Highest finish ever for the Ravens in the NEILA Poll; Franklin Pierce's 2010 season was the finest to date in program history

RINDGE, N.H. (May 27, 2010) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s lacrosse team finished the 2010 season ranked fifth in the final edition of the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Poll (NEILA), which was released earlier this month. It marks the highest finish for the Ravens in program history.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Rick Senatore, the 2010 Ravens put together the finest season to date in program history. Franklin Pierce concluded the campaign with a 5-8 overall record and a 2-8 mark in Northeast-10 play. The overall and conference triumphs were the most for a single season in program history. The Ravens won their first four games to begin the season, including triumphs over Nichols, UMass-Boston, Mercy and American International. Franklin Pierce also downed Assumption late in the season. The Ravens proved to be a tough out at home in the friendly-confines of Sodexo Field this season as they produced a solid 4-3 mark.

The 2010 squad was led by a quartet of captains, including senior Andrew Othot (Nashua, N.H.) and juniors Nate Wood (Binghamton, N.Y.), Shea Campbell (Centerport, N.Y.)  and John Scanlan (Great Neck, N.Y.).

Campbell put together one of the strongest single seasons in program history for a goalkeeper. The following statistical categories for Campbell all ranked among the top-five in program history, including: games played (2^nd, 13); games started (2^nd, 13); minutes (3^rd, 735); saves (5^th, 157); save percentage (3^rd, .531); and goals against average (1^st, 11.20). Scanlan totaled 11 assists this season, which was tied for the seventh most in school history.

Wood was one of several newcomers who helped lay the foundation for future in Rindge. A transfer from Broome Junior College, Wood scored 27 goals and assisted on seven others for 34 points this season. His goals were the fourth most in a single season in school history, while his points were tied for the sixth highest.

Three other newcomers made their marks as well, including sophomore Jimmy McInnis (Amherst, N.H.) and freshmen Brendan Cahill (Hollis, N.H.) and Ben McDannell (Morrisville, Pa.). A transfer from Sacred Heart University, McInnis assisted on 15 goals in his first year in Rindge, which ranked as the second most in a single season in school history and the 10^th most all-time for a career. Cahill totaled 37 points (23 goals, 14 assists) in his rookie season as his point total was the second most for a single season at Franklin Pierce. McDannell appeared in all 13 games this season with 12 starts and helped anchor one of the top penalty-killing units in the Northeast-10. Franklin Pierce ranked second in the league this season in both fewest man-up goals allowed (11) and penalty-kill percentage (77.6%). For his efforts, McDannell was named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Rookie Team.

As mentioned earlier in the story, head coach Rick Senatore helped guide the program towards future success in his first season in Rindge. Senatore came to Franklin Pierce following three highly-successful years at fellow Northeast-10 Conference member Saint Anselm College. He turned around a program which posted a 3-11 record the year prior to his arrival into a program which earned NE-10 Tournament bids in each of his three seasons, including a semifinal appearance in 2009.

Senatore led Saint Anselm to winning records both overall and in NE-10 play each of the last two seasons, posting identical 8-7 clips in 2008 and 2009, along with 6-4 and 5-4 marks in conference, respectively. He earned NE-10 Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2007 after the Hawks won four of their last five games, including the first two wins over nationally ranked programs in school history, and was selected to coach the East squad in the NEILA All-Star Game.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s lacrosse, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)