Men's Lacrosse to Begin 2024 at Saint Rose on Sunday

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. –The second year of Bridgeport men's lacrosse will begin this Sunday afternoon as the Purple Knights open the 2024 season with a road trip to the College of Saint Rose.

THE SCHEDULE
Bridgeport is slated to begin its new campaign with an away game against Saint Rose on Feb. 18. The contest was originally slated for Saturday in Bridgeport.

Following the trip to Albany, the Purple Knights will play five more non-conference contests before beginning CACC action on March 16 at Wilmington.

UB's non-league slate features several familiar matchups, including three games against NE10 foes and three versus ECC opponents. The opener against Saint Rose will be the only matchup this year that they didn't have a season ago.

LAST SEASON
In their first year as a varsity program, the Purple Knights posted a 1-12 record with a roster almost completely comprised of freshmen.

Bridgeport's lone triumph in 2023 was against AIC by a score of 9-8 in the first game of the season.

Offensively in 2023, James Napoli and Tyne Hewlette led the way with 25 and 22 goals respectively. Hewlette also dished out a team-high 16 assists to finish with a team-best 38 points.

Sophomore Connor Cullen piloted UB's face-off efforts with a team-high 115 wins at the X and a total of 62 ground balls.

In goal, Peter Nazario played nearly every minute last season. The Long Islander ranked third in the CACC in total saves (191).

THE ROSTER
UB returns 15 players from its inaugural season in 2023, including the roster's lone seniors of Dewey Schoenfelder and Nazario. In fact, Bridgeport's youthful roster will be composed of more than 75 percent underclassmen.

In addition to Schoenfelder, the Purple Knights will have seven returning players that recorded at least one point last spring. Nazario, Cullen, Daniel Orebiyi, and Aidan Kirkpatrick will serve as UB's four captains this season.

PRESEASON POLL
The Purple Knights were picked to finish eighth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) according to the preseason coaches poll released in late January.

COACH TEMPONE
Head coach Stephen Tempone is also back on the sidelines for his second year. Tempone arrived in Bridgeport following a successful run at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA).

Tempone launched the varsity men's lacrosse program at PBA and served as its head coach from 2018-21.

FOLLOW
Keep up to date with all things UB men's lacrosse courtesy of their Instagram page, @ubridgeportmlax.