NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The fifth-seeded Norwich University men's lacrosse team will continue its postseason run on Wednesday, Apr. 29, traveling to top-seeded Rivier University for a 7:30 p.m. Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinal matchup on Joanne Merrill Field in Nashua, N.H.
Norwich enters the semifinal at 9-7 overall after delivering one of its strongest performances of the season in Saturday's 19-5 GNAC Quarterfinal win over fourth-seeded Emmanuel College (Mass.). Rivier advanced with a 15-4 quarterfinal victory over eighth-seeded Regis College (Mass.) and remains unbeaten at 16-0 on the year. The winner of Wednesday's semifinal will advance to the GNAC Championship on Saturday, May 2, and will face either second-seeded University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) or sixth-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine.
The Cadets head into the week playing some of their best lacrosse of the spring. Through 16 games, Norwich has totaled 217 goals and 123 assists while averaging 13.56 goals per game. The Cadets have also posted strong possession numbers throughout the season, including 574 ground balls, 185 caused turnovers, and an .813 clear percentage, while limiting opponents to a .701 mark on clears.
Jake Marcotte (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) continues to lead the Norwich offense with 63 points on 37 goals and 26 assists, while
Drew Fleury (Nashua, N.H.) has added 59 points on a team-best 40 goals and 19 assists.
Christian Rainis (Wynantskill, N.Y.) enters Wednesday with 37 points on 30 goals and seven assists, and
Jackson Forbes (Merrimack, N.H.) has contributed 32 points on 22 goals and 10 assists.
Nicholas Wolfgang (New Port Richey, Fla.),
Robbie McAllister (Amherst, Mass.),
Case MacDonald (Burke, Va.), and
David Gosselin (South Burlington, Vt.) have each continued to give Norwich valuable scoring depth behind the top line.
Norwich also carries plenty of momentum from its quarterfinal breakthrough in Boston. The Cadets overwhelmed Emmanuel behind seven points from Marcotte on five goals and two assists, six points from Rainis on five goals and an assist, and five more from Fleury on three goals and two helpers. Forbes added four points, while MacDonald, Gosselin, and Wolfgang all made key contributions in a balanced attacking effort. Norwich controlled the flow of the game throughout, holding a 44-28 edge in shots, a 28-18 advantage in shots on goal, and a 24-for-28 mark on clears while limiting Emmanuel to 12-for-19.
Ryan Magararu (Newtonville, Mass.) won 16 of 27 faceoffs and scooped up nine ground balls, while
Mason Dils (Watervliet, N.Y.) made 13 saves in a full 60-minute effort.
Defensively, the Cadets have continued to rely on a disruptive and experienced core. Dils has started all 16 games in goal and enters the semifinal with 177 saves and a .532 save percentage, while Magararu leads the team with 71 ground balls. Rainis and
Harrison Poquette (South Burlington, Vt.) each carry 17 caused turnovers into the week, while Fleury and
Xavier Ixtlahuac (Carthage, N.Y.) have both added 15.
Rivier, meanwhile, has looked every bit the part of the conference favorite from start to finish. The Raiders have outscored opponents, 244-70, through 16 games while averaging 15.25 goals per game and allowing just 4.38. They have also dominated the possession battle all season, compiling 668 ground balls, a .710 faceoff win percentage, an .880 clear percentage, and 190 caused turnovers.
Conor Walsh leads the Rivier attack with 59 points on 34 goals and 25 assists, while Mason Schultz has scored a team-high 43 goals to go with 10 assists. Aiden Conley has added 48 points, James DelPrete has posted 44, Andrew Nee has contributed 43, and Henri Brochu has chipped in 39, giving the Raiders one of the deepest offensive groups in the conference. In goal, Jake Lydon has handled the bulk of the work and enters the semifinal with 146 saves, a .695 save percentage, and a 16-0 record. At the faceoff X, Owen McDuffie has gone 143-for-194 on the year.
The Raiders were sharp in their quarterfinal win over Regis, using a balanced defensive effort and a huge day from Schultz to move comfortably into the semifinal round. Schultz finished with seven points on six goals and an assist, while Nee and Luke Armano each led the team with five ground balls. Armano and Logan Layton both caused four turnovers, and Lydon made nine saves in the 15-4 victory.
Wednesday's matchup also serves as a rematch of one of Norwich's closest and most encouraging efforts of the regular season. When the two teams met in Nashua on Apr. 4, the Cadets went stride-for-stride with the unbeaten Raiders before falling, 11-10, in overtime.
Drew Fleury led Norwich with six points on four goals and two assists in that contest, while Marcotte and Rainis each posted three points. Dils made 15 saves, and Norwich carried a 9-6 lead into the fourth quarter before Rivier rallied late. That game remains one of the narrowest margins any opponent has played Rivier to all season, and Norwich's 10 goals is the most allowed by Rivier in a game this season.
Now, with a place in the GNAC Championship on the line, Norwich will head back to Nashua for another shot at the top seed.
