WINTHROP, Mass. – For the first time since the 2013 season, Norwich University has captured the top seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Men's Lacrosse Tournament and regular-season title after going 8-1 in GNAC play. The Cadets closed out the league slate on Wednesday night with a 17-6 league victory over Anna Maria College, who they will now face in a GNAC Quarterfinal contest on Saturday afternoon (1:00 PM).
Interestingly enough, all four GNAC Quarterfinal matchups on Saturday will mirror the same four matchups that were randomly scheduled for Wednesday's GNAC regular-season finale.
Second-seeded Lasell College, the reigning GNAC champion and preseason favorite, will host seventh-seeded Emmanuel College on Saturday at 3:00 PM. The Lasers also finished 8-1 along with Norwich in GNAC play, but lost the head-to-head matchup at home to the Cadets back on April 11. Lasell topped the Saints, 12-8, on Wednesday.
Saint Joseph's College of Maine earned a crucial 12-11 home victory over Rivier University on Wednesday night, catapulting the Monks to the No. 4 seed and right to host on Saturday. Rivier, meanwhile, will be the fifth seed and travel back to Standish, Maine in less than 72 hours for a GNAC Quarterfinal showdown (1:00 PM).
The remaining quarterfinal game this weekend will feature third-seeded Mount Ida College hosting sixth-seeded Johnson & Wales University (RI). The Mustangs, who fell in a 13-12 thriller at Lasell in last year's GNAC Championship, took down JWU by a narrow 6-5 final in Newton, Mass. on Wednesday.
The winner of the 1/8 matchup will take on the winner of the 4/5 matchup, while the 3/6 winner will take on the 2/7 winner. High seeds will host throughout the tournament, which will have its semifinal round on Wednesday, May 2 and the championship on Saturday, May 5 with an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament on the line. You can watch the tournament live on thegnac.tv or watch on one of the GNAC's four custom digital streaming apps.
Quarterfinals - Saturday, April 28
Game 1: #8 Anna Maria at #1 Norwich - 1:00 PM
Game 2: #5 Rivier at #4 Saint Joseph's Maine - 1:00 PM
Game 3: #6 Johnson & Wales at #3 Mount Ida - 3:00 PM
Game 4: #7 Emmanuel at #2 Lasell - 3:00 PM
Semifinals - Wednesday, May 2
Game 5: 1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner - at highest seed
Game 6: 2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner - at highest seed
Championship - Saturday, May 5
Game 7: at highest remaining seed
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
– #TheGNAC –
