Posted: May 16, 2011
The Roanoke College Men's Lacrosse Team will square off against Stevenson University for the fourth time in two years Wednesday, May 18 at 4 p.m. in Baltimore, MD. This NCAA Div. III National Quarterfinal contest will be played on the campus of Stevenson at Caves Athletic Complex.
The Mustangs enter the game with an 18-2 record, ranked third in the country. They have a 10-0 record at home this spring, including a 6-2 mark against teams ranked in the USILA Top-20 poll. Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year Jimmy Dailey has totaled 58 goals and 58 assists for a team-best 116 points. The Mustangs have six players this season with at least 22 goals, led by Neal Barthelme, who has 73 on the year.
The Maroons (16-3) are hot, riding an 11-game win-streak into Wednesday. In its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance, Roanoke is treading familiar territory, with its sixth post-season appearance in seven years. The program is entering its 21st national quarterfinal contest, and with a win on Wednesday it would give the Maroons a ninth trip to the national semifinals.
ODAC Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Justin Tuma (Bloomfield Hills, MI, Lahser) leads the Maroons with already single-season school-records in groundballs (188) and face-off wins (246). He is currently ranked fifth in the country in groundballs per game (10.12) and 19th in face-off win percentage (63%). The Maroons as a team are second in NCAA Div. III in groundballs per game.
Richard Lachlan (Port Coquitlam, B.C., Terry Fox Secondary) leads the nation's third-best offense with 54 goals, followed by leading scorer Jeff Keating (Chatham, NJ, Chatham) (80pts) with 48 this spring. Keating, who has nine man-up goals this season, heads a team that is ranked eighth nationally in that category. His 4.06 points per game is 32nd on the national scale individually. He trails his older brother, Chris Keating, by 10 points for 10th all-time at Roanoke. Keating needs three points to become third on the single-season scoring list, 12 to break the record.
This special group has defied the odds by claiming its third-straight undefeated conference record, en route to capping back-to-back ODAC Championships. This season was considered by many in pre-season as a rebuilding year, after losing 15 seniors, which included five USILA All-Americans and two national position players of the year.
This spring the Maroons have overcome adversity, with attackmen Trey Keeley (Lancaster, PA, Conestaga Valley High School) and Noah Gibby (Terrace Park, OH, Mariemont) lost for the season due to injury, to prevail in the post-season. On Saturday, the first seven goals of a 15-9 NCAA Second Round win against #12 Gettysburg was scored by seven different players. Joey Coretti (East Grand Rapids, MI, East Grand Rapids ) has been on a tear in the NCAA Tournament, scoring seven goals in two games.
For complete game notes, click HERE. To watch the game live, click HERE.
