Men's Lacrosse Face Hofstra at Rafferty, Friday
The ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ University men’s lacrosse team concludes the regular season and caps a three-game homestand under the lights at Rafferty Stadium with a visit from Hofstra on Friday, April 24. Opening faceoff on Conway Field is slated for 7 p.m.
The Stags enter their final Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest in contention for at least a share of the CAA regular season title and in the hunt for the top seed in the upcoming CAA Championship.
¼â½ÐÊÓƵ’s Last Time Out: turned and fired the game-winning goal one minute into the second overtime period as ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ outlasted visiting Delaware, 12-11, on Saturday, April 18. Sperry and each tallied four points for the Stags with two goals and two assists apiece.
The Stags also got a pair of markers from and , who picked up an assist for a career-best three points on the day. , , and also scored goals for ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ.
The Stags were dominant at the faceoff ‘X’, led by a 16-for-24 showing from . The four-time CAA Rookie of the Week also hauled in 10 ground balls off of draws. added a 3-for-3 day in the circle to round out ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ’s 19-for-27 (.704) win percentage.
made 10 saves between the posts with two ground balls. Also on the defensive end, picked up three ground balls and recorded a pair of caused turnovers.
Scouting Hofstra: The preseason favorite in the CAA, Hofstra enters the final weekend of the regular season at 5-8 overall and 2-2 in the CAA. The Pride need a victory to qualify for the postseason and can secure the CAA’s top seed with a win, a Towson loss to Drexel and a UMass loss to Delaware. However, a loss by Hofstra at ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ would eliminate the Pride from playoff contention.
CAA Preseason Player of the Year Sam Llinares leads Hofstra with 32 goals and 24 assists to account for his 56 total points. Mike Malave adds 28 goals for the Pride, who are scoring 9.92 goals per outing.
Defensively, Hofstra cedes 8.23 goals per contest. Goalkeeper Chris Selva, the reigning CAA Player of the Week after stopping 12 shots while allowing only two goals in a win over then-No. 12 Towson, owns an 8.07 goals-against average and .521 save percentage this spring.
The Stags and Pride shared two common non-CAA opponents in 2015 as both clubs defeated Manhattan and Providence prior to the start of the conference slate.
Including last season’s win in Hempstead, Hofstra owns a 4-1 lead in the all-time series with the Stags. The teams are meeting for the fifth consecutive season.
¼â½ÐÊÓƵ’s lone win in the series was a 10-9 triple overtime victory during the 2012 campaign. Brent Adams notched the game-winner for the Stags, and John Snellman scored four times in the triumph on Long Island.
