Historic Season Propels Pacers into CSAC Final Saturday
Derek Schmidt looks to dazzle again for the Pacers in the CSAC title game

Historic Season Propels Pacers into CSAC Final Saturday

Men's Lacrosse - 5/2/2014 10:23:00 PM

Scranton, PA - For the first time since 2011, Marywood University will play in the Colonial States Athletic Conference men's lacrosse championship game on Saturday. The second-seeded Pacers face off at Cabrini College at 3:00 pm, following the conclusion of CSAC women's championship game between Neumann University and the Cavaliers.

Marywood comes into the game riding a five-game winning streak. The Pacers are rolling after two decisive back-to-back victories over Gwynedd Mercy University. The Pacers came from behind to defeat the Griffins 11-10 on April 24, thanks to a Riley Dobel game-winning goal with 78 seconds remaining. In the two teams' next meeting in the CSAC semifinals, Marywood obliterated Gwynedd Mercy 14-6 to secure its spot against the Cavaliers.

On the line is an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Pacers have never made a trip to Division III men's lacrosse's biggest dance, while Cabrini has punched its past 13 golden tickets.

"We are excited and honored to be in a position to play for the automtic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament," said men's lacrosse coach Scott Dalgliesh, who makes his first career appearance in the CSAC title game. "It has truly been a family effort this year -- from our staff to our parents to our alumni to our fans to our student-athletes. I am extremely proud of how hard our men have worked all year. They certainly earned the privilege to compete for the CSAC championship."

Last time at the show: Not many teams get a chance to tangle with the Cavaliers, currently ranked fifth in the most recent USILA poll. In Cabrini's 13 year PAC/CSAC championship reign, their narrowest margin of victory came in Marywood's  2011 CSAC final appearance. The game was tied 6-6 with just under seven minutes to play before the Cavaliers scored three straight for a 9-6 victory. Riley Dobel appeared in that game and grabbed two ground balls.

From the comforts of home: Fans that can't attend Saturday's game at Edith Robb Dixon Field in Radnor, Pa. can enjoy the contest from afar. Live stats from the CSAC championship will be made available via the Marywood athletics website. Cabrini will have live video available on its Lacrosse Championships Central website.

Scouting the Pacers: Marywood is led by a program record nine players that received all-CSAC awards this season. Ryan Nowell was a first-team long stick midfielder that provided 88 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers this year. Second-teamer Dylan Swope provided a team-leading 34 assists and 50 points. Sam Trill became the first Pacer to receive all-CSAC awards at multiple positions (attack, midfield). John Werner (2nd team) stabalizes the defense and is coming off a five caused-turnover performance against the Griffins in the regular season finale. Another second-teamer, Michael Squillante, has been dynamite at the X this year, proven by multiple single season records. Scott Slater (HM) leads the team with 38 goals. Brandon Terlizzi and Riley Dobel both added Honorable Mention All-CSAC laurels to their collection. Joe Magargal sits in net with a conference-best .599 save percentage to go with a 8.61 goals-against average.

Scouting the Cavaliers: Corey Elmer was the CSAC Most Valuable Player with 55 goals, 49 assists and 104 points. Damian Sobieski (60 g, 12 a) and Mike Leyden (39 g, 24 a) each posted 50-plus point seasons and carry the Cavalier offense. In all, 16 Cabrini players were awards all-CSAC awards. Defensively, the Cavaliers are balanced by Matt Ward and Mac Feiner. In goal, Austin Marshall (.529 sv%) and Hank Altshuler (.532 sv%) split time.

Record Breakers: Scott Slater sits tied with the single-season goals record with 38 on the year. With one score, he'll break Sam Trill's 2013 mark. Dylan Swope recently broke both the single-season assists and career assists record this year. Michael Squillante owns both the single-season ground balls (121) and faceoff wins (197) records.


 
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