NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University men's lacrosse team will face off against Rivier University at home for a midweek game on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The game against the Raiders will be the second Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest for both squads.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 11th meeting between the two programs dating back to 2011 when the Cadets ungraciously opened the series with an 18-0 win. The Cadets have been nearly flawless in the all-time matchup winning 9-of-10 previous contests. Norwich has outscored the Raiders 128-61 over time and has recorded two of the program's 12 shutouts against Rivier.
LAST MEETING
The teams last met in a game on April 9, 2019, in which the Cadets emerged with an 11-6 victory on Sabine Field. The game was a defensive battle with only one goal scored through the first 12 minutes of action. After carrying a 4-2 lead through halftime, Norwich used a 5-1 run through the third quarter to seal the victory. Graduate Jack Anzalone tallied three assists and senior Payden Masaracchia ended up with a goal and two assists on the day. Senior Dylan McSparren notched four goals for Rivier in the loss.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Rivier (1-0) is coming off a season-opening 18-7 win over GNAC rival St. Joseph (Conn.) loss at home last Saturday. The victory was a boon for a program that features 20 freshmen and just four seniors. The Raiders were led by freshman Connor Eck who had a whale of debut scorching the nets for eight goals. McSparren deposited four goals of his own to go with three assists with two other players registering multi-goal games. Senior goalie Ben Fitzpatrick made 14 saves posting a 70.0 save percentage while allowing just six goals in 45 minutes. The defense held the Blue Jays to 28 shots while forcing eight turnovers, two coming from freshman Robert DelPrete.
SCOUTING THE CADETS
Norwich (2-1) is also coming off a win as the Cadets emerged from a close battle with Saint Joseph's (Maine) with a 13-9 victory. The Cadets went back and forth with SJC for the first half entering the break all square at 5-5. Norwich used an 8-1 run through the third and fourth quarters to effectively seal the win. Through three games, the Cadets have utilized quality defense to limit opponents to just a 47.7 percent SOG percentage while surrendering 27 goals. The offense has tallied 41 goals while registering a 61.1 shots on goal percentage.
Anzalone has been the main offensive catalyst of a well-balanced attack for the Cadets scoring 10 goals and assisting on four others. Eight players have at least two goals and the team registers assists on 59 percent of its tallies. Masaracchia has eight points (6G, 2A), while junior Parker Campbell adds five goals and three assists to lead those eight players. Senior Kevin Horchak is second on the team in points with nine (5G, 4A). Defensively, the Cadets have been stingy on allowing quality scoring opportunities giving up just nine goals per game. Senior Sean Wallace and freshman Mason McMahon lead the unit with nine and seven caused turnovers, respectively. Senior goalie Nick Kandra leads the GNAC with 7.43 goals-against-average.
LIVE COVERAGE
Due to safety precautions this season, no spectators will be allowed at the athletic facilities, however, the game will be live-streamed on the Norwich Broadcast Network.
UP NEXT
Norwich will hit the road when it continues its GNAC schedule on Saturday with a game against St. Joseph (Conn.) at 1 p.m.
