April 13, 2009
Game Notes
PHILADELPHIA -- Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse will enter a new era on Wednesday when the Hawks-Mountaineers game will be broadcast on the internet airways. The game, set for 4:00 p.m., in Emmitsburg, Md. pits SJU against Mount St. Mary's as the Hawks look to capture their first win against The Mount in Maryland since 1995.
Saint Joseph's Hawks
(4-7; 2-3 MAAC)
at
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers
(2-7; 2-2 MAAC)
Game #12 • April 14, 2009 • Waldron Family Stadium • Emmitsburg, Md. • 4:00 p.m.
GAME DAY
VENUE (CAPACITY): Waldron Family Stadium (1,000)
SURFACE: FieldTurf
FREE AUDIO STREAMING: www.sjuhawks.com
COMMENTATORS: Jeremy S. Fallis (play-by-play), Nino Vanin (color)
SERIES RECORD VS. MSM: Mount St. Mary's leads 11-4
HAWKS' NEXT GAME: April 18, Senior Day vs. Marist, 1:00 p.m. at Finnesey Field
GAME STORIES
• Saint Joseph's is looking to snap a two-game losing streak overall and win the first game in April.
• Sean Evans is the only Hawk to compile more than 20 points, leading the team in goals (16) and assists (10).
• The Hawks are looking to regain their penalty killing ways against The Mount. SJU was second nationally entering the Manhattan game allowing just six goals in the man-down situation, but gave up three goals to the Jaspers.
• Two more defensemen--Keith Belson and Pat Harner--tallied their first collegiate points against Manhattan. In the last three games, Rob Saraceni, Tom Wengenosky and Belson have recorded goals while Pat Williams and Harner have notched assists with the long pole.
GAME NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: Manhattan used an 8-2 run in the second half to break open a 5-5 halftime deadlock to down Saint Joseph's, 13-7, at rainy Finnesey Field on Saturday. Ian Kelly led the Hawks with two goals and an assist, while Sean Evans added a pair of his own. Keith Belson scored his first career goal and Pat Harner recorded his first point on an assist to Kelly.
SCOUTING THE MOUNT: Mount St. Mary's is riding high after toppling MAAC co-leader Providence, 7-5, at home on Saturday. MSM is 2-7 overall and 2-2 in the conference after defeating VMI and dropping contests to Canisius and Marist. The Mount's main weapon is goalkeeper T.C. DiBartalo who has logged over 521 minutes with an 8.29 goals against average and a .596 save percentage. On the offensive end, Christian Kellett is the co-leader in goals (7) and leads the squad in assists (10) and points (17). Cody Lehrer is tied with Kellett with seven goals. The MSM offense has struggled, averaging just 5.33 goals scored including tough losses against nationally-ranked Virginia (10-2) and Navy (6-2).
OPPOSITE ENEMIES: The two Mountaineer victories have come against teams--Manhattan (12-9) and Providence (7-5)--which beat Saint Joseph's. The Hawks' last two losses have been to Providence (5-4 in 4OTs) and Manhattan (13-7).
SERIES HISTORY
SAINT JOSEPH'S vs. MOUNT ST. MARY'S
All-Time Series: MSM leads 11-4
SJU Streak: 1 win
First Meeting: 4/8/95, SJU 10-9
Last Meeting: 4/16/08, SJU 4-3
Last SJU Win: 4/16/08, 4-3
Last MC Win: 4/18/07, 9-8 (2OT)
Coach Cullinan vs. MC: 1-3
Saint Joseph's snapped a eight-game losing streak to MSM last season with the fewest goals scored in a Hawks' victory, 4-3, at Finnesey Field...SJU has lost six in a row at The Mount...The last Hawk triumph in Emmitsburg came against top-seeded Canisius, 10-9, in the 2007 MAAC Tournament.
Last 5 Games Notes
4/16/08 W 4-3 H
4/18/07 L 8-9 A 2OT
4/26/06 L 5-7 H
4/20/05 L 10-16 A
5/1/04 L 12-16 H
RETURNING REGULARS: Dan Marroccoli and Chris O'Neill made their returns against Manhattan. Marroccoli, a starting defensemen early in the season, saw limited time against the Jaspers, while O'Neill made his conference debut against Manhattan.
PC CLIPS HAWKS: A late Charlie Gorman goal, scored just 10 seconds from the end of regulation, sent Saint Joseph's and Providence into overtime. It wasn't until a Bobby Labadini fourth-overtime score did the game end. Scott Cullinan scored two goals for SJU and Erik Hotaling made 12 saves in 74 minutes, giving up just five goals.
CRUISING PAST THE KEYDETS: SJU scored nine of the first 11 goals of the game, cruising to a 9-6 win over VMI on Saturday. Sean Evans led the way with two goals and two assists and Charlie Gorman chipped in with a pair of tallies and an assist. Erik Hotaling made 12 saves, allowing just five goals for the Hawks' second MAAC win.
OFFENSIVE DEFENSE: Three long sticks got into the scoring act against VMI providing an unexpected spark to the SJU offense. Tom Wengenosky and Rob Saraceni made coast-to-coast runs cutting through the Keydets' defense to score goals. Wengenosky was credited with the game-winning tally, the first of his career. Pat Williams also found away into the scoring ledger when he made a long clearing pass to Charlie Gorman who one-timed it into the back of the net for SJU. Keith Belson scored his first career goal against Manhattan while Pat Harner fed Ian Kelly's second goal for Harner's first career assist.
FIRST MAAC WIN: The Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team took out the Canisius Griffins, 7-6, on Saturday at Demske Sports Complex. Charlie Gorman scored three times and Erik Hotaling made 10 saves to fend off a late Griffs rally. Joey D'Avanzo and Tom Dunn gave SJU a quick 2-0 lead. The Hawks would lead wire-to-wire. In the pivitol fourth period, Saint Joseph's clung onto a tenuous 5-4 lead. Dunn added his second goal of the day 2:16 into the period to double the lead. Scott Cullinan scored his only goal of the game came just 4:39 later on a Sean Evans' assisted marker. Cullinan's tally gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game.
HAWKS SUFFER THREE-GAME SKID: The Hawks couldn't come all the way back against Bellarmine in an 8-7 loss to the Knights at Franklin Field. Erik Hotaling made 16 saves to keep the Hawks in the game. Sean Evans scored a natural hat trick in the fourth to shave a seven-goal Drexel advantage to four, but SJU could get no closer in an 8-4 loss to the Dragons. The Hawks then opened MAAC play at Siena, allowing the Saints to blow open a 4-3 lead to a 13-4 final score line.
HISTORIC WIN AGAINST RUTGERS: SJU earned its first victory over an ECAC opponent when the Hawks defeated Rutgers, 10-7 on February 28. Saint Joseph's used a 4-1 scoring advantage in the second half to break a 6-6 deadlock with the Scarlet Knights. It was the first win over Rutgers in six tries as Charlie Gorman led the Hawks with two goals and two assists. Additionally, Scott Cullinan registered three tallies and Erik Hotaling made nine saves to preserve the win for Saint Joseph's, which helped Hotaling earn MAAC Defensive Player of the Week.
BEST TRANSFERS: As named by Christian Swezey of Inside Lacrosse, Charlie Gorman was announced as the "Best D-III to D-I Transfer" last week for his four-point effort against the Scarlet Knights. Gorman, who spent two years at Dickinson, also provided the game-tying goal at Lehigh. Sean Evans, the team's leader in scoring, is a transfer as well arriving on Hawk Hill via Towson in 2008.
EARLY NON-CONFERENCE WRAP: The Hawks are 2-4 in their non-conference slate and have just one game left, a road trip to Penn State on April 25. Saint Joseph's openen the season with a 13-2 loss at Delaware but bounced back nicely with a come-from-behind victory at Lehigh. Sean Evans struck for the game-winner with 34 seconds remaining in the game. Erik Hotaling's 13 saves earned him MAAC Defensive Player of the Week. Against Hobart, SJU couldn't hang with the Statesmen, who are now ranked nationally, in the fourth period and would fall, 12-7. The two non-conference wins are the most since 2000.
"MR. CLUTCH": For his efforts, Sean Evans earned MAAC Offensive Player of the Week and earned recognition by Inside Lacrosse as "Mr. Clutch" in February. Evans was responsible for three of the Hawks five game-winning goals dating from the end of last season into 2009.
NEXT TIME OUT: Saint Joseph's will return home to take on Marist at 1:00 p.m. on Finnesey Field Saturday afternoon. The Hawks will honor its 14 departing seniors for Senior Day prior to Saturday's game.
