BOSTON, Mass. - The 2014 Great Northeast AThletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll has been released and Saint Joseph's College has been forecasted to finish fifth this spring.

Led by first-year Head Coach David Beriau, the Monks hope to improve on the prediction and are set to begin the season with a non-conference contest at Salem State University on Saturday at 1:00 PM.

The Norwich University Cadets have been selected as the 2014 Pre-Season favorite in the 2014 GNAC Men’s Lacrosse Pre-season Coaches’ Poll. The Cadets, who received 10 first place votes, as well as 120 total points in the poll, finished above Mount Ida College who followed in the poll with 109 total points and one first place nod. Both teams advanced to the 2013 GNAC Championship last season, with Norwich defeating Mount Ida by a score of 9-7.

Lead by the 2013 GNAC Coach of the Year in Neal Anderson, Norwich will look to repeat as GNAC champions with a strong core of returners back in their lineup including senior goalie Mark Paradiso (Westford, Mass.). Paradiso was a wall in net during NU’s playoff run last season, earning him tournament MVP honors as well as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year award. The Cadets also welcome back senior attack Ian Mendoza (Mount Airy, Md.) and junior attack Seth Fuller (Wheaton, Ill.) who was named First and Second All-GNAC selections last year, respectively.

The Mustangs, who won the 2012 title, will look to return to the top with several key returners including junior attack Michael Troccki (Danvers, Mass.). Trocchi was the reigning GNAC Rookie of the Year in 2012 and as a sophomore scored 26 goals and league high 42 assists. Also returning is sophomore attack Phil Pichel (Hopkinton, Mass.) who was named the 2013 GNAC Rookie of the Year after leading Mount Ida while ranking tied for second in the GNAC with 40 goals. He also tallied 21 helpers for 61 points, just seven points behind Trocchi for the GNAC lead.  

The Lasell College Lasers finished third in the poll for the second straight year, receiving 92 overall points. The 2014 team returns two First Team All-Conference selections in juniors Andy Puopolo (Duxbury, Mass.) and Dylan Fernandes (Billerica, Mass.). The duo combined for 97 points last year including a 37 goal, 19 assist season from Puopolo who ranked fourth in the GNAC with 56 total points.

Emmanuel College finished fourth in the poll with 87 points for their highest ranking in  the program’s third year of varsity competition. The Saints wrapped the 2013 season with a 4-5 GNAC mark, however, all five of their conference losses were by just one goal.

The Monks round out the top half of the poll in fifth with 72 points and will have some holes to fill in their defensive unit after losing All-Conference goalie Christopher Driscoll (Saco, Maine) and defenseman Bert Comins (Newbury, Mass.) to graduation.

Becker College received 71 points placing them in sixth place, just one point behind Saint Joseph’s in the poll. Rivier University placed seventh with 58 points, while Anna Maria College finished in eighth with 42 points.

In their first season of varsity competition, Johnson & Wales and Albertus Magnus College finished in ninth and 10^th place in the poll. The Wildcats earned 30 points while the Falcons edged out Daniel Webster College with 23 points. DWC rounded out the poll in 11^th place with 22 points.

2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Men’s Lacrosse Pre-Season Coaches' Poll