Nazareth ready to take on Stevenson
Tournament bracket
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Nazareth's improbable run in men's lacrosse continues Wednesday as the Golden Flyers travel to Owing Mills, Md. for an NCAA Division III Tournament game against Stevenson at 7 p.m.
The Golden Flyers, 11-8 overall, reached the 34-team tournament field for the 22nd time in their history after capturing their 10th Empire 8 Conference title with overtime wins over Ithaca and Stevens. Stevenson is 13-5 overall after winning its fifth straight MAC Commonwealth Conference title with a 12-6 win over Albright.
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Tickets are $7 for adults; $3 for students and seniors (over 60) and $2 for children 12 and under.
Nazareth enters the NCAA Tournament with a three-game winning streak, including the 11-10 win at Stevens Saturday. In both E8 Tournament games, Nazareth had to rally from 4-0 deficits to eventually win in overtime. Against Stevens, Nazareth trailed 5-1 in the second quarter before rallying to take a 6-5 lead at halftime. Nazareth also trailed 10-8 early in the fourth quarter, then got fourth-quarter goals from
Nick Arnold and
Paul Walter to force overtime.
Seth DeLisle won the overtime face-off -- his 20th win and 17th ground ball of the game -- and Nazareth controlled the ball for the duration of the extra period. With 1:44 left in the overtime, sophomore
Anthony Basile netted the game-winner off an assist from Arnold.
In Nazareth's 14-13 semifinal win at Ithaca last Wednesday, overtime lasted just 19 seconds as senior
Luke Longo rifled a shot from the top of the restraining box for the game-winning goal.
Among the Nazareth players to watch is DeLisle, who ranks fifth nationally in face-off winning percentage at 73.8 (316-for-428) and sixth in ground balls per game at 10.7. He tied a school record with 24 face-off wins against Ithaca and then went 20-for-24 against Stevens.
Others notables are Longo, a short-stick defensive specialist and a two-time All-American who ranks second on the team with 72 ground balls; senior
Joe Eiskant, the E8 Tournament MVP after three-goal games against Ithaca and Stevens; Walter, a junior attackman who leads the team with 33 goals; senior midfielder
Hunter Burdick, who leads the team with 54 points on 27 goals and 27 assists; and sophomore attackman
Jack Crowley, who has 32 goals.
If Nazareth wins Wednesday, the next game is Saturday against the winner of RIT-John Carroll/Albion game.
Scouting Stevenson
The Mustangs also have won three straight after dropping a non-conference game at Stevens April 25. Nazareth and Stevenson have played three common opponents in RIT, Stevens and York. The Mustangs lost to all three, while Nazareth lost to RIT and York and won two close games with Stevens. The Mustangs won a national championship in 2013 and are 200-55 in 13 seasons for head coach Paul Cantabene.
The leading scorer this season is sophomore attackman JT Thelen, who has 77 points on 51 goals and 26 assists. He's complemented by senior middies Kyle D'Onofrio (45g, 22a) and Wade Korvin (34g, 16a) and junior attackman Kyle Karsian (31g, 14a). Stevenson's face-off specialist is freshman Justin Burnette, who has won 64.4 percent (194-for-301) with 72 ground balls. Senior Ross Dinan is the starting goalie and has a 8.27 goals-against average and a save percentage of 47.6.
Nazareth and Stevenson have met twice with the Mustangs winning both -- 17-11 in 2013 and 8-6 in 2014. Both games were at Stevenson.
Tournament history
Nazareth is 27-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and won national titles in 1992, 1996 and 1997. The Golden Flyers also reached the championship game in 1995, 1998 and 2004. Nazareth last competed in the NCAAs in 2015 and lost at Union in the first round, 15-12.
Head Coach Rob Randall
Now in his 17th season, Randall recently surpassed the 200-win plateau with the Golden Flyers and stands at 207-91 (.695), including 11-8 this season. Nazareth is making its 10th NCAA Tournament appearances with Randall, who has been named Empire 8 Coach of the Year six times.