Saint Joseph's Lacrosse Lands Two MIAA Lacx Midfielders as Maryland Pipeline Grows

Class of 2028 midfielders Ben Mather and Matthew Westervelt both picked the Hawks for their team culture, as the Atlantic 10 program keeps mining Maryland's top private-school league.

McDonogh's Ben Mather (left) and John Carroll's Matthew Westervelt will be future teams as each has committed to play their college lacrosse at St. Joseph's | Al Franyo

Saint Joseph's lacrosse added two more Maryland recruits to a recruiting pipeline that has grown fast.

Class of 2028 midfielders Ben Mather of McDonogh and Matthew Westervelt of John Carroll committed to the Hawks within the past two weeks. Both are three-star prospects who play in the MIAA, Maryland's top private-school league.

Saint Joseph's Turns the MIAA Into a Recruiting Pipeline

For years, Saint Joseph's drew little talent from the MIAA. That has changed quickly. Three MIAA products are on the Hawks' 2027 roster, and another league recruit arrives next year.

Mather and Westervelt will make it six.

Hawks Have Won Consistently Since 2014 Breakout

Since its breakout season in 2014, Saint Joseph's has posted a winning record in most years and regularly reached its conference's four-team tournament. That includes each of its first three seasons in the Atlantic 10.

The Hawks won conference tournament titles in 2022 and 2024, reaching the first round of the NCAA tournament both years.

Last spring, Saint Joseph's finished above .500 and reached the A-10 tournament championship game, where it lost a close game to Richmond. Scott Meehan enters his second season as head coach in 2027.

Campus, Culture and Coaches Sold Ben Mather

Mather said he chose Saint Joseph's for its campus, culture, coaches and business program.

The campus impressed him from the start. He said it is bigger than he expected for a school on Philadelphia's western edge, with a large amount of green space for a city campus.

On the lacrosse side, the program's culture stood out most. Mather pointed to the team's energy, grit and brotherhood, and to how much fun the players seemed to have. He said he can see himself fitting in.

He described the coaching staff as young, hungry and tenacious, with a lot to prove. Academically, Mather said the business program offers areas of study and opportunities the other schools he considered did not.

Matthew Westervelt Saw Work Ethic and a Path After Lacrosse

Westervelt also listed team culture first. He said the players work hard, play with a gritty edge, and genuinely support and challenge one another. He felt comfortable around them throughout his visit.

The coaches were easy to talk to, he said, and their passion for and commitment to the program were obvious. Westervelt also liked the facilities, including the field, locker room, indoor field and wall, and weight room.

Most important, he said, Saint Joseph's can prepare him for a successful career after college. He believes the school will give him the most opportunities to graduate ready for it.

Two More Seasons in the MIAA Before Hawk Hill

Mather and Westervelt have two more high school seasons at McDonogh and John Carroll, both programs looking to take the next step under their head coaches.

After that, they head to Hawk Hill and an Atlantic 10 program that reached the conference title game last spring and expects to keep climbing under Meehan.