Lacrosse Game Notes vs Denver

PROVIDENCE SET TO VISIT DENVER… The Friars host Denver for their Senior Day on Saturday, April 18. Faceoff is set for 12:00 p.m. A brief ceremony to honor Providence's seniors and graduate student is scheduled to begin at approximately 11:39 a.m.

LIVE STATS AND STREAM… The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Direct links to the broadcast, in addition to live stats, can be found on the College's athletic website (Friars.com) by navigating to the men's lacrosse schedule.

SERIES BREAKDOWN... Saturday's game between Providence and Denver will mark the 18th meeting between the two programs all-time. The Pioneers lead the series, 16-1.

MOST RECENT MEETING... The teams last met during the 2025 BIG EAST regular season at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in Denver, Colo. The Friars defeated then-No. 16/16 Pioneers, 10-6. It marked the Friars first win over Denver in the all-time series. Rhett Chambers recorded four points on two goals and two assists in the victory.

FRIARS RALLY TO DEFEAT VILLANOVA IN OVERTIME... Providence overcame a four-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat BIG EAST foe Villanova, 10-9, in overtime on Saturday, April 11, in Villanova, Pa. Rhett Chambers recorded four points on three goals and one assist. Chambers scored the game-tying and game-winning goals. Ian Olenik recorded a career-high six ground balls and three caused turnovers. The Friars hold a 1-3 mark in overtime games this season.

RICHIE JOSEPH MOVING UP ALL-TIME CAREER SCORING AND GOALS LIST... Senior Richie Joseph enters Saturday's game with 155 career points on 115 goals and 40 assists. He ranks sixth on the Friars' all-time scoring list. Joseph also ranks fourth on the all-time career goals list.

RICHIE JOSEPH REACHES 100-GOAL MILESTONE... Richie Joseph reached 100 career goals on March 2 in the Friars' 16-9 win over Merrimack. He became just the seventh player in program history to achieve the feat.

RHETT CHAMBERS NEARING 100-POINT MILESTONE... Junior Rhett Chambers owns 93 career points (52 goals / 41 assists) and needs just seven points to reach the 100-point milestone.

IAN OLENIK, RHETT CHAMBERS AND CHARLIE SMITH EARN BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS... Ian Olenik was named the BIG EAST Specialist of the week on April 13. Olenik recorded a career-high six caused turnovers and three caused turnovers. He forced a caused turnover in Villanova's final possession of regulation to force overtime and picked up his sixth ground ball in overtime to set up possession for the game-winning goal. Chambers registered four points on three goals and one assist. He scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals. Charlie Smith recorded a career-high two caused turnovers. He forced a caused turnover in overtime that led to the game-winning goal.

IAN OLENIK NAMED TO THE USILA AND NEILA TEAMS OF THE WEEK... Ian Olenik was named to the USILA DI Team of the Week and NEILA DI/DII Team of the Week on April 13. The senior recorded a career-best six ground balls and three caused turnovers in an overtime win against Villanova. It marks the first time this season that a Providence player has been named to the USLIA's National Team of the Week.

RHETT CHAMBERS RANKS SECOND IN THE BIG EAST IN ASSISTS PER GAME... Through 13 games, Rhett Chambers has recorded team-highs in points (53), goals (27) and assists (26). Chambers ranks second in the BIG EAST in assists per game (2.00). He also ranks third in the BIG EAST in points per game (4.08). Chambers has recorded five or more assists three times this season and has tallied six hat-tricks.

THE FRIARS' OFFENSE... Providence ranks third in the BIG EAST in goals per game (10.69). Rhett Chambers has paced the Friars' offense with team-bests in points (53), goals (27) and assists (26). Matt Lazzaro and Richie Joseph have also emerged as major contributors. Lazzaro ranks second on the team in points (37), third in goals (20) and second in assists (17). He ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in assists per game (1.42). Joseph ranks second for the Friars in goals (25) and has added eight assists for 33 points. Sam Brazell, Jay Wilkerson and Chris Matia have each been solid contributers for the Friars. Brazell ranks third on the team in assists (12) paired with seven goals. Wilkerson has scored 17 goals for the Friars, which is the fourth-highest total on the team. Matia owns eight goals and eight assists.

CAM STERRITT BETWEEN THE PIPES... Sophomore goaltender Cam Sterritt made his collegiate debut for the Friars this season. He has started all 13 games and has compiled 144 saves with a .500 save percentage and a 11.30 goals against average. Sterritt has recorded a .590 save percentage or better in six of the Friars' 13 games.

CHRIS ESPOSITO FROM THE FACE-OFF 'X'... Chris Esposito has emerged as the Friars primary face-off man. The junior has won 114-of-216 face-offs and ranks third in the BIG EAST in face-off percentage (.528). Esposito also leads the Friars in ground balls, with 55 and ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in ground balls per game (4.23).

DEFENSIVE LEADERS... Ian Olenik, Jack Bourget and Dean Metzger have anchored the Friars defensively this season. Long-stick midfielder Olenik leads the team caused turnovers (20) and is second in ground balls (36). He ranks third in the BIG EAST in caused turnovers per game (1.54). Olenik has also tallied six points on three goals and three assists. Bourget ranks second on the team in caused turnovers (10) and has picked up 17 ground balls. Metzger ranks third on the team in ground balls (25) and has registered six caused turnovers.

RHETT CHAMBERS AND MATT LAZZARO NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL AND NEILA TEAM OF THE WEEK... Rhett Chambers and Matt Lazzaro were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on March 23. The duo also was named to the NEILA DI/DII Team of the Week on March 23. Chambers tallied 11 points on five goals and six assists in two games. He tied his career-high with 10 points on four goals and six assists in a 18-17 overtime loss to Air Force (March 21). Lazzaro also recorded 11 points on five goals and six assists in two games. He tallied five points on three goals and two assists in a 12-3 win over Quinnipiac (March 18) and set a career high of six points on two goals and four assists against Air Force

RHETT CHAMBERS NAMED TO THE BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Rhett Chambers was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on March 9. Chambers recorded 11 points on three goals and eight assists in two games last week for the Friars. He tallied a career-high 10 points on three goals and a career-best seven assists in Providence's 16-9 win over Merrimack (March 2). Chambers added one assist in the Friars 15-9 loss at Loyola Maryland (March 7).

RICHIE JOSEPH AND MATT LAZZARO NAMED TO NEILA 2026 PRESEASON WATCH LIST... Richie Joseph and Matt Lazzaro were named to the NEILA 2026 Preseason Watch List. Joseph was named to the returning players watch list while Lazzaro was named to the incoming players list.

CAM STERRITT NAMED TO THE BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Cam Sterritt was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the third time this season on March 2. The sophomore goalie recorded 12 saves on a .600 save percentage in the Friars 8-7 loss to Fairfield (Feb. 21).

CAM STERRITT NAMED TO THE BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL... Cam Sterritt was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 23. The sophomore goalie recorded a career-high 18 saves on a .692 save percentage in the Friars' overtime loss to Brown (Feb. 21).

RHETT CHAMBERS, IAN OLENIK AND CAM STERRITT EARN BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS... Rhett Chambers, Ian Olenik and Cam Sterritt each earned BIG EAST Weekly Honors on Feb. 9. Chambers was named Offensive Player of the Week and Olenik earned Specialist of the Week. Sterritt was featured on the Honor Roll. The awards span the first two weeks of the 2026 season. Providence defeated Holy Cross 15-10 (Jan. 31) and Bryant 16-11 (Feb. 6) during that time.

RHETT CHAMBERS NAMED USA LACROSSE PLAYER OF THE WEEK... Following his nine-point performance against Bryant - with a career-high nine points on four goals and career-best five assists - Rhett Chambers was named USA Lacrosse Player of the Week via USA Lacrosse Magazine on Feb. 10. Chambers also was named the Inside Lacrosse AXIA Time Player of the Week on Feb. 10 after winning a closely contested fan vote.

FRIARS FALL TO NO. 11/11 GEORGETOWN... Providence was defeated by No. 11/11 Georgetown, 15-8, on Saturday, April 4 in Providence, R.I. The game marked Providence's BIG EAST home opener. Jack Bonello registered three points on two goals and one assist.

FRIARS FALL TO MARQUETTE IN OVERTIME... Providence was defeated by Marquette, 14-13, in overtime on Saturday, March 28 in Milwaukee, Wis. The game marked Providence's BIG EAST opener. Richie Joseph tallied five points on three goals and two assists. Providence has lost four games by one goal this season, including three losses in overtime.

FRIARS FALL TO AIR FORCE IN OVERTIME... Providence was defeated by Air Force, 18-17, in overtime on Saturday, March 21 on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence R.I. Rhett Chambers tied a career-high with 10 points on four goals and six assists. Matt Lazzaro set a career-high with six points on two goals and a career-best four assists. Chris Esposito dominated the face-off 'X' (21-32) and picked up a career-high 14 ground balls.

FRIARS DEFEAT QUINNIPIAC... The Providence College men's lacrosse teams defeated Quinnipiac, 12-3, on Wednesday, March 18 on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence, R.I. Matt Lazzaro paced Providence's offense with five points on three goals and two assists. Cam Sterritt made 12 saves and allowed just three goals for a career-best .800 save percentage.

FRIARS DEFEATED BY NO. 6/5 DUKE... The Providence College men's lacrosse team was defeated by No. 6/5 Duke, 21-5, on Saturday, March 14 in Farmingdale, N.Y. Richie Joseph scored two goals while Jack Bonello recorded a career-best in assists with two.

FRIARS DEFEATED BY LOYOLA MARYLAND... The Providence College men's lacrosse team was defeated by Loyola Maryland, 15-9, on Saturday, March 7 in Baltimore, Md. Richie Joseph scored a hat trick for the Friars. Jack Bonello scored his first career goal and tallied a career-high three points.

FRIARS DEFEAT MERRIMACK... The Providence College men's lacrosse teams defeated Merrimack, 16-9, on Monday, March 2 on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence, R.I. Rhett Chambers recorded a career high 10 points on three goals and a career best seven assists. Richie Joseph scored two goals and eclipsed 100 goals for his career. Brady Garcia scored three goals, marking the first of his career (and first hat trick).

FRIARS DEFEATED BY FAIRFIELD... Providence was defeated by Fairfield, 8-7, on Saturday, Feb. 28 on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence R.I. Jay Wilkerson scored three goals for the Friars. Ian Olenik led the Friars' defense with three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Cam Sterritt recorded 12 saves on a .600 save percentage.

FRIARS FALL TO BROWN IN OVERTIME... The Providence College men's lacrosse team was defeated by Brown, 8-7, in overtime on Saturday, Feb. 21 on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence R.I. Rhett Chambers paced the offense with two goals and two assists. Jack Bourget tallied career-highs in caused turnovers (three) and ground balls (four). Cam Sterritt recorded a career-high 18 saves on a .692 save percentage.

FRIARS DEFEATED BY NO. 12/12 HARVARD... Providence was defeated by No. 12/12 Harvard, 10-4, on Saturday, Feb. 14 in Cambridge Mass. It marked the Friars' first loss of the season and moved to 2-1 on the year.

FRIARS DEFEAT BRYANT... Providence defeated Bryant in its home opener, 16-11, on Feb. 6 in Providence, R.I. Rhett Chambers let the Friars' offense with a career-high nine points on four goals and a career-best five assists. Long-stick midfielder Ian Olenik recorded career-bests in caused turnovers (six) and ground balls (five). Cam Sterritt added a career-high 16 saves and posted a .593 save percentage.

FRIARS DEFEAT HOLY CROSS... Providence defeated Holy Cross, 15-10, in its season opener on Jan. 31 in Worcester, Mass. Rhett Chambers led the Friar offense with six points on a career-best four goals and added two assists. Matt Lazzaro added career-highs in points (five), goals (three) and assists (two). Jay Wilkerson also scored a career-best four goals. Cam Sterritt made his collegiate debut for the Friars in goal and recorded 10 saves and a save percentage of .600. Chris Esposito won 15-22 face-off opportunities and picked up five ground balls in his Friar debut.

TWO FRIARS EARN PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST HONORS… Attackers Richie Joseph and Rhett Chambers were named to the 2026 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Joseph, who earned Preseason All-BIG EAST recognition for the second-straight year, also was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Joseph was one of nine unanimous selections on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Last season, Joseph earned First-Team All-BIG EAST and BIG EAST All-Tournament Team honors.

RICHIE JOSEPH BECOMES SECOND FRIAR ALL-TIME TO BE NAMED PRESEASON BIG EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR... A Friar has earned Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second-consecutive season. Richie Joseph earned the honor heading into the 2026 campaign, while Ryan Bell was recognized last season (2025). They are the only two players Providence College men's lacrosse history to earn Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, since the league began sponsoring men's lacrosse in 2010.

HOW THE FRIARS FARED IN 2025... Providence College posted a 7-8 overall record in 2025, including a 3-2 mark in the BIG EAST. The Friars earned the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and fell to No. 2 Villanova, 14-13, in the semifinals. The Friars compiled a 4-2 record at home on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium and were 3-5 on the road. One of the season highlights was a 10-6 victory over No. 16 Denver in Denver, Colo. The victory helped Providence clinch a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament with one game remaining on the schedule. It also marked the Friars' first win over Denver all-time, snapping a 15-game winless streak to the Pioneers. Providence faced six nationally-ranked opponents during the 2025 season and compiled a 1-5 record.

MEET THE STAFF... Providence enters its fourth season under Head Coach Bobby Benson. He is the first coach in program history to guide the Friars to a BIG EAST berth in three-straight seasons (2023, 2024, 2025). Prior to Providence, Benson spent two seasons at Maryland as the offensive coordinator during the Terps' run to the NCAA title in 2022. Maryland registered a 33-1 record during Benson's tenure, earned two Big Ten Championships and made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Championship game. Casey Brodersen, who spent 12 seasons as the Associate Head Coach at Bryant, was hired by Bobby Benson to serve as Associate Head Coach at Providence in 2023. He helped the Bulldogs to six NEC titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances. Carroll Kennedy joined the Friars as an Assistant Coach in 2023. Kennedy worked alongside Benson at Maryland during the 2022 season and was previously named USILA Assistant Coach of the Year while at Limestone University in 2015. Shawn Ewert joined the staff for the 2024 season as an Assistant Coach. Before joining the Providence staff, Ewert spent the previous two seasons at Florida Southern, where he served as assistant coach and offensive coordinator. During his tenure, he helped guide Florida Southern to a 25-11 record.

KEY RETURNERS… The Friars are bringing back three out of their top five point scorers from last season. Richie Joseph returns for his senior season after finishing second on the team in goals (37) and assists (11), and third in points (48). Joseph was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team. Junior Rhett Chambers will look to build on his successful 2025 campaign. He finished fourth on the team in points (26), goals (18), and assists (eight), all of which marked career bests. Chambers was recognized with NEILA Division I All-New England Second Team honors. Jay Wilkerson will return for his sophomore year after finishing his rookie campaign fifth on the team in scoring with 15 points on 12 goals and three assists.

Senior Dean Metzger will anchor the Providence defense. Metzger started all 15 games for the Friars last season and recorded seven caused turnovers and 20 ground balls. Senior Ian Olenik will provide defensive support at midfield as a long stick midfielder. Olenik registered a team-best 16 caused turnovers and added 25 ground balls last season.

WELCOME TO FRIARTOWN… The Friars welcomed 12 freshmen to the men's lacrosse program in the fall of 2025. The incoming freshmen include Cooper Anderson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Jack Bonello (Great Falls, Va.), Sam Clark (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Aiden Eriksen (Tampa, Fla.), Brady Garcia (Baldwinsville, N.Y.), Luke Jaeger (Southlake, Texas), Cannon Ridinger (Charlotte, N.C.), Nate Smith (Avon Lake, Ohio), Ben Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo.), Cam Wheelans (Oshawa, Ont.), Robby White (Whitby, Ont.) and Trent Yelton (Liberty Township, Ohio).

Additionally, three transfers joined the Friars roster in the fall of 2025. The transfers include junior Chris Esposito (Gloucester, Mass.) from Stony Brook, junior Matt Lazzaro (Franklin, Mass.) from Penn State and junior Cam Mesh (Spencerport, N.Y.) from SUNY Brockport.

FRIARS PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL... Providence was picked to finish fifth in the 2026 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll (11 points). Georgetown was picked to win the league, having collected five first-place votes and 25 points overall. Villanova (21 points) was second and Denver (16 points) was selected third. Marquette was selected fourth (12 points). Rounding out the conference standings was St. John's (five points).

SCOUTING DENVER… The Pioneers hold a 5-6 overall record, including a 1-2 mark in the BIG EAST. Most recently, Denver defeated St. John's, 15-9, on April 11. Five of Denver's six losses this season have come against nationally-ranked opponents. The Pioneers rank second among NCAA DI teams in man-down defense. They have allowed just three man-up goals on 24 attempts.

PIONEERS TO WATCH… Denver's offense is led by red-shirt junior attackman Cody Malawsky. He owns a team-best 32 points and 24 goals, and ranks third in the BIG EAST in goals per game (2.18). Junior attackman Marek Tzagournis ranks second for Denver in points (31) and goals (15) and leads the team in assists (16).

Red-shirt junior Russell Overly leads Denver's defense with team-highs in caused turnovers (14) and ranks second on the team in ground balls (40).

Junior Luke Smeader has served as the primary face-off man for the Pioneers this season. He has tallied a 92-195 mark for a .472 win percentage and leads the team in ground balls (60).

Sophomore Grayson Manning has started every game in goal for Denver. He has recorded 144 saves on a .610 save percentage and owns an 8.84 goals against average. Manning leads the NCAA DI in save percentage (.610) and leads the BIG EAST in saves per game (13.09) and goals against average (8.84).

WHAT'S NEXT... Providence is set to travel to Queens, N.Y. to visit St. John's for its regular-season finale on Friday, April 24. Opening face off is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cooper Anderson

Ryan Bell

Jack Bonello

Jack Bourget

Sam Brazell

Rhett Chambers

Sam Clark

Aiden Eriksen

Chris Esposito

Brady Garcia

Luke Jaeger

Richie Joseph

Matt Lazzaro

Chris Matia

Cam Mesh

Dean Metzger

Ian Olenik

Cannon Ridinger

Charlie Smith

Nate Smith

Cam Sterritt

Ben Stone

Cam Wheelans

Robby White

Jay Wilkerson

Trent Yelton

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus #6/#5 Duke on March 14, 2026 , Loss , 5, to, 21

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Quinnipiac on March 18, 2026 , Win , 12, to, 3

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Air Force on March 21, 2026 , Loss , 17, to, 18 , (OT)

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at Marquette on March 28, 2026 , Loss , 13, to, 14 , (OT)

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus #11/#11 Georgetown on April 4, 2026 , Loss , 8, to, 15

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at Villanova on April 11, 2026 , Win , 10, to, 9 , (OT)

Upcoming Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Denver on April 18, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Lacrosse at St. John's on April 24, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Lacrosse versus BIG EAST Semifinal on April 30, 2026 at 4:30 & 7:30 PM

Upcoming Event: Men's Lacrosse versus BIG EAST Championship on May 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM

Providence College Athletics