Men's Lacrosse | 5/9/2023 3:35:00 PM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. - The St. John Fisher University men's lacrosse team are set to travel to Denison University in Granville, OH and compete against No. 11 University of Lynchburg in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The game is set for Saturday May 13 with a start time of 4 p.m. The winner will move on and play the winner of Denison vs Illinois Wesleyan/ Aurora. The Cardinals head into the week with an Empire 8 Championship under their belt and a 10-9 overall record.
Previous NCAA Appearance
The Cardinals won the 2022 Empire 8 Championship and faced off against no. 22 Catholic University in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Tufts University. Fisher came away with an 18-11 victory after taking control early on. The team scored eight goals in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 12-3 lead. They added six more in the final frame to came away with the win. In the second round the Cardinals took on no. 4 ranked Tufts University and lost by a finals core of 22-8.
The Opponent
This will be the first time in program history the two team's face-off. Lynchburg is No. 11 in the USILA, first in their region and head into the tournament with a 13-6 overall record. The Hornets finished their regular season with a 12-5 overall record and 8-1 in conference play. The team competed in the ODAC championship game against Washington & Lee, who they previous beat in the regular season 14-13 in OT. W&L scored with 2:11 left in regulation to ultimately defeat Lynchburg for the ODAC title.
The Hornets are led by senior midfielder Riley Mitchell. Mitchell has recorded 31 goals, 25 assist for 56 points so far this season. In addition, first-year student Riley Hastings has tallied 53 points on 23 goals and 30 assists. In the cage is Tyler Hadley, who started in 18 games. In that time he has a 10.34 goals against average and 223 saves.
Cardinal Players to Watch
Jacob Gallina was named the 2023 Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring five goals and adding an assist in the teams 19-7 win over Nazareth College in the E8 title game Saturday. Gallina scored four straight goals for the Cardinals late in the third to bring the Cardinals led to seven. Gallina added two goals in the Cardinals semifinal win over Hartwick on Wednesday. Gallina was also named E8 Men's Lacrosse Player of the Week for his standout performance.
Ben Hammond recorded 12 saves to help the Cardinals win their fourth straight Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Championship. He made six saves during the semifinals on Wednesday in a 24-7 win over Hartwick College. Hammond had six more saves on Saturday, to help his team hold Nazareth College to just seven goals and win with a 19-7 final score. Hammond was also named E8 Goalie of the Week for the second time in the 2023 season.
2023 NCAA DIII Men's Lacrosse Championship Selections
Interactive Bracket
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