Game Info: Saturday, March 13 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Quick Stadium - Chester, Pa.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WidenerLacrosse
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Opening Faceoff
The Pride plays under the lights of Quick Stadium in its 2021 home opener as it takes on conference foe Alvernia on Saturday, March 13. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Widener University men's lacrosse team downed the FDU-Florham Devils 22-8 in its season opener. Four Pride players delivered hat tricks on the day.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Paz Gismondi led all players on the field in points with five off three goals and two assists.
- Alex Trottier delivered four points on three goals and an assist in his collegiate debut.
- Connor Heisman and Michael Tagliaferri each found the back of the cage three times. Heisman also had an assist and caused three turnovers.
- Kyle Pollick picked up a team-high eight ground balls.
- First years Matt Buckley and Colin Wingate both scored their first career goals with one a piece on the afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Widener struck first with a goal by transfer-student
Michael Tagliaferri just three minutes in. Another four scores within three minutes, including two from
Connor Ball, put the Pride up 5-0 by the midpoint of the first. FDU's first goal was quickly followed by three more from WU as it took a 8-1 lead after one. Seven more scores in the second quarter gave the Pride a double-digit goal advantage entering halftime.
Despite two early goals by the Devils to open the second half, the Blue and Gold maintained its strong lead through the rest of the match, going on to score seven more times and cement the final tally.
Scouting Report
Alvernia finished last season 2-3 overall before play was suspended. The Pride last played the Golden Wolves on April 26, 2019, downing them 24-7 in a game that saw 14 Widener players score a goal.
Alvernia loses three of its top four point scorers from last spring, but returns sophomore Jackson Fonseca who picked up 14 points off eight goals and six assists. Back in net for the Golden Wolves is sophomore Matt Thibault. Thibault averaged a conference leading 15.20 saves per game in his rookie campaign.
Carl Haas is in his fourth year at the helm for Alvernia and has coached two All-MAC Commonwealth selections since taking over.
The Votes Are In...
In the Week 4 USILA Top-20 Rankings, Widener received 16 votes. This gives them the fourth most votes of teams outside the top-20 behind just RPI (23), Cortland (18), and Ithaca (17).
Strong Start
The Blue and Gold's 22 goals in its season opening win over FDU-Florham is the most it has racked up in an opener in the past 15 years. It is also the most in a single game since netting 24 in its win over Alvernia in 2019.
Day One Contributors
Seven first years saw game action against FDU.
Colin Wingate and
Matt Buckley both netted their first career goals and scooped a ground ball a piece while
Zach Rosamalia and
Nick Brennan also picked up a ground ball each.
CLEAR!
Clearing the ball has always been a strong point of emphasis for head coach
Jamie Lockard and it has paid dividends for his teams. In its first game, Widener converted on 16-of-16 clears. Last year, the Pride led the conference with an 85.1 percent clearing percentage and also topped the MAC Commonwealth in 2019, converting 84.6 percent of its clears.
Run It Back
The Blue and Gold returns its top two scorers from 2020 in
Connor Heisman and
Paz Gismondi. A former MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year, Heisman led the Pride last spring with 26 points off 15 goals and 11 assists. Gismondi notched 23 points off nine goals and a team-high 14 assists.
He's A Keeper
Widener also brings back one of the best goalkeepers in the country as
Carter Landry gears up for one more season in net. His 7.89 goals-against average last spring ranked first in the conference and 28th in all of NCAAD3. His stellar performance between the pipes earned him MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week twice.
Up Next
The Pride takes on York at home on Wednesday, March 17. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
