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Men's Lacrosse Set to Host SUNY Poly in NCAA Tournament First Round
Posted: May 07, 2024

Men's Lacrosse Set to Host SUNY Poly in NCAA Tournament First Round

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team makes its NCAA Tournament debut, hosting SUNY Poly in the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament First Round Wednesday (May 8) afternoon. Opening faceoff between the Blue Jays and Wildcats is set for 4:00 p.m. at the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn. Tickets will be sold at the gate and are $5 for general admission and $3 for children 2+ and students with a valid student ID.

USJ BLUE JAYS (16-3, 9-1 GNAC) vs. SUNY POLY WILDCATS (10-6, 6-2 NAC) 
LOCATION: USJ Lacrosse Field (West Hartford, Conn.) 
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, May 8 (4:00 p.m.)  
WATCH: Live Stream
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
GAME PROGRAM: Game Program
 
USJ QUICK HITS 

  • USJ earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship for the first time in program history this past Saturday.
  • The Blue Jays are one of the best teams defensively in the nation, ranking 16th in caused turnovers per game (12.68), ninth in opponent clear percentage (.706) and 11th in scoring defense (7.47).
  • Leading the way offensively is senior attack Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.), who tops the team with 78 points off a team-high 58 assists and 20 goals.
  • Paltauf ranks 10th in the nation in assists per game (2.94).
  • Senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.), junior midfielder Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) and sophomore Nick Pestrichello (Newington, Conn.) form a formidable attacking trio for USJ.
  • Decker tops the team with 45 goals, while Pestrichello has netted 42 and Baden has scored 39 goals this season.
  • Defensively, senior midfielder Sam Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) leads the team with 101 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers.
  • Barbetti also leads the team with 115 faceoff wins.
  • Senior netminder Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) has started all but one game in net for USJ in 2024, leading the team with a 8.54 goals-against average, while tallying 152 saves.
  • McCann's goals-against average ranks 16th in the country.

SCOUTING SUNY POLY

  • SUNY Poly earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament after winning the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship as the No. 3 seed this past Sunday.
  • The Wildcats are led offensively by graduate student attackman Andrew Maycock (Deerfield, N.Y.). Maycock tallied a team-high 41 points off 22 goals and a team-best 19 assists.
  • Junior midfielder Payton Thomas (Corning, N.Y.) is the lead goalscorer, topping the team with 31 strikes this season.
  • Sophomore defenseman Liam Podszebka (Churchville, N.Y.) anchors the SUNY Poly defense, causing a team-best 21 turnovers.
  • Graduate student midfielder Dilon May (Manlois, N.Y.) and senior midfielder Spencer Nixon (Freeport, N.Y.) split time at the faceoff "X" for SUNY Poly. May sports a 86-206 mark, while Nixon has gone 62-123.
  • Senior Joseph VanZandt leads the goalkeeping core for the Wildcats, posting a 6-5 record in the cage with a 10.73 goals-against average, 125 total saves and a 53.0 save percentage.

INSIDE THE SERIES 

  • Wednesday marks the first time that SUNY Poly and USJ will meet on the field.
  • The Blue Jays are 0-1 all-time against NAC schools, falling to Maine Maritime in 2020.
  • The Wildcats are 2-1 all-time against current GNAC schools. The Wildcats defeated Regis in 2016 and 2017, and lost to Mitchell back in 2013.

UP NEXT 

With a victory, the Blue Jays would advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the first time in program history and would take on the No. 1 team in the country and reigning national champions Salisbury University on Saturday, May 11. Opening faceoff against the Sea Gulls at Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury, Md., would be scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

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