Game Info: Wednesday, March 17 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Quick Stadium - Chester, Pa.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WidenerLacrosse
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Opening Faceoff
The Widener University men's lacrosse team faces its biggest challenge of the year to date, hosting the No. 7 York (Pa.) Spartans on Wednesday, March 17. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Last Time Out - @WidenerLacrosse Enjoys Offensive Explosion Against Alvernia
The Pride used a strong start and continued to extend its lead as the Pride downed Alvernia 26-5 on Saturday night.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Nick Brennan led the offense with six goals.
- Mike Kala'i got his first collegiate points, scoring four times and adding an assist.
- Matt Buckley had a pair of tallies and seven ground balls.
- Jayce Dyer scored twice for the Blue and Gold.
- Jimmy Knepp added two assists and a goal.
- Widener was a perfect 17-for-17 on clears.
- The Pride launched 72 shots in the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Widener had a dominant first quarter, outscoring the Golden Wolves 10-0 as
Michael Tagliaferri,
Nick DiCicco,
Paz Gismondi got things started. Kala'I registered his first career goals in a big way with a natural hat trick to make it 6-0. Goals by Brennan bookended tallies from
Jayce Dyer and
Matt Gress to close the period.
Dyer,
John Petriccione,
Jimmy Knepp and
Matt Buckley found the back of the net in the second quarter as the Pride extended its lead.
The Blue and Gold found rope five times in the third, four of them coming from Brennan.
The fourth quarter was much like the first with Widener posting a 7-0 differential on goals from
Austin Novick,
George Balascak,
Angus Ballentine, Kala'i,
Colin Wingate, Buckley, and
Elijah Whiting.
Scouting Report
York enters the game 2-0 and is ranked No. 7 in the USILA week 5 poll. The Spartans enjoyed good success on both sides of midfield in their first two contests, outscoring Wilkes and Kings by a combined 47-4.
A balanced offensive attack has been a key for the Spartans as 11 players have multiple goals, led by Will Harnick and Brendan O'Sullivan with seven each. Gavin Dembeck and Eric Ranck have both posted four. Ethan Greene leads the defense with nine caused turnovers with Vinny Facciponti leading the way on the faceoff, winning 72.5 percent (29-of-40).
York goalkeepers haven't faced a ton of shots, but have been up to the task when the opposition generates offense, stopping nine of 13 attempts on net.
Brandon Childs is in his 10th season as the head coach of the Spartans with a 127-41 record at York. He has guided York to the NCAA quarterfinals in three of the last four seasons, falling in overtime twice.
Climbing The Ladder
With his three helpers this season,
Paz Gismondi moved into fifth place all-time for the Pride in assists. Next on the list is Robert Clemens who dished 110 dimes from 2011-14. Gismondi is also closing in on the top-10 in points as his 143 are 25 behind Luke Weber (2005-08).
Top Notch Transition
Coach
Jamie Lockard always puts an emphasis on getting the ball from the defensive side of midfield and into the attacking area. This season, however, Widener has exceeded anyone's expectations, starting a perfect 33-for-33 in clear attempts. The Pride is the only team in NCAA Division III without a failed clear in 2021. Wednesday's opponent has done well in that category itself as York is fifth nationally with a 93.3 percent (42-of-45) mark.
Spreading The Scoring
While teams often have a go-to player when they need a goal, having multiple options so the defense can't key on one player is a big advantage. The Blue and Gold has taken that concept to the extreme this season as 21 players have found the back of the net and 12 have scored multiple times.
Nick Brennan leads the way with six with
Jayce Dyer,
Paz Gismondi,
Mike Kala'i, and
Michael Tagliaferri finding rope four times apiece.
The Votes Are In
In the Week 5 USILA Top-20 Rankings, Widener received seven votes. The Pride is one of three MAC Commonwealth teams either in the poll or receiving votes, joining No. 7 York (Pa.) and No. 15 Stevenson.
Up Next
Widener is back in action on Saturday, March 20, when it hosts Lebanon Valley in MAC Commonwealth contest. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The game can be viewed on the Widener Athletics Digital Network.
