Queens University of Charlotte men鈥檚 lacrosse names 2022 captains
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BVM) 鈥� Following an abrupt end to last season due to COVID protocols, the Queens University of Charlotte men’s lacrosse team is ready to get their season started. Head coach Chris Panos recently named the team鈥檚 five captains as the Royals begin their 2022 season.聽
Last season, the Royals went 7-4 before having the pandemic hamper their season finale.聽 Despite the cancellation, the Royals finished third in the South Atlantic Conference. Newly named captains Adam Barry, Tyler Ewen, Jack O鈥橤rady, Kealan Pilon and Johnny Staten hope to keep the success they had before that cancellation rolling.聽
Barry is a senior midfielder from Raleigh, North Carolina who played in nine games last season. He tallied 10 points with eight goals and two assists.聽聽
Fellow senior, Ewen from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada was the second highest goal scorer last season with 25 goals. He finished the season adding eight assists which put him third on the team with 33 points.聽聽
O鈥橤rady played in nine games last season with four points on three goals and one assist. The senior from Glen Ellyn, Illinois had six caused turnovers and 12 ground balls.聽
Pilon, one of two fifth-years on the team, is serving as a captain for the second straight season. The attackman from St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada recorded 37 points last season on 14 goals and 23 assists. Pilon has been drafted into the National Lacrosse League and will start with the Halifax Thunderbirds after this season.聽
Staten is a defenseman from Boca Raton, Florida. The pivotal d-man played in 10 games last season with eight starts.
Having Staten on defense will be pivotal in front of the net given the departure of Kyle Hornik, the starting goalie for the Royals last season. Junior William Powley and Wesley Wheat played in three and four games last year, respectively. The duo will be joined by freshman goalkeeper Jayson Alexander as they work to fill Hornik鈥檚 presence in the net.聽
Looking ahead, the Royals will play 15 games this season with nine of those games coming at home in Charlotte. After playing three non-conference games to start the season, the Royals will take on their first SAC opponent, Newberry College, at home on March 5. The team will play one more non-conference game against Belmont Abbey College on March 12 before traveling to Wingate on March 16 to kick-off ten conference games to end the regular season.
Queens will play in the quarterfinal of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament on April 26 and hope to be in the NCAA tournament which would start on May 11. The Royals seem poised to make deep runs in both based off of preseason polling. The team was voted to finish third once again in the SAC preseason coaches poll. In Division II play, they are ranked No. 17 in the 聽Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Preseason Top 20 and No. 18 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches’ Preseason Poll.聽
The Royals had a strong start to their season Friday night at home with a 21-5 win against Lees-Mcrae College. Their next game is Saturday, Feb. 12 against Lynn University in Savannah, Georgia.聽
