2015 Major League Lacrosse Recap
Aug 13 | Men's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (August 13, 2015) - The 2015 Major League Lacrosse season is in the books and for the second straight season, a Rutgers alumni hoisted the championship trophy at the end of the season. Six total Rutgers graduates played in the league during the season, including one member of the 2015 RU squad.
Rutgers' all-time leading scorer, and recently announced member of the 2015 Inductee Class of the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame, Keith Cromwell spent the season as an assistant coach for the New York Lizards. In the championship game, the Lizards defeated the Rochester Rattlers, 15-12, to win the MLL title for the first time since 2003.
After finishing his RU career in April as Rutgers' 205th All-American in program history, Joe Nardella made his professional debut this season for the Boston Cannons. Nardella played in the final two regular season games, including a start in the season finale, where he was 21-of-35 at the faceoff 'X'. The Cannons, who also had Rutgers alumni Brendan Porter on the roster, advanced to the playoffs, where they fell to the Lizards in the semifinals.
2010 Rutgers graduate Justin Pennington had a strong year for the Denver Outlaws, and was named to the 2015 MLL All-Star Game. Pennington scored 10 goals and added four assists in 11 games for Denver. His teammate and fellow Rutgers alumni Chris O'Dougherty played 10 games on defense, collecting 19 ground balls.
Chris Mattes and Duncan Clancy were teammates as members of the Florida Launch. Clancy scored four goals in seven games, while Mattes had two assists and 56 ground balls in 14 games played.
Current Rutgers assistant coach Jesse Bernhardt played this season for the Chesapeake Bayhawks. In 13 games on defense, he grabbed 44 ground balls, also scoring three goals, and was named an All-Star.
