Men's Lacrosse | 5/10/2024 11:25:00 AM
PITTSFORD, NY – The St. John Fisher University men's lacrosse team, champions of the Empire 8, begin their NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament on Saturday, May 11, when they head to Middletown, CT to face Wesleyan University. Game time is 3:00 P.M.
Here's what you need to know:
About The Regular Season
Fisher went 12-7 this regular season, including a 6-0 mark in Empire 8 play. The Cardinals played in an intense schedule that included games against three nationally-ranked teams, but still finished with a winning record both at home and on the road.
Tournament History
The men's lacrosse program has made the NCAA tournament four times previously, most recently last season, when they fell to Lynchburg in overtime in their opening game, 11-10. The farthest tournament runs for the Cardinals all saw them win their opening game before losing in their second, which happened in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
Know Your Foe
Wesleyan University enters the tournament ranked No. 10 in the country after a 15-3 regular season. The champions of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), the other Cardinals (henceforth just called Wesleyan to avoid confusion) possess the ninth-best offense in D3, averaging 17.31 goals per game. Wesleyan has made the Division III semifinals three times, including winning a national title in 2018.
Offensively, Wesleyan is led by senior midfielder CK Giancola and sophomore attacker Ben Burns, who have 54 goals each. Graduate student Jack Raba is eighth in the country in assists per game, averaging 3.21.
In net, Wesleyan has relied on two goalies: Conor Selfridge and Sam Jewett. Selfridge has played more, going 9-1 in 10 starts while holding a goals-against-average of 9.37.
Fun fact: Legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick is a Wesleyan graduate and played football and lacrosse there, serving as a team captain his senior year.
Kemmis-try
Senior attacker Matthew Kemmis leads the Cardinals' offense just days after he won the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year. This regular season, he was fourth in the conference in points per game (4.00) and goals per game (2.67), as well as ninth in assists per game (1.33). Against conference opponents, he was even better, finishing atop the Empire 8 with 4.83 points per conference game, around two-thirds of a point better than anyone else. Kemmis earned All-Conference First Team honors, as well.
Jack Back On Defense
Junior defender Jack Cornell earned Defensive Player of the Year and All-Conference First Team honors from the Empire 8 thanks to a regular season where he was a constant menace to opposing teams. He finished second in the conference in caused turnovers per game, with 2.39, and finished in the top 10 of groundballs per game, with 3.17. Cornell and his teammates allowed only 168 goals this season, tied for lowest in the conference. Against conference opponents, the Cardinals only allowed 38 goals- the lowest in the conference. Against a high-powered Wesleyan offense, Cornell could be the key to pulling off a victory.
What Comes Next
If Fisher beats the host school, they'll face the winners of the matchup between St. Lawrence and Plymouth State on Sunday at 3:00 P.M.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com and
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