Game Info: Wednesday, May 5 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mustang Stadium - Owings Mills, Md.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WidenerLacrosse
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Opening Face-off
Widener advances to the MAC Commonwealth Championship semifinals to face No. 7 Stevenson on Wednesday, May 5. Opening face-off from Mustang Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Last Time Out - Heisman Reaches Scoring Milestone As @WidenerLacrosse Advances In MAC Commonwealth Championship
The Widener University men's lacrosse team advanced to the MAC Commonwealth semifinals with its 16-10 victory over the Hood Blazers on Saturday afternoon. The win is Widener's fourth straight in the first round of the tournament, dating back to 2017, and is also its first postseason victory against Hood as it moves to 9-0 all-time against the Blazers.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Connor Heisman led the scoring with six goals and an assist as he eclipsed 100 career goals for the Blue and Gold, ending the day at 102.
- Connor Ball posted five points at the strength of two scores and three helpers.
- Chad Allison and Colin Wingate both posted season-highs in scoring with two goals a piece.
- Drew Venit topped all players on the field with nine ground balls and caused two turnovers.
- Adam Oldrati led the way on face-offs, coming away with 8-of-13 (61.5 pct) battles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Heisman opened the scoring with an unassisted goal less than two minutes in. Allison and
Angus Ballentine each followed up with one more each as Widener jumped to an early 3-0 lead. The Blazers responded with a 3-1 scoring run of their own to slash their deficit to one. However, a pair of goals by Heisman to end the period allowed the junior to secure his hat trick and give the Pride a 6-3 advantage after one. Hood was able to edge the Blue and Gold 3-2 in the second to cut Widener's lead to two entering halftime.
The Pride began to pull away in the third, opening quarter with three straight goals. Hood battled back with an ensuing 4-2 scoring run, but a pair of Widener scores in the final five minutes put the game out of reach and cemented the final tally.
Scouting Report
Stevenson enters the matchup as the only undefeated team in the MAC Commonwealth at 7-0. As the top-seeded team, the Mustangs were awarded a bye in the quarterfinal round and have not seen game action since they defeated Hood 16-7 in their regular season finale on Tuesday, April 27.
Spearheading Stevenson's offense are Jacob Tatum and Connor Nelson. Tataum leads the team with 32 points on 22 goals and 10 assists while Nelson has notched 28 on 18 scores and 10 helpers. On face-offs, Shiloh Shassian leads the conference with a 65.9 percent winning percentage and gets the ball on many of his wins, scooping a team-high 26 ground balls.
The Mustangs' defense has been one of the main reasons they have had so much success this season, holding opponents to just 7.0 goals per game. Matt Wilson leads the defensemen with a team-high 16 caused turnovers through seven games. In net, senior Marc Poust is saving 59.6 percent of shots that come his way and boasts a 6.62 goals-against average, a mark good for second in the conference and 12th in the country.
Paul Cantabene is in his 17th season at the helm for the Mustangs, compiling a 234-74 record in that time. He has led his team to seven consecutive MAC Commonwealth titles and 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, winning the national title in 2013 and reaching the semifinals four times.
Familiar Foe
This game will mark the fourth straight tournament that Widener will face the Mustangs. The last meeting came in the 2019 MAC Commonwealth semifinals when the Pride fell 12-8 on May 5, 2019. A win on Wednesday night would represent the first against Stevenson in program history.
100 Club
Two Widener players reached 100 in career scoring categories this spring.
Paz Gismondi became just the fifth Pride player to eclipse 100 assists and currently sits at fourth all-time with 113.
Connor Heisman became the 17th player in the program history to score 100 goals when he netted six against Hood in the quarterfinals. He currently sits at 102 for his career.
#LaxTop5
Against Eastern, senior starting goalkeeper
Carter Landry achieved something not many goalies ever do: he scored the first goal of his career. The play was so unique that it garnered national attention and was featured as the number two play on ESPN's Top Five Lacrosse Plays of The Week during their college lacrosse halftime show.
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. Widener has been successful on 86.1 percent of its attempted clears this spring, a mark good for second in the conference and is 32nd nationally. Lockard's teams have also led the conference in clearing percentage the past two seasons, boasting a percentage of 85.1 percent in 2020 and 84.6 percent in 2019.
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 27 players have found the back of the net and 20 have scored multiple times.
Connor Heisman leads the way with 40 with
Connor Ball coming in next at 23 scores.
Day One Contributors
First year players have played a key role for the Pride this year as three of the team's top-10 point scorers are in their rookie campaigns.
Matt Buckley leads the pack with 19 points off 18 goals and one assist.
Mike Kala'i has recorded 15 off 13 scores and two helpers, including the game-winner against Arcadia.
Nick Brennan rounds out the group with seven points and had his best outing against Alvernia when he led all players on the field in scoring with six goals.
Familiar Face(off)s
A successful attack starts in the face-off circle. Returning senior
Kenneth Watts boasts a 56.2 percent face-off winning percentage this season, dominating 82-of-146 battles so far.
Adam Oldrati and
Sean Gibson also contribute as specialists, posting winning percentages of 57.9 and 60.6 percent, respectively. Oldrati comes away with the ball on many of his wins and leads the Blue and Gold with 47 ground balls this season.
Manning The Man-Up
The Pride's ability to convert on extra man opportunities has been a big reason why its offense ranks in the top-35 nationally, capitalizing on 43.9 percent of man-up chances.
Connor Heisman and
Jayce Dyer's eight man-up goals a piece rank first in the conference and eighth in all of NCAAD3.
Up Next
The winner of the Widener-Stevenson game will face the winner of the York-Eastern semifinal game in the MAC Commonwealth championship game on Saturday, May 8.
