Men's Lacrosse | 6/10/2015 3:35:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY - The 2015 RIT men's lacrosse team finished the season with an impressive 21-1 overall record. The Tigers won their fourth straight Liberty League regular season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the sixth straight season and 17th time in program history.

The Tigers set several program records including wins in a season (21), consecutive wins (21) and best won-lost record (21-1). Offensively, RIT set program records for goals (394), assists (264), and points in a season (646). 

Nine Tigers were named United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-Americans. Kyle Aquin (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean De Brebeuf), Matt Hossack (Port Perry, Ontario/Port Perry), Pat Johnston (Norwell, MA/Norwell), Ryan Lee (Sharon, Ontario/The Hill Academy), and Allister Warren (Toronto, Ontario/Malvern Collegiate Institute) were first team selections. Eddie Kiesa (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) was a third-team selection and Brad Gillies (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas), Patrick Hannigan (Hanover, MA/Hanover) and Jay Krzyston (Bedford, NH/Bishop Guertin) were honorable mention picks. Four Tigers earned USILA individual awards, while RIT placed 10 players on the Liberty League all-conference team.

Junior Matt Hossack (Port Perry, Ontario/Port Perry) was the Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year, a first team All-Liberty League and All-American selection, the NCAA Division III Long-Stick Midfielder of the Year as well as the Iroquois Nationals Award as Division III's Outstanding Player of the Year.

Sophomore Ryan Lee (Sharon, Ontario/The Hill Academy) was the Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year, a first team All-Liberty League and All-American selection and was the Turnbull Award recipient for the outstanding attack man in Division III.
Senior goalkeeper Pat Johnston (Norwell, MA/Norwell) was the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Award as the nation's most outstanding goalie, and senior midfielder Allister Warren (Toronto, Ontario/Malvern Collegiate Institute) was given the Fran McCall Award for the most outstanding midfielder in all of Division III.

Hossack started 22 games this season at long-stick midfield. He led the team with 52 caused turnovers and 122 ground balls. The junior long-stick midfielder helped RIT's defense hold opponents to 7.91 goals per game. He chipped in offensively, finishing eighth on the team in scoring with 28 points on 14 goals and 14 assists. Hossack tallied six goals, grabbed seven ground balls, caused three turnovers and won 8-of-13 face-offs on May 3 in the Liberty League title game versus No. 13 Union College, earning Tournament MVP honors.

Johnston, a 2013 second team, 2014 honorable mention and 2015 first team All-American, started all 22 games in net for the Tigers. In 2015, he finished the season with a 21-1 record, an 8.94 goals against average and a .571 save percentage. Johnston posted double-digit saves 10 times, and tied his career-high with 19 saves versus Stevenson, Middlebury, and St. Lawrence. He finished his career at RIT the all time leader in wins at RIT with 56 and was a remarkable 56-5 in his career as a Tiger.

Lee, the 2014 Liberty League Rookie of the Year and 2015 Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year, led the team in scoring with 98 points on 60 goals and 38 assists. He scored two or more goals 19 games, including five goals versus Clarkson and Stevenson at the Carrier Dome. He tallied a season high eight points on five goals and three assists versus Stevenson to open the season. He has scored at least one point in 40 of 41 career games, and currently sits 14th all time at RIT in scoring with 172 points on 107 goals and 65 assists. Lee's 60 goals are sixth most in a season at RIT, while his 98 points are second most in a season.

Warren, a 2015 USILA Scholar All-American selection and first team All-American, finished second on the team in scoring with 81 points on 47 goals and 34 assists. He finished his career fifth all time in scoring at RIT with 236 career points on 125 goals and 111 assists. Warren tallied 11 points in the Liberty League Tournament, helping RIT win its fourth straight conference title. In four NCAA Tournament games, Warren tallied 13 points on eight goals and five assists. He tallied three goals and added an assist in the National Semifinals versus Tufts. Warren was a 2014 second team All-American.

RIT played one of the more difficult schedules in Division III in 2015, with 10 games versus teams ranked in the USILA Division III Coaches poll. The Tigers opened the season with an impressive 17-10 win over No. 3 Stevenson University in late February. Four of RIT's first five games of the season came against ranked opponents, including No. 11 Ithaca, No. 6 SUNY Cortland and No. 5 Cabrini.

The Tigers played three games at the Carrier Dome on the campus of Syracuse University in 2015 and returned to Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University for a 21-11 win over Middlebury College during Spring Break.

RIT was the highest scoring team in all of Division III, averaging 17.91 goals per game. The Tigers led the country averaging 12.45 assists per game. RIT scored 10 or more goals in all 22 games, and scored 12 or more goals 21 times, including eight games with 20 or more goals.

The Tigers featured 17 players with 10 or more points, nine players with at least 20 points, six players with 45 or more points, and three players with at least 70 points on the season. Kiesa finished third on the team in scoring with 73 points on 45 goals and 28 assists. Sophomore transfer Chad Levick (Newmarket, Ontario/The Hill Academy) stepped right in and provided a spark offensively.  He finished with 50 points on 39 goals and 11 assists. Junior Kyle Sterzin (Fairport, NY/Fairport) had a solid season, tallying 45 points on 35 goals and 10 assists.

The Tigers have won 40 consecutive regular season games, including all 16 in 2015. RIT's last regular season loss was versus SUNY Cortland in 2013.

RIT head coach Jake Coon was named Liberty League Coach of the Year in 2015, his third league honor in six seasons. Coon won his 100th game as head coach at RIT on April 7 versus Nazareth College. In his six seasons at the helm at RIT, Coon has amassed an impressive 109-15 (.879) record. In the passed three seasons, Coon has led RIT to an incredible 60-5 record, RIT's first-ever appearance in the Division III Championship game (2013) and three straight trips to the NCAA National Semifinals.

RIT graduated eight seniors, but returns a host of young talent for 2016. The Tigers are motivated and determined to continue the quest for a National Championship.