Game Info: Saturday, March 27 - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Thomas Athletic Field - Frederick, Md.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WidenerLacrosse
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Opening Face-off
The Pride hits the road to face the Hood Blazers in a conference matchup on Saturday, March 27. Opening face-off from Frederick, Md. is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Last Time Out - @WidenerLacrosse Downs LVC In MAC Commonwealth Showdown
The Widener University men's lacrosse team downed the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen in a conference matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Pride advances the 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the MAC Commonwealth.
GAME NOTES
- Connor Heisman led the scoring by netting five goals and dishing three assists, marking his 14th career game with three or more goals.
- Nick DiIorio picked up five points off three scores and two assists.
- First year Matt Buckley recorded his first career hat trick, finding the back of the cage three times and picking up four ground balls.
- Junior Zach Politarhos netted his first career goal late in the fourth quarter.
- The Blue and Gold dominated the face-off circle, winning 23-of-29 (79.3 pct.) face-offs on the day. Adam Oldrati went 7-of-10 and Kenneth Watts went 11-of-13. Both players scooped a team-high five ground balls a piece.
- The win marks Widener's 13th straight against Lebanon Valley.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pride struck first with a pair of goals from DiIorio and
Paz Gismondi halfway through the first quarter. The Dutchmen quickly responded with two of their own to even up the score back up after one. In the second quarter, Heisman found the back of the cage twice within 20 seconds to retake the lead. Both sides continued to exchange goals, but LVC's score at the 3:50 mark of the second quarter would be its last of the day. A man-up conversion by
Nick DiCicco opened up a flurry of goals by the Blue and Gold as it netted four straight to go up 11-5 entering halftime.
Widener took that momentum and ran with it in the final two quarters, scoring 10 unanswered goals, including two more man-up opportunities by Heisman, to cement the final tally.
Scouting Report
Hood enters the matchup at 1-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play coming off a 10-8 win over Messiah on Wednesday. Widener is 7-0 all time against the Blazers and has defeated them by an average margin of 9.6 goals per game.
Spearheading Hood's offense is Bentley LeBarron who has picked up eight points this season off six goals and two assists including hat tricks in each of his first two outings. Michael Mullen leads the way defensively with five caused turnovers. In the face-off circle, Garrett Hitchens has come away with 59 percent (23-of-39) of his battles and scooped 10 ground balls. Between the pipes, senior Trenton Lazorchak is saving 59.6% of shots that come his way and is averaging 15.5 saves an outing, marks good for third and second in the conference, respectively.
Brad Barber is in his eighth season at the helm for the Blazers and was the youngest head coach in Division III lacrosse history at the time of his hiring. Since taking over, he has compiled 45 victories, coached 13 All-MAC Commonwealth players, and led the program to its first winning season in 2018.
Climbing The Ladder
With his four 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 145 are 23 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 expectations, going 73-for-79 on clear attempts including a perfect 33-for-33 through its first two games. Its 92.3 percent clearing percentage leads the conference and ranks top-10 in all of NCAAD3.
Familiar Face(off)s
A successful attack starts in the face-off circle. Returning sophomore
Adam Oldrati boasts an impressive 68.1 percent face-off winning percentage this season, dominating 49-of-72 battles so far. He also comes away with the ball on many of his wins and leads the Blue and Gold with 24 ground balls. Junior
Sean Gibson has also won over 60 percent of his face-offs, besting his opponent in 21-of-33 meetings (63.6 pct.).
The Votes Are In
In the Week 6 USILA Top-20 Rankings, Widener received one vote. The Pride is one of three MAC Commonwealth teams either in the poll or receiving votes, joining No. 6 York (Pa.) and No. 14 Stevenson.
Up Next
The Pride stays on the road for a midweek matchup against Delaware Valley on Wednesday, March 31. Opening face-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
