Endicott Men’s Lacrosse sweeps CCC weekly awards
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – After a 2-0 week in which the Endicott men’s lacrosse registered impressive non-conference victories over Amherst and Springfield, the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) named sophomore attacker Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.) Offensive Player of the Week, graduate student midfielder Sam Ozycz (Cheshire, Conn.) Defensive Player of the Week, and freshman goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine) Rookie of the Week for their efforts.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – After a 2-0 week in which the Endicott men's lacrosse registered impressive non-conference victories over Amherst and Springfield, the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) named sophomore attacker Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.) Offensive Player of the Week, graduate student midfielder Sam Ozycz (Cheshire, Conn.) Defensive Player of the Week, and freshman goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine) Rookie of the Week for their efforts.
With the wins over the Lord Jeffs and the Pride, Endicott improved to 5-3 (1-0 CCC) and currently sit atop the conference standings along with Western New England heading into the bulk of the league schedule. The Gulls held their opponents this week to a 7.5 goals per game average, had a 94-73 groundball advantage, won 61.7% of face-offs, and kept opposing offenses scoreless on seven man-up opportunities.
Pinciaro, a one-time CCC Rookie of the Week winner in 2012, earns his first ever collegiate Offensive Player of the Week award after posting a total of nine points in two games including a career-high six points in Endicott's 11-6 win over Springfield on Saturday. In the game against the Pride, Pinciaro score three times and assisted on three more goals as he raised his season totals to 10 goals and seven assists on the season. Earlier in the week, Pinciaro had three points on two goals and an assist as the Gulls defeated Amherst 13-9 on neutral field at Harvard's Soldiers Field.
Ozycz continued to prove why he is one of the best face-off specialists in NCAA DIII as the midfielder won 29-of-47 (61.7%) face-offs, scooped 23 groundballs, and scored a goal this past week. Ozycz, who claimed his second CCC Defensive Player of the Week award this season, ranks eighth in the country in face-off percentage and sixth in groundballs per game. His lone goal came just seven seconds into the opening quarter against Amherst, winning the face-off against his Lord Jeffs counterpart and racing down the field to beat the goalie.
Two weeks after being named CCC Rookie of the Week, Bell earned his second nod as the league's top freshman by averaging 7.5 goals against and a .595 save percentage in two starts. Bell made 22 saves including 13 against Amherst, his second-highest save total this season. Bell improved to 5-2 in the cage for Endicott.