The St. John Fisher College men's lacrosse team makes its return to the Empire 8 Championship at 4 p.m. on Wednesday as the Cardinals will square-off with East Avenue rival, Nazareth College, on the turf at Fisher's Growney Stadium. Tickets for Wednesday's semifinal matchup are $4 for adults and $2 for students. There are no complementary passes for post-season competition.
The Cardinals (11-4, 6-1 E8) closed out their regular season with a 9-8 win over the Golden Flyers on Saturday to secure the No. 2 seed, while Nazareth (8-9, 5-2 E8) settled for the No. 3 seed. The Bombers of Ithaca College retained the top seed, and fourth-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology rounds out the four-team field.
Follow all of Wednesday's action using the links below:
LIVE STATS LIVE VIDEO LIVE AUDIO TWITTER TEXT MESSAGE ALERTS Peaking at the Right Time: The Cardinals enter Wednesday's game having won seven games in a row and eight of their last nine. Fisher's seven-game winning streak matches its longest since the 2012 season. The Cardinals last defeat came to nationally-ranked Union College, 10-7, as Fisher's late-game comeback fell short. During its winning streak, Fisher has been clicking on all cylinders, as the Cardinals have outscored their competition 81-38.
Man Up vs. Man Down: Penalties can and often do change the course of a game drastically, but the Cardinals have proven that even with a man down, they are still a dangerous team. Fisher ranks second in the Empire 8 in man-down goals with four. The Golden Flyers on the other hand, are adept at making teams pay for their penalties. Nazareth converts 45 percent of its man-up opportunities and leads the conference in man-up goals with 36 on the season. The Cardinals are a well-disciplined team though and are not penalized often.
Players to Watch for Fisher: There are several difference-makers in Wednesday's semifinal matchup. Fisher's
Jeff Wester ranks first on the team and sixth in the conference with 53 points (15 goals, 38 assists), while
Brett Farrell and
Gary Bova have each tallied 39 points, respectively.
Nick Rossi and
Greg Ramsden should also have an impact on the game as each has totaled 24 points on the season. On the defensive side of the ball, senior
Gregory Bell looms large as the senior has caused a team-high 20 turnovers. Senior
Mike Blood will also be tasked with quieting Nazareth's attack. Blood has caused 11 turnovers this season and has also scooped up 22 ground balls. Fellow seniors
David Haseley and
Taylor Muztafago, who have combined for 79 ground balls and 25 turnover, will be key players in Fisher's transition game.
Players to Watch for Nazareth: Troy Haefele leads Naz and ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 55 points in 17 games this season. Luke Wooters is also atop the conference leaderboard in points, tallying 54 so far this season. Jerry Chasteen anchors a solid defensive corps as the junior long stick has caused 17 turnovers on the year.
Goalie Comparison: Fisher's
Jamie Campagna ranks as one of the best goalies in the conference. Campagna ranks first in save percentage (.638), second in goals against average (5.97), fifth in total saves (118), while ranking fourth on the team with 32 ground balls. Campagna, who holds a 9-3 record this season, has had several huge games in net this season as the Liverpool native has recorded double-digit save totals five times this season including last week's win at Nazareth where he made 17 stops.
Nazareth goalie Scott Brown ranks second in the conference in minutes played (810.28), eighth in goals against average (10.22) and 12th in save percentage (.459).
X Marks the Spot: Paul Cefalu has been nothing short of remarkable at the face-off X for Fisher this season. The junior midfielder has sparked several fast breaks in each game and ranks among the best in the conference going 124-for-218 (.569) leading to a team-best 61 ground balls.
All-Time Series: Historically, the Golden Flyers have owned Fisher, as the Cardinals hold a 2-11 record in the all-time series. Prior to Saturday's win, Fisher's lone victory over the Golden Flyers came in April of 2009, a 13-12 win at Growney Stadium. The two teams squared off nearly three weeks later, with Nazareth beating the Cardinals 9-4 in the Empire 8 Championship finals to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship.
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