Jack Murphy Selected by Boston Cannons in MLL Collegiate Draft

Men's Lacrosse 2/14/2014 6:50:00 PM Fairfield University

Men's Lacrosse Opens Season at Delaware

By this time next year, Fairfield men's lacrosse will be in a new league and a new stadium. While there is much anticipation about those two things, Head Coach Andy Copelan and the Stags are not looking past the 2014 campaign.

There is work to be done this season. Copelan has the luxury of returning 25 letterwinners, including seven starters and four of six leading scorers from last season. In addition, the Stags have 14 talented newcomers who will all battle for time.

"I really like the blend that we have of upperclassmen and underclassmen," Copelan said. "I like the way we've been competing and the way we've been practicing so far. We're excited that the season is here."

The Stags open up the 2014 season at Delaware on February 15 at 1pm at Delaware Stadium. Delaware will be providing Live Stats and Live Video for Saturday's game. Click here for game notes.

Fairfield vs. Delaware: The Stags and the Blue Hens face each other for the first time since the 2009 season opener. Fairfield topped Delaware, 10-9, in that contest to give Head Coach Andy Copelan his first win at the helm of the Stags. The Stags are just 1-3 all-time against the Blue Hens. The first-ever meeting came in 1995 in Newark, Del. where the Blue Hens posted a 23-2 win. Delaware posted a 15-9 win in 1996 and a 16-7 win in 1998.

Scouting the Blue Hens (1-1): The Blue Hens opened the season with a 10-3 win over High Point but are coming off a 6-4 loss to No. 15 Bucknell on February 8. Sophomore Connor Frisina and senior Connor McRoy each scored a goal and added an assist. Goalie Conor Peaks made 11 saves. Ten Blue Hens have found the back of the net so far this season, four of which have two goals. McRoy has accrued two goals, a man-up and a game-winner, and three assists to lead Delaware with five points. Tyler Barbarich has nine groundballs and is 10-for-16 in face-offs. Peaks has played all 120 minutes for Delaware with a 4.50 GAA and 26 saves for a .743 save percentage. Delaware was picked to finish sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Preseason Poll. The Blue Hens went 5-10 one season ago, with five of those losses coming in one-goal games. Senior defender James Connelly, who has seven groundballs and three caused turnovers this season, was named to the All-CAA Preseason Team. The team captain, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2014 Major League Lacrosse Draft by Denver, was one of the CAA's top defensemen last season when he earned second team All-CAA honors. He finished the year with18 ground balls, and 11 caused turnovers.

Stags in Season Openers: Fairfield has been victorious in each of its last three season openers. Under Head Coach Andy Copelan, the Stags are 4-1 in season openers. The Stags are 13-8 all-time in season openers.

Preseason Picks: The Stags were picked to finish second in the 2014 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Lacrosse League Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Ohio State University, ranked No. 14 in the USILA Preseason Poll and No. 9 in the Warrior Media Poll, was chosen to repeat as league champions. The United States Air Force Academy garnered a third-place selection and was followed by Bellarmine University, which was tabbed to finish fourth, and the University of Michigan in fifth. Fairfield also received votes in the 2014 USILA Preseason Coaches Poll.

Welcome Back: The Stags return 25 letterwinners including seven starters from the 2013 season. Fairfield returns four of its six leading point scorers from last season, including Colin McLinden, who had 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points, Tristan Sperry, who had 17 goals and five assists, Eric Warden, who had 15 goals and four assists for 19 points, and TJ Neubauer, who had 14 goals and two assists for 16 points. Returning on defense are Toby Armour and Greg Perraut. Armour caused a team-high 14 turnovers in 2013 en route to All-ECAC Second Team honors while Perraut caused eight turnovers and collected 19 groundballs. In the cage, Jack Murphy returns for his senior season. Murphy played every second for the Stags one year ago and finished in the year ranked nationally in saves per game (11.0/25th), save percentage (.532/28th), and goals against average (9.66/26th).

Fresh Faces: Fairfield will have 14 rookies on the roster this season. The freshman class consists of two attackmen, six midfielders, and four defenders and two goalies.

Captains Corner: Fairfield has three captains in seniors Toby Armour, Jack Murphy, and Greg Perraut.

At the Helm: Head Coach Andy Copelan is in his sixth season at the helm of the Stags and is 43-31. The Stags have finished .500 or better in each of his seasons at Fairfield, the longest such stretch in program history. He has coached Fairfield to wins over No. 1 Denver and No. 3 Notre Dame during his tenure, the highest ranked wins in program history. Fairfield's had winning home records in all five seasons for a 22-12 record, including a 5-2 mark last year. Copelan, once the youngest head coach in the nation, has seven seasons as a Division I head coach (two at Marist) and is 61-46 all-time.

Fairfield & the ECAC Lacrosse League: Fairfield is in its ninth and final season as a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League. The Stags have had winning seasons against conference foes in six of those campaigns. Fairfield has qualified for all three ECAC Lacrosse League Championship Tournaments that have been held and have advanced to the final game in twice (2011, 2012).

About Face: Senior Michael Roe enters the 2014 ranked third all-time on Fairfield's career face-off wins list (296). Former Stag Charlie Keinath is ranked second with 314 while Pete Vlahakis is the career leader with 620. Roe is second in face-off win percentage (296-524) and fourth in face-offs attempted (524). During the 2013 season, Roe was fourth in the ECAC and 33rd nationally in face-off win percentage, going 121-237 (.511).

Looking Ahead: Fairfield heads home next week to host Manhattan College at 1pm.The Stags visit Hofstra on February 25. Fairfield opens the month of March with four-straight home games.

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