PHILADELPHIA – After winning a pair of Northeast Conference games on the road, the Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team (7-2, 2-0 NEC) will return home to host Sacred Heart (2-8, 0-2 NEC) in league action this Saturday, April 9. The third NEC match-up of the season for both teams is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Sweeney Field. The Hawks enter the game having won four straight, while Sacred Heart has dropped its last seven contests.

Live streaming of all three remaining regular-season home games will be available free of charge through NEC Front Row. For system requirements and best streaming practices, please visit: NEC Front Row. Live stats will also be provided via SJUHawks.com. 

On a national scale, Saint Joseph's ranks in the top ten of 10 team categories, including scoring margin (3rd, 6.00), shot percentage (4th, 37%), scoring offense (6th, 13.44), points per game (7th, 21.22), scoring defense (8th, 7.44), face-off winning percentage (8th, 62.2%), clearing percentage (9th, 89.7%), assists per game (9th, 7.78), man-down defense (9th, 76.3%), and winning percentage (10th, 77.8%), and also sits 11th in fewest turnovers per game (12.11).

Junior goalkeeper T.J. Jones ranks fifth in save percentage (58.7%) and goals against average (6.77) while junior face-off specialist Mike Lanham ranks ninth in winning percentage from the X (65.1%) and 18th in ground balls per game (5.38). Junior attackman Mike Rastivo ranks 25th in points per game (3.89). Jones and Lanham lead the Northeast Conference in those respective categories.

Sacred Heart ranks ninth nationally in caused turnovers per game (8.70), led by league-leader Ryan O'Donoghue (2.20/game).  

HIGH-FLYING HAWKS
Through nine games, Tewarraton Award Watch List selection Mike Rastivo (21g, 14a) sophomore attackman Chris Blewitt (18g, 11a), and senior midfielder Kevin Forster (15g, 11a) lead SJU with 25+ points while junior midfielder Kevin Reidinger (15g, 1a), sophomore attackman Kyle Cain (13g, 8a), and redshirt sophomore midfielder Hayes McGinley (11g, 7a) have also scored double-digit goals for the Crimson and Gray. Junior face-off specialist Mike Lanham has gone 65% (97-of-149) from the X and has won 16 face-off opportunities in four different games this season to go with a team-best 43 ground balls. Senior John Winchell (team-best 10ct) and juniors Charles Giunta and Shane Taggert have anchored SJU's defensive unit. Junior goalkeeper T.J. Jones (7-2, 2-0 NEC) sports a 6.77 goals against average and .587 save percentage in 505:12.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will mark the seventh all-time meeting between the Hawks and the Pioneers; Saint Joseph's owns a 4-2 series edge and is 2-0 under the direction of head coach Taylor Wray, outscoring the Pioneers 34-17 over the past two seasons. The Hawks and Pioneers split back-to-back games played between 2000-01 and back-to-back games played between 1993-94. Saint Joseph's game played against Sacred Heart on March 22, 1993 was just the fourth game in the program's history.

SCOUTING SACRED HEART
After starting the season 2-1 with a win over Lafayette (12-8), loss at then-#20 Stony Brook (17-8), and win over Dartmouth (10-8), the Pioneers have lost seven straight to then-#1/#2 Denver (18-7), Air Force (13-10), Providence (11-8), Vermont (9-8 OT), Robert Morris (12-7), Mount St. Mary's (19-16), and, most recently, #1/#3 Yale (19-3) on Tuesday. Sacred Heart is led by Brian Masi (18g, 11a) while A.J. Boyd (2-3), who sports a 12.65 GAA and .410 save percentage, and Greg Price (0-5, 0-2 NEC), who owns a 13.26 GAA and .462 save percentage, have shared almost even minutes in net. Sacred Heart went 6-7 overall and 2-4 in league play last season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hawks scored the first ten goals of the game and cruised to a 15-6 victory over Wagner in Northeast Conference action at Hameline Field this past Saturday afternoon. Senior midfielder Kevin Forster tallied a game-high five points on one goal and four assists while redshirt sophomore midfielder Hayes McGinley posted four points on two goals and two assists. 10 Hawks scored and a total of 14 Hawks tallied at least one point in the victory. Saint Joseph's won a season-high 21 possessions from the face-off in 25 opportunities for a season-high 84% from the X, in large part due to the 16-of-18 effort from junior specialist Mike Lanham, who added a game-best eight ground balls. Junior goalkeeper T.J. Jones (7-2, 2-0 NEC) made eight saves and allowed five goals in the first 51:42. With the victory, the Hawks have now won all 14 consecutive regular-season NEC games since joining the league for Spring 2014. For their efforts, Lanham was tabbed the NEC Co-Player of the Week, while Jones earned his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Week nod.

HAWKS PICKED SECOND IN NEC PRESEASON POLL
The Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team was picked to finish second in the Northeast Conference this season, according to the conference's preseason poll. The Hawks return back-to-back NEC Coach of the Year Taylor Wray, 2015 NEC Offensive Player of the Year and All-NEC First Team selection Mike Rastivo, 2015 NEC Rookie of the Year and All-NEC Rookie Team pick Chris Blewitt, back-to-back All-NEC First Team defenseman John Winchell, and 2015 All-NEC Second Team picks Pat Swanick (A), Kevin Forster (M), and Mike Lanham (FOS). Saint Joseph's returned 31 letterwinners and added 14 newcomers to the field for the 2016 season.

VOTES, VOTES, VOTES!
On the heels of a 15-6 win over Wagner this past Saturday, Saint Joseph's received votes in the Cascade/Maverik Media Poll for Week 8, it was announced on Monday afternoon, marking the second time in three weeks that SJU has received votes in the poll. The Hawks have won four straight, outscoring their opponents 58-26 during that span.

RECORD WATCH
Entering the weekend, Saint Joseph's junior attackman Mike Rastivo ranks eighth in goals (91), ninth in points (131), and 10th in shots (235) at SJU; the junior also sits one helper shy of breaking onto the all-time list for career assists. Junior goalkeeper T.J. Jones ranks eighth all-time in career saves (264).

RASTIVO NAMED TO TEWAARATON AWARD WATCH LIST
Saint Joseph's junior attackman Mike Rastivo was selected to the 2016 Tewaaraton Award watch list, the Tewaaraton Foundation announced on February 23. The list includes the top men's lacrosse players across all three divisions of NCAA lacrosse and highlights the early contenders for the 2016 Tewaaraton Award, presented by Under Armour. The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. The selection committees are made up of premier collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. Five men's and five women's finalists will be announced on May 12 and invited to the ceremony. The 16th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C., on June 2.

On SJU's all-time career lists, Rastivo ranks eighth in goals (91), ninth in points (131), and 10th in shots (235). The junior also owns a point scoring streak of 31 games, which ranks 11th among active Division I players. 

SWANICK NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST, WINCHELL CANDIDATE
Ten NCAA® men's lacrosse student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as finalists for the 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award® for collegiate lacrosse, and Saint Joseph's senior attackman Pat Swanick was tabbed a finalist for the prestigious award. All of Swanick's achievements in the areas of community, classroom, character, and competition can be found in his Senior CLASS Award biography. Fan balloting counts for 1/3 of the total with the remaining 2/3 determined by NCAA Division I coaches and national media members, and fans can vote for Pat now through May 9!

Senior defenseman John Winchell was also honored by the Senior Class Award, having been selected one of 20 original candidates back on February 16.