on the second, and one on the all-rookie team.
• All-MAAC First Team: John Murray, Tucker Spencer, Jack Ramsay, Luke Catolico
• All-MAAC Second Team: Michael Amoruso, Alex Pazienza, Jake Ward
• All-MAAC Rookie Team: Dom Basti

MORE ON THE PIOS
Tucker Spencer paced the Sacred Heart offense this season. He leads the team and is second in the conference in goals (33) and is tied for the team lead in points (38). John Murray is having a breakout junior season. He is second on the team in goals (21), assists (15), and third in points (36) as a key contributor to Sacred Heart's offense. In two games this season, Murray has been the overtime hero, scoring the game-winning goal against Siena on March 15 and then again against Marist on March 29. Ward is tied for the team lead in points (38), leads the team is second in the conference in assists (25) and has 13 goals this season. The senior attackman has nine multi-point games this season. He has 29 ground balls along with four caused turnovers.
Luke Catolico has been one of the core pieces of the Pioneers' shutdown defense this season. The senior captain has caused eight turnovers and has picked up 23 ground balls. Ramsay has also been a force on the Pioneers' defense all season. He is the team leader and is fifth in the MAAC in caused turnovers (17) and is fourth on the team in ground balls (27).
Michael Amoruso has been another key contributor to the Pios' defensive unit. The junior long-stick midfielder is fourth on the team in caused turnovers (14) and tied for second in ground balls (33). Pazienza has been solid in between the pipes all season long as he became the Sacred Heart all-time leader in saves and wins. Pazienza has the top GAA in the conference (8.28), which is ranked fifth in the country. His 57.3% save percentage is second in the MAAC and 12th in the nation. He is second on the team in caused turnovers (17) and ground balls (33).
 
TOP IN THE NATION
The Pios are well represented in the national stat categories. Ward is tied for 22nd in assists per game (1.92). Luke Romanek's .541 faceoff win percentage is 31st, and his 4.31 ground balls per game is 47th. Spencer's 3.00 goals per game is tied for 9th. Pazienza's 8.28 GAA is 5th in the country, his .573 save percentage is 11th, and his 10.92 saves per game is 41st. As a team, Sacred Heart's 7.38 assists per game is tied for 21st, the 9.54 CT per game is 14th, its .882 clearing percentage is 13th, the .540 faceoff win percentage is 22nd, the 32.62 GB per game is 24th, the man-down defense is 14th. The Pios average 19.62 points per game, which is ranked 25th. SHU is ranked 5th in scoring defense, 11th in scoring margin (3.92), 22nd in scoring offense (12.23). The Pioneers are tied for 5th in win percentage (.846).
 
ABOUT THE BOBCATS

• #6 Quinnipiac defeated #3 Canisius on Sunday in the first round of the MAAC tournament. The Bobcats are 3-11 on the season and finished conference play at 2-6. QU's MAAC wins were against Mount St. Mary's, 21-10 on March 8 and then Marist, 8-7 on March 15.
• Sacred Heart defeated Quinnipiac 12-7 on April 5 at QU.
• The Bobcats had three All-MAAC selections, Justin Robbert on the first team, Nick Meoni on the second team, and Joe Konesco to the All-Rookie team.