Game Info: Wednesday, April 7 - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Olson Field - St. Davids, Pa.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WidenerLacrosse
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Opening Face-off
Widener returns to MAC Commonwealth play on Wednesday, April 7 for a midweek road matchup against Eastern that has serious implications for the conference standings. Opening face-off is set for 4 p.m.
Last Time Out - @WidnerLacrosse Edges Arcadia In High-Scoring Affair
The Widener University men's lacrosse team upended the Arcadia Knights in an offensive outburst on Saturday afternoon that saw 34 goals between the two sides. The Pride becomes just the second team in program history to advance to 6-1, matching the 1978 squad that also started 6-1 under head coach Ed Dinksi.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Paz Gismondi and Connor Ball both led the Blue and Gold in points with five each off three scores and two assists. Gismondi moves to 100 career assists with Widener, just 10 shy of fourth all-time.
- Connor Heisman recorded his fourth hat trick of the season with four goals on the day.
- Jayce Dyer posted a career-high four points, finding rope twice and dishing two helpers.
- Kenneth Watts went 17-of-28 on face-offs and scooped a team-high five ground balls.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Paz Gismondi got the high-scoring affair started with an unassisted goal just 28 seconds into the game.
Nick DiCicco and Heisman also found rope early, but five Arcadia scores put the Pride down 5-3 after 10 minutes. Heisman quickly followed up with two quick back-to-back goals to get his hat trick before the first quarter ended. Two Arcadia scores in the period's final minutes put the Knights up 6-5 after one.
Both sides continued to exchange points in the second with a pair of goals from DiCicco and
Nick DiIorio putting the Blue and Gold up two at the quarter's midpoint. However, consecutive Widener penalties at the five minute mark allowed the Knights to pick up two man-up scores to lock the tally at 12 entering halftime.
The Pride took its biggest lead of the day with three straight goals to open the second half, including two from
Paz Gismondi to give him his second hat trick of the season. However, once again Widener penalties gave the Knights the opportunity they needed and four straight Arcadia goals followed by another from the Pride tied the score at 16 with nine minutes remaining in the game. Both teams played hard defense in the finals minutes, but it was
Mike Kala'i who found rope at the 3:17 mark to give the Pride the go-ahead goal. Dyer netted one more in the final minute to ice the game as the Blue and Gold rolled to its sixth victory of the season.
Scouting Report
Eastern enters the matchup 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the MAC Commonwealth coming off two straight wins over Messiah and DeSales. Widener is 3-3 all-time against the Eagles with their last meeting coming as an 12-9 Eastern win on March 30, 2019.
Leading the Eagles' attack is sophomore Nicholas Fanelli who has racked up 26 points this season off 19 goals and seven assists. Nicholas's brother Kyle Fanelli sets up much of the offense and leads the team with 12 helpers to go along with 12 goals of his own. Defensively, Chris Dunning tops the squad in caused turnovers with 12 and has scooped a team-high 47 ground balls. Between the pipes, first year Ethan Myers leads the MAC Commonwealth in goals against average (8.38) and ranks second in save percentage (58.9).
Kevin Wallace is in his 10th year at the helm for the Eagles and has taken the team to the NCAA Tournament three times in that period.
Historic Start
With its win over Arcadia, the Blue and Gold matched its best seven game start start in program history at 6-1. It ties the 1978 squad that also began 6-1 under head coach Ed Dinski.
Mr. 100
With his two helpers against Arcadia,
Paz Gismondi became just the fifth Pride player to eclipse 100 career 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 155 are 23 behind Luke Weber (2005-08).
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 25 players have found the back of the net and 17 have scored multiple times.
Connor Heisman leads the way with 19 with
Nick DiCicco and
Matt Buckley finding rope 15 and 14 times, respectively.
The Votes Are In
In the Week 9 USILA Top-20 Rankings, Widener received three votes. The Pride is one of three MAC Commonwealth teams either in the poll or receiving votes, joining No. 3 York (Pa.) and No. 11 Stevenson.
Up Next
Widener continues conference play with a home matchup against the Messiah Falcons on Saturday, April 10. Opening face-off from Quick Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
