On the back of seven-straight wins to begin the season, Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse finds itself squarely in NCAA Tournament contention as the last undefeated team in the nation, earning a spot in the national poll for the first time since 2013.
The Bobcats clocked in at No. 20 in this week’s Inside Lacrosse media poll, marking their first appearance since the final poll of the 2016 season, where Quinnipiac slotted in at No. 18 after an NCAA Quarterfinal loss to eventual national runner-up Maryland.
“I think we just have guys that understand what we’re trying to do here,” head coach Mason Poli said on Feb. 17. “They’re really buying in to that team-first mindset. … It’s from top to bottom on the roster.”
With victories over St. John’s, Brown, Bryant, Merrimack, Canisius, Wagner and Marist, Quinnipiac is off to its best start since 2001, and is one win away from clinching its first winning season since 2019.
The Bobcats are backstopped by junior goaltender Mason Oak, whose 15.57 saves-per-game leads the nation. He was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, given to the top player in college lacrosse, on March 7.
“Heading into this year, we knew we had a lot of veteran depth returning,” Poli said. “The positions that were kind of question marks for us are starting to settle down.”
Overall, Quinnipiac has the country’s eighth-best scoring defense, allowing just 9.29 goals-per-game, while its 14.14 average on offense sits 12th nationally.
Senior attacker Dylan Donnery paces the team’s attack, averaging three goals-per-game. Graduate student attacker John DeLucia is not far behind, as his 2.57 goal average is also top 50 in the nation.
Entering the heart of conference play, the Bobcats’ 3-0 MAAC record has them on track for their third conference regular season title in program history (2016, 2018), but their toughest opponents still lie ahead.
LIU (6-1) and Sacred Heart (5-4) are the only other teams in the MAAC above .500. Quinnipiac won’t face the Sharks and Pioneers until April 10 and 20, respectively.
The Bobcats are back in action against Manhattan (2-6, 2-1 MAAC) on Wednesday, with eyes set on their eighth-straight victory, inching toward the program’s record 12-0 start from 2001.
“We work as a team,” Oak said on Feb. 17. “(We) try to do everything together.”
