At a glance
Five members of the Alfred State College lacrosse team have earned All-Region honors following the Pioneers 10-4 season. Josh Mateo (Waterloo) and Mitch Mertel (Churchville) were second team selections while Ryan Grogan (Churchville), Ryan Speciale (Corning West), and Marshall Merritt (Marcellus) were named honorable mention.
Five members of the Alfred State College lacrosse team have earned All-Region honors following the Pioneers 10-4 season. Josh Mateo (Waterloo) and Mitch Mertel (Churchville) were second team selections while Ryan Grogan (Churchville), Ryan Speciale (Corning West), and Marshall Merritt (Marcellus) were named honorable mention.
Mateo was the key ingredient to the Pioneers success in the midfield. Mateo, the team's primary face-off man, finished the season with 25 goals and 18 assists. He finishes his career with 61 goals and 34 assists.
Mertel was called on to shut down the opponents top offensive player each game. He led a defensive corp that allowed 11.14 goals per game. Offensively, Mertel scored three goals and had an assist. Versus #1 Onondaga, Mertel found the back of the net twice.
Grogan and Speciale were the top two scorers on the team. Grogan had a team high 72 points on 37 goals and 35 assists while Speciale netted 37 goals and passed out 15 assists.
Merritt played every minute in net except for 11 for the blue and gold. He finished the year with a 10-4 mark and a 11.07 goals against average. He made 243 saves on the year.
The Pioneers finished the season ranked #9 in the last NJCAA poll and advanced to Region III Tournament for the second straight year and third time in the past four years under Coach Todd Weil.