Men's Lacrosse Kicks Off 2025 Season Looking To Build Foundation For A-10 Success

With the 2025 season just around the corner, many Division I men’s lacrosse programs are gearing up in comfortable conditions and looking forward to competing in warm spring temperatures. Not St. Bonaventure. 

When the Bonnies open their schedule at the Marra Athletic Complex against VMI on Feb. 2, they will do so in the midst of a harsh and frigid stretch of the northeastern winter, to which they are not strangers. But as the climate in western New York heats up throughout the season, the Bonnies hope they will heat up with it. 

The program enters its seventh season at the D-I level and third in the Atlantic 10 with both new and old faces. They bring back last year’s top seven scorers while adding 15 new promising freshmen through recruitment. Head coach Randy Mearns, who has led the program since its foundation, is looking to continue adding to last season’s improvements. 

“What we’re really trying to do is just continue to build on the foundation of the previous six years of guys and the culture,” Mearns said. “We are really focusing on how, every day, we can be better as coaches and student-athletes. It’s a pretty exciting time for St. Bonaventure men’s lacrosse.” 

The team’s 16-game slate includes eight home contests, the most in program history, and will require a deep rotation of talent. 

“We’re going to try to figure out how we can utilize each and every student-athlete, all 54 guys on our roster. That will allow us to experience success,” Mearns said. “Every one of them could be called upon. What we ask of them is to work every day and continue to get better at all facets of their game, and they’ve done that.” 

The Bonnies, just two years removed from reaching the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Game, boast improved depth this season in the attack and midfield.  

“Now we have 23 young guys that all have different skillsets. We have change of direction guys, guys that can hammer the ball from a long dodge, and guys that are good in the pick and roll game,” Mearns said. “We have an attack unit we feel can own their matchup, which makes it difficult for a defense to play.”  

The offense will receive veteran leadership from graduate student Kellen Pulera, who led the team last year with 22 goals and set a program record by scoring in 10 straight games. He was drafted by the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits. Senior captain Conor Murphy, who was a 2022 MAAC All-Rookie Team selection and a double-digit point scorer last season, will also provide guidance. 

Sophomores Jake Kucinski and Patrick Shanahan were first and second in points scored last season with 26 and 24, respectively. The duo combined for three A-10 Rookie of the Week designations during the year. 

Kucinski, on his way to an A-10 All-Rookie Team selection, tied the program record for goals in a game with six against Binghamton, simultaneously setting a new school record for goals in a game by a freshman. Shanahan performed some magic of his own, rattling off a hat trick in three straight games against VMI, Cleveland State and Canisius. He additionally scooped 28 groundballs while appearing in every contest. 

Senior Anthony Cimino also appeared in every game last spring and brings additional experience as a part of the 2022 MAAC runner-up squad. During that campaign, he picked up a MAAC Rookie of the Week selection as well as MAAC All-Rookie Team honors. 

Also back are sophomore Jaxon Dillon and redshirt junior Reilly DelPonte.  

Redshirt junior Onenioteko:wa Maracle is a threat at both attack and midfield who appeared in 11 games last season and started in one. He brings prior D-I experience from Lafayette in the Patriot League. 

Bona’s depth continues in the offensive midfield, where Coach Mearns believes it is important to have a composite approach. “When you go through a 16-game schedule, you have to be ready and build that secondary unit, because it’s always got to be the next man up,” Mearns said. 

The Bonnies boast senior Kyle Pepper, who has played in 38 games during his Bonaventure tenure. He notched nine points last season on six goals and three assists, and he will bring a veteran presence to the midfield group. 

Senior Drew Kenney and junior Patrick Carpenter both follow Pepper on last season’s stat sheet with eight points on four goals and four assists each. They have seen action as Bonnies in 32 games and 24 games respectively.  

Redshirt junior Josh Rosa appeared in 10 games last year and scored four goals. He returns alongside redshirt junior Kaden Brennan and sophomore Benny Carter, who both appeared in every contest and tallied three assists each last season. Brennan added a goal while Carter collected an additional 18 groundballs. 

Joining them are sophomores Blayze Becker and Owen Spring, who each saw action in eight games last year, as well as redshirt sophomore Cole Tucker, who played in seven games as a freshman and netted two goals in his Bonaventure debut. 

The Bonnies will look to get their offense started quickly with success at the faceoff X with junior Quinn Nolan. The 2023 A-10 All-Rookie Team selection has only missed one game in his collegiate career, and he set the program record for both faceoff wins (137) and groundballs (85) in a single season during his freshman campaign. Senior Tom Fox will also see time at the faceoff dot. 

In the defensive midfield, Bona returns sophomore short stick Jake Argue. Before injury kept him out of competition last season, he saw action in seven games and put together a goal, an assist, nine groundballs, and two caused turnovers. 

Also back to bolster the defensive midfield are two long poles, sophomore Rory O’Brien and redshirt sophomore Owen Tasse. 

No squad would be complete without a concrete defense, and that is what Coach Mearns hopes he has put together.  

“Overall, it’s a great mixture of veterans and youth,” Mearns said. “The veterans provide the leadership because they’ve been here before. They know the rotations and the calls. And then with the freshmen and the younger guys, they bring that enthusiasm and vigor by wanting to get out on the field.” 

Senior and team captain Aiden MacDonnell has played 34 games in his career including 17 starts. He scooped 14 groundballs and caused eight turnovers last year. Joining him is redshirt junior Ryan Olan, who led the Brown and White with nine caused turnovers in 2024 and added seven groundballs. 

Fellow redshirt junior Atkin Dwyer started seven of the eight games he appeared in last season and will look to improve upon his four groundballs and four caused turnovers. 

Also back are two redshirt sophomores, Alex Polisoto and Will Porfilio. Polisoto appeared in 10 games, starting in four and causing four turnovers, and Porfilio has potential with impressive size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds.  

Though Mearns has not come to a decision on his starting goalie for this season, he is confident in his options. “Within the group, they all have different styles of play, and they all have very impressive strengths,” Mearns said. “We just continue to try to build upon those.”  

As last year’s starter, junior Cristofero Cucciuffo protected the net in 11 contests and saved 127 shots, also being named an A-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Week. As a freshman, he was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team and collected an A-10 Rookie of the Week selection.  

Two upperclassmen bring a veteran presence to the group: redshirt seniors Aidan Sheehan and Connor Robinson. “Sheehan and Robinson obviously provide a bit of stability,” said Mearns. “They’ve been around lacrosse for five years because they both redshirted, and they provide a lot of really good leadership.” Sheehan made eight saves last season to go along with Robinson’s 21. 

Also returning is sophomore Evan Gallo, who made five saves last year. 

Though the long list of returning talent looks promising for Bona, Coach Mearns did not forget about development for the future, bringing in 15 freshmen to the squad.  

“There’s probably six or seven guys who can be key contributors to our team [this season],” Mearns said. “They’re hungry, talented, and skilled. As a coaching staff, it’s about trying to figure out where their chemistry level is.” 

“From a recruitment standpoint as we moved from the MAAC to the A-10, we really are trying to become more position specific,” Mearns added. He is working toward that goal with this year’s freshman class. 

Notable rookie additions on the offensive end are midfielder Marvin Johnson, who started all four seasons at Spire Academy and earned First Team All-State honors, as well as Raymond Cortes, who boasts a 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame and totaled 280 goals and 150 assists for Silver Creek High. 

At the faceoff X, the Bonnies add Lad Harper, who earned three consecutive First Team All-State selections for Ponte Vedra in Florida.  

To support the defensive midfield, Bonaventure welcomes short stick Kaeden Burger and long pole Mark McMahon. Burger was selected to the Under 20 Team Canada Development Camp All-Star Team while playing for Waterloo-Oxford, and McMahon earned First Team All-Conference and Third Team All-State honors while helping Charlotte Catholic to a state championship. 

Also new to the squad is defender Robert Nagegngast, who helped Chaminade win the 2022 JV NYCHSAA Championship. He will develop alongside rookie goalie Isaac Farmer, who compiled a 63% save percentage in his senior season at IMG Academy. 

To help provide guidance and leadership in working towards those goals, Mearns recently added his former player and NLL draft pick, Brett Beetow, to the coaching staff. As a Bonnie, Beetow never missed a game and was a pivotal part of the team’s 2022 conference championship game appearance, in which he tallied a hat trick. Post-graduation, he was drafted by the Georgia Swarm with the 58th pick in the 2022 draft, and he later signed with the Halifax Thunderbirds. 

“What Brett brings is that he’s been here,” said Mearns. “He’s a Bonnie. He knows the facilities and people. And he brings a ton of energy to the team, showing them what can happen if you have a dream and you work hard enough to complete it.” 

As the Bonnies look forward to opening their 2025 season at home, they also look forward to opportunities for veteran players to hone their leadership skills, and for younger players to step up and flourish. No matter how the year plays out, Mearns wants to make one thing clear before it begins. 

“You can expect a team that is hungry.”