Former Manhattan Jaspers Coach, John Oderina, with current Jasper Interim Coach, Dough Sage, at the sidelines.
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By Lauren Raziano, Senior Writer
The Jaspers men’s lacrosse team kicked off their 2024 campaign with an away game against No. 9 Syracuse on Feb. 9.
As the reigning MAAC regular season champions, the matchup between Syracuse and Manhattan College was the first in the program’s history. The match ended in a tough loss for the Jaspers with a final score of 3-16.
Scott O’Conner was the sole scorer in the first, second and third periods. O’Conner’s hat trick helped him tie his career high at MC.
The Jaspers played against former coach John Odierna, who is currently the assistant coach and the defensive coordinator at Syracuse. After sharing the MAAC Regular Season Championship at MC, Odierna was named MAAC Coach of the Year.
After developing a professional and personal relationship with Odierna, Doug Sage assumed his first season as interim head coach. They had the chance to reconnect on the sidelines during the game.
“It’s a conversation between guys that have known each other for over a decade,” Sage said. “There’s nothing but love for Coach Odierna as he has been an integral part of why Manhattan College has risen to the point of where we are right now. It’s always tough as competitors when it’s game day, between the lines, if you’re not wearing our color, you’re not part of our team.”
An integral part of the Jasper team has been standout graduate student Kyle Gucwa, who was named the MAAC Co-Preseason Player of the Year. Gucwa’s career averages include 1.67 assists per game leading the league and tallied 25 assists which ranked second among MAAC players. He reflected on what he has learned from coach Odierna and now the new coaching team dynamic.
“Coach [Odierna] was a good coach for us, he helped build the program to where we’re at where we’re currently at today,” Gucwa said. “Then going to play against him was an interesting situation. We tried to be who we are, Manhattan lacrosse, we didn’t try to change anything because we felt like we were playing against him.”
With the change in the team’s leadership, Gucwa has complimented the new coaching staff for helping elevate the lacrosse program.
“Now with our current coaching staff, we are with Coach Sage, Coach Kubikowski, Coach Patterson, and then our fourth coach, Coach Cibola, they’ve all helped us tremendously just to evolve further as a program,” Gucwa said. “We have to move on and distinguish ourselves in a different way than how he’s coached us. So far, our coaches have done a really good job with that helping us really take the next step of their programs.”
During the Syracuse game, Gucwa continued his strong performance from last season with two assists leading to the three goals scored by O’Conner.
Additionally, teammate Matthew Scully was named preseason All-MAAC as a short-stick midfielder. Scully contributed significantly to MC’s performance in the previous season, appearing in all 15 games. His stats include scoring two goals, collecting 17 ground balls, and causing six turnovers.
In their matchup with Syracuse, Scully led the Jaspers with three turnovers. Scully also faced two penalties, one in the second period for pushing and one in the third period for unnecessary roughness.
Scully spoke about his strong attack and defense skills with Coach [Kubikowski] in an interview with The Quadrangle.
“Coach [Kubikowski] put us in the right situations that we need to be in, defense-wise, and playing off all my teammates helped me be successful,” Scully said.
Scully also has a long-term connection with Odierna as they had shared four years as a coach and player duo. Facing off against an old coach who knows the team’s weaknesses ultimately prepares them for the MAAC conference games later in the season.
“A team like Syracuse, coached by [Odierna], is a team that’s gonna expose all of our cracks that we have,” Scully said. “We have a next-man-up mentality. Coach Sage and Coach [Kubikowski] have been doing a great job coaching this team and getting us ready for the games.”
Sage mentioned that Scully’s strong leadership and defensive skills have also motivated the underclassmen players to work harder.
“Matt’s skill has been a huge piece as a defensive midfielder for a long time,” Sage said “Our starting goalie Connor Hapward has been putting his work in over the past few years and had his first start in the [JMA Wireless Dome] last week. I think he’s earned that starting spot as is a big guy for our program, both between the poles as a goalie but also as a leader.”
Gucwa talked about how during his five years he has taken on a bigger leadership role and is now a team captain.
“From my first five years here every year I feel like I’ve had a bigger leadership responsibility,” Gucwa said. “It is cool to be a leader, it’s nice knowing that there’s guys that look up to us and respect us as we’re progressing in our season.”
Sage knows that the fifth years may not stand out in their game statistics, but excel in their leadership positions.
“I think all our fifth years have done an incredible job to provide leadership, their leadership goes way beyond the locker room and on the field,” Sage said. “I think that all our fifth years have brought to the table, such as Jack Shanley, James McCoy, and Nikolus Nickerson. All those guys, you won’t see statistically a ton, just because of their roles, but they’re huge pieces of this program and what makes our program special.”
Looking into the start of the MAAC season, the 2024 MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll has picked Manhattan College to finish third. Siena College, which the Jaspers play as their penultimate MAAC game on April 13, has been voted as the top finisher.
The Jasper men’s lacrosse team continues to face a difficult out-of-conference pre-season, hosting their home opener on Feb. 17 against the University of Vermont and later Princeton, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Bryant University. The first MAAC game will be against Mount St. Mary’s on March 10.
Sage said they are prepared for the competitive MAAC season schedule.
“We are trying to run a program that competes for the MAAC championship every year,” Sage said. “I think that standard has been set over the last three years, winning the regular season championship twice and the MAAC conference championship in 2022. As competitors, to be the number one team in the conference, it gets you in the NCAA [tournament] and that’s what we’re chasing, that’s our mission this year in 2024.”