The six Major League Lacrosse teams faced a tough task of limiting its in-season rosters to 25 players over the offseason. Two Stony Brook alumni made the final roster for the Boston Cannons, which was announced on Monday, July 6th for the 20th Anniversary of the MLL.
Defenseman Justin Pugal and midfielder Challen Rogers will represent the Cannons for the upcoming week-long season.
Rogers will enter his fifth season with Boston and his fourth as an active player. The midfielder earned a professional career high 18 goals and 11 assists in 13 contests last season. He is one of the most experienced midfielders on the team and only one of three returnees at that position.
Rogers is also a member of the National Lacrosse League’s Toronto Rock. He earned his second consecutive Transition Man of the Year award and an All-League First-Team honor last week.
Pugal scooped up 26 ground balls and forced 14 turnovers in 13 appearances for Boston. He was named to the MLL All-Star Game as a rookie and scored a two-point goal for Team Ice. The defenseman’s impressive season came to a sudden end after an ACL tear in his left leg against the Chesapeake Bayhawks last September.
The Cannons finished the 2019 season with a 9-7 record and entered the postseason as the No.3-seed. The team lost to the runner-up Denver Outlaws in the Semifinals.
Rogers was the 32nd overall pick by the Cannons in 2016 after a decorated collegiate career at Stony Brook. The midfielder was named to the America East First-Team three times and was the fifth player in program history to reach 200 points. His 115 career assists are the second most in Stony Brook history.
Pugal joined Boston after impressing the team at a tryout he was invited to by Jim Nagle, his former Stony Brook head coach and current Cannons offensive coordinator. The defenseman recorded 77 ground balls and caused 35 turnovers in his four seasons at Stony Brook.
Opening day will take place on Saturday, July 18 while the champion will be crowned on Sunday, July 26. The Cannons will open their season against the New York Lizards at a time to be determined. The entire season will be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD.
