St. Joe’s lacrosse begins quest for back-to-back A-10 tournament titles on Thursday vs. High Point

Taylor Wray doesn’t have a secret formula for winning conference tournament games. The St. Joseph’s coach is just focusing on what got the Hawks into the Atlantic 10 lacrosse tournament in the first place.

Wray has been preaching to his players that the bigger the game, the smaller they need to think. He’s homing in on the fundamentals with his team as it prepares to host High Point in the A-10 semifinals Thursday at Sweeney Field (2 p.m., ESPN+).

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“The worst thing that you can do is beat yourself by making mistakes,” Wray said. “You think about picking up tough ground balls and being sure of your stick work and communicating at a higher level and positioning and taking good, high quality shots, not just the first shot that presents itself.”

After winning back-to-back A-10 regular-season titles, St. Joe’s went 2-3 in conference play this season (9-5 overall), marking the first time it wasn’t the regular-season champion since the conference’s inception in 2023.

Senior defenseman Levi Verch said despite the familiarity with High Point, having lost to the Panthers, 11-9, less than two weeks ago, the Hawks are focused on their own game and what they can control.

“Although it is a do-or-die game, we treat every game like it’s a must-win. So we’ve been prepared for this and preparing for this all year,” said Verch, who was recently named the A-10’s top defensive player. “We’re not afraid at the moment.”

Last season, the Hawks graduated their three leading scorers in Levi Anderson, Carter Page, and Matt Bohmer. Wray said his team’s offense had lots of unknowns going into the season but the additions of fifth-year Long Island University transfer Richie LaCalandra and A-10 Rookie of the Year Ben Dutton have been big for the Hawks. LaCalandra and Dutton rank first and second on the team with 50 and 49 points, respectively.

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Wray also noted that senior captain Griffin Mallory and junior Mark Watters have stepped up, with Watters increasing his goal tally from 10 last season to 25 this campaign.

“I think anyone on our team, when given an opportunity, can step up to the plate and can handle their own business and make an impact,” Verch said. “I also believe that we’re one of the harder working teams in the entire country, one of the most dedicated teams as well.”

“I think that with the amount of effort that we put in, the amount of hours and hard work and the willingness to do all these hard things, I think that just gives us a sense of confidence and a sense of pride in our type of style and our type of game that other teams might not have to our extent.”

While St. Joe’s will host High Point, on the other side of the bracket, UMass will face Richmond. St. Joe’s ended its regular season with a 10-7 loss to Richmond on April 25. Meanwhile, UMass’ 11-10 win on March 29 snapped the Hawks’ seven-game winning streak.

If the Hawks advance from Thursday’s game, Verch said his team is confident in its ability to “beat any team that comes in front of [them].” Another A-10 tournament win for St. Joe’s would make it the first program to win back-to-back titles. But right now, the focus is on High Point.

High Point eliminated St. Joe’s in 2023, the first year of the A-10 men’s lacrosse tournament, before falling to Richmond in the championship game.

“All of our upperclassmen were there when they ended our season, and I think that is the biggest fuel you can have,” Verch said. “That’s all the motivation that we need, and everyone can sense that rivalry and sense how big this moment will be.”

St. Joe’s hosting the tournament adds to the moment, but Wray doesn’t expect it to have too big an impact on his team in terms of play. Instead, he thinks it will help ease the pressure, taking away some of the anticipation and nerves that come from traveling, while allowing his players continue with their normal routine.

“We’re excited to be at home and play another game on Sweeney Field in front of our family and friends and student body,” Wray said.

But for Verch, all that matters is advancing.

“We’re done talking about what we’re able to do,” Verch said. “It’s just time for us to go and showcase to everyone else and to ourselves what we are capable of and that we can be the team that we were last year and hopefully go back to back.”