STANDISH, Maine – #4 Saint Joseph's College will play at top-seeded Norwich University in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Lacrosse Tournament Semifinal tonight at 7:00 PM.
BRACKETOLOGY:
Quarterfinals - Saturday, April 28
Game 1: #1 Norwich 16, #8 Anna Maria 2 | BOX
Game 2: #4 Saint Joseph's Maine 11, #5 Rivier 10 - 3OT | BOX
Game 3: #6 Johnson & Wales 14, #3 Mount Ida 8 | BOX
Game 4: #2 Lasell 15, #7 Emmanuel 5 | BOX
Semifinals - Wednesday, May 2
Game 5: #4 Saint Joseph's Maine at #1 Norwich - 7:00 PM
Game 6: #6 Johnson & Wales at #2 Lasell - 4:00 PM
Championship - Saturday, May 5
Game 7: at highest remaining seed
SEASON AT A GLANCE
Saint Joseph's:
The Monks, 10-8 overall and 5-4 in GNAC play this spring, lead the conference in man-up goals (45), shots (770), shots on goal (442), and caused turnovers (178) and rank second in the GNAC in goals (190), man-up opportunities (107), man-up percentage (42.1%), ground balls (579), and goals against average (9.19).
Saint Joseph's is 4-4 in away games this spring and head into the semifinal having won six of the last seven contests.
Norwich:
The Cadets, 12-5 overall and 8-1 in conference play this season, lead the GNAC in goals (195) and goals against average (9.17) and rank second in the league in shots (736), shots on goal (439), man-up goals (34), face-off percentage (60.5%), and clear percentage (84.4%).
Norwich is 5-4 at home this spring and goes into the second round of the GNAC Tournament having won eight-consecutive games, all versus conference opponents.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Saint Joseph's:
- Junior Michael Finn (Quincy, Mass.), the Monks' all-time leading goal scorer with 118 career tallies, leads the Monks' offense with 48 goals and 56 total points along with a conference-high 13 man-up markers
- Senior midfielder Matt Donnell (Watertown, Mass.) is second on the team in points (33) with 18 goals and 15 assists
- Freshmen Shane Puleo (Nashua, N.H.) and Glenn Dion (Pembroke, N.H.) have helped boost the Monks' offensive attack with 33 (16 G, 17 A) and 28 (17 G, 11 A) points, respectively
- Junior Tyler Retalic (Framingham, Mass.) is second on the team in goals with 21 strikes
- Senior defender Liam Skinner (Irving, Texas) leads the team in caused turnovers (41) and ground balls (75) and ranks second and sixth, respectively, in the GNAC in these categories
- Sophomore face-off midi Shane Fors (Kalamazoo, Mich.) has won 52.4% (187-357) of his attempts on the dot and is third in the conference in wins
- Senior goalkeeper Connor Trainor (Franklin, Mass.) is enjoying a fine senior season and ranks first in the GNAC in wins (10), second in goals against average (9.03), and sixth in saves (147)
Norwich
- Senior attack Josh Jenkins (Centennial, Colo.) leads the Cadets with 61 points (41 G, 20 A) and ranks third in the GNAC in goals and fourth in total points
- Junior Cody Moore (Canton, N.Y.) is second on the team in points (50, 34 G, 16 A) and is seventh in the conference in points
- The combination of Zach Adler (Stratham, N.H.) and Thomas Carlson (Hebron, Conn.) have led the Norwich defensive unit all year, as the team has caused 149 turnovers and allowed only 9.17 goals against on average this year
- Senior face-off midi Jack Dwyer (Shelburne, Vt.) is 208-336 (61.9%) on the dot and ranks second in the GNAC in wins and 13th in percentage
- Time in goal has been split between Ian Kriger (Burlington, Mass.) and Brandon Milburn (Bridgewater, N.J.), as the two have combined for 189 saves and a 57.5% save percentage on the season
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Second-year Head Coach Bill Cosentino has seen his team improve exponentially in his time at the helm, as the Monks went 6-9 last en route to missing the tournament for the third-consecutive season in 2017 before posting a 10-8 mark and hosting a conference tournament game for the first time since 2013 this spring.
Norwich Head Coach Neal Anderson leads the Cadets in his 10th season at the helm. A three-time GNAC Coach of the Year (2012, 2013, 2016), Anderson will look to lead Norwich to their second conference title after winning it all in 2013.
THE LAST TIME WE MET:
The Cadets edged the Monks by an 11-8 margin in Northfield on April 21st. The conference rivals stood at a 7-7 stalemate after Donnell capped a three-goal run with 34 seconds left in the third quarter, but Norwich managed to put the game away with four-unanswered goals.
The Cadets held an advantage in shots (45-34), face-off wins (17-6), and ground balls (36-17).
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Norwich is 9-0 in the history of the series with Saint Joseph's College. The last playoff matchup between the two teams came in 2012, with Norwich defeating Saint Joseph's 9-4 in the GNAC Quarterfinals.