FLORIDA LAUNCH 2017 Game Notes ____ ____ Media Contact: AustiN Lee • [email protected] 561-757-5076
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1 FLORIDA LAUNCH 2017 Game Notes ____ ____ Media Contact: Austin Lee • [email protected] 561-757-5076 th 141 NW 20 Street Suite G-4 • Boca Raton, FL 33431 • 561-923-9067 floridalaunchlacrosse.com 2 COACHING STAFF Tom Mariano– Head Coach Tom Mariano joins the Florida Launch as the second head coach in team history. Mariano's experience comes from both the college ranks where he currently serves as head coach of Pace University and the professional level where he served as an assistant coach for the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Prior to joining the Bayhawks, he worked as an assistant coach for the Ohio Machine. In 2015, he led the Pace men's lacrosse team to their first NE-10 Conference Tournament in five years. Before leading the Setters, he had a successful 17 year run as head coach of Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse. As head coach, he led the Pioneers from Division II to Division I as well as overseeing a move from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to the Colonial Athletic Association, and eventually the Northeast Conference. In 2013, he led Sacred Heart to the NEC playoffs which earned him Coach of the Year honors. Mariano holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching with a concentration in Elementary Education from Sacred Heart University. He graduated from Nazareth College in 1994 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration. As a player with Nazareth, he won the 1992 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse National Championship team. Chris Burdick – Assistant Coach Burdick joins the Launch to serve as Mariano's top assistant. Coach Burdick currently serves as an assistant for the University of Tampa men's lacrosse program. In his stint with UT, he has helped the Spartans to three consecutive Sunshine State Conference championships since the league added lacrosse in 2013. Prior to UT, Burdick served as head coach of Providence College men’s lacrosse program for 14 seasons (1999-2012). After 11 seasons of play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, he oversaw the transition into the Big East Conference. While in the MAAC, he earned the distinction as the most decorated coach in conference history with more championship teams than any other coach. Under Burdick’s tenure, the Friars qualified for nine straight trips to the conference tournament (2001-09), won four regular season titles (2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008), and claimed the MAAC Championship three times (2004, 2006, and 2007). Before Providence, Burdick served as an assistant for Notre Dame, Delaware, UMass, and Cornell. Outside of coaching, Burdick has served as the president of the MAAC Lacrosse Coaches’ Association and has been a member of the regional advisory committee for NCAA tournament selection. 3 Brian Duncan – Assistant Coach Coach Duncan currently serves as head coach of Flagler College men’s lacrosse club. Prior to joining the Saints, Duncan served as offensive coordinator for Division II Florida Tech men’s lacrosse program. At FIT, he helped the team to a 12-4 record as they finished ranked 15th overall in the USILA coach’s poll. The Panthers reached the Sunshine State Conference tournament and championship game for the first time in school history. FIT boasted seven all-conference players after their historic run. Before joining FIT, Duncan served as head coach and director of all lacrosse programs at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, FL. The Bulldogs were 18-16 under Duncan’s direction as they earned two District Championships with 10 players making the 1st All-District team. Previously, he spent three seasons at Jacksonville University as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the startup program. In just the second year of the program, the Dolphins made the MAAC Final Four in their first year of competitive play. In his longest tenured position, Duncan spent 10 years with the Community College of Baltimore County – Essex. At CCBC, he worked as an assistant coach and recruiter and then transitioned into head coach for the second half of his run. Under Duncan’s leadership, the Knights won the NJCAA National Championship in 2004. His title run earned him NJCAA National Coach of the Year honors. As a player, Duncan was a midfielder for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County from 1989-92. He posted 36 goals and 19 assists during his career and was drafted into professional indoor lacrosse. ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS AGAINST ROCHESTER: 07/30/2016: ROC 14 FLA 9 07/25/2015: ROC 11 FLA 18 05/03/2015: FLA 9 ROC 10 06/20/2014: ROC 18 FLA 13 06/01/2014: FLA 11 ROC 18 Rochester leads the series, 4-1 SETTING THE SCENE: Going into Saturday’s matchup against the Rattlers, the Launch hope to improve their record in the all-time series against Rochester. In their single game against the Rattlers in 2016, the Launch fell by five at home. The Launch hope to use recent transactions in their favor to continue their mission to develop depth in the roster. After brother’s Cameron and Roman Lao-Gosney were listed as DNRs prior 4 to the Launch’s first game against the Cannons, the Launch added two new names to the roster: Eric DeJohn and Matt Garziano. DeJohn, an attackman from St. John’s University, was drafted by the Rochester Rattlers in the seventh round of the 2016 Collegiate Draft. He became the sixth player in St. John’s history to be selected in the MLL Draft. Former University of Albany Great Dane Garziano joins the Launch after appearing on the 2016 Chesapeake Bayhawks roster. The midfielder also served as a student assistant coach for the 2016 season at Albany. The Launch will be playing their second home game of the season at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand, Fla. as a part of their Central Florida tour. They return to FAU Stadium on May 13 when they play the Denver Outlaws. The game is designated as a “Pink Out” in support of the MLL Real Men Wear Pink Challenge. Donate to American Cancer Society’s initiative with the MLL at MLLPinkChallenge.org. NAMES TO KNOW: Connor Buczek: ● Drafted 2nd overall in 2015 ● Played in first career All-Star Game in 2016 ● Ranked second in the league in 2016 for most two-point goals (nine) ● Top scoring midfielder in Cornell University history (155 points) ● Three-time All American at Cornell ● 2014 Ivy League Player of the Year Steve Pontrello ● Drafted 25th overall by Florida in 2016 ● Made his debut with Florida against Denver ● Starter at the University of North Carolina for four years ● Won a National Championship in 2016 ● Won a World Championship in the summer of 2012 while on the U.S. U19 Team ● Scored a hat trick and tallied one assist in the 2017 season opener against the Boston Cannons Will Gural ● Drafted first overall in the 2017 Supplemental Draft by the Florida Launch ● Highest faceoff win percentage of all seniors in NCAA Division 1 play in 2016 (.699); second highest overall in NCAA Division 1 play ● Helped lead Brown to the NCAA Semifinals in 2016 where they fell to Maryland in overtime ● Scored first MLL career goals (2) against the Boston Cannons in the Launch 2017 season opener Chazz Woodson ● Drafted in the 2005 MLL Collegiate Draft by the Long Island Lizards ● Named a two-time All-Ivy League and two-time All-New England selection while at Brown University ● Named to Brown’s 2000-2009 All-Decade team 5 ● Scored two points in the 2017 season opener against the Boston Cannons after returning to MLL after retiring in 2014 ● On OT loss to the Cannons–“There are some opportunities where we have to take better care of the ball and make a few smarter decisions. But, overall, I think we played well. Definitely still have something to build on, and we’re in a good spot.” Jimmy Dailey ● Drafted by the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the 2014 Draft ● Won Division III Most Outstanding Player Award while at Stevenson University ● Tallied 3 points (1 G, 2 A) in the 2017 season opener against the Boston Cannons 2016 OVERVIEW: The Launch are proud to have had four 2016 MLL All-Stars. Kieran McArdle, Chris Mattes, Tucker Durkin, and Connor Buczek all played in the All-Star Game July 9 in Fullerton, California. McArdle recorded 4 goals and an assist. Tucker Durkin was named to the All-MLL team for the fourth time in his career after another strong showing in 2016. COACHING CHANGES: After a 3-11 season, the Launch brought in former Chesapeake Bayhawks and Ohio Machine assistant Tom Mariano as head coach. Mariano is the second coach in team history. His assistants are experienced college and pro coaches Chris Burdick and Brian Duncan. Matt Dugan will serve as the first Director of Player Analytics in team history. ADDING DRAFTEES: This offseason, the Launch aimed to add depth to their roster, starting at the face-off. With the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, the Launch selected Will Gural, Brown University’s top faceoff specialist. After an impressive senior season at Brown, Gural finished his collegiate career with the highest faceoff win percentage of all seniors in NCAA Division 1 play. Gural was also a critical player in the Bears’ NCAA Playoff run, helping lead them to the Semifinals where they ultimately fell to Maryland in overtime. After playing for the Boston Cannons and Atlanta Blaze during the 2016 season, the Launch drafted Greg Melaugh and Martin Bowes as the 10th and 11th overall picks, respectively. Both Melaugh and Bowes are MLL veterans, with an accumulated eight years of experience between the two.