PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse squad (3-7, 0-2 NEC) will host Hobart (4-6, 1-1 NEC) in Northeast Conference action this Saturday, April 8. Opening face-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Sweeney Field. The Hawks enter the NEC match-up looking to snap a four-game losing streak, while the Statesmen have lost two in a row, including to #2 Syracuse on Wednesday evening.

Former players, parents and their families are welcome for Alumni and Family Day. Lunch to be provided. RSVP online at alumni.sju.edu/mlax.

Live streaming of both 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.

With four first-place votes, Saint Joseph's was predicted to win the 2017 NEC title, as voted on by the league's seven head coaches and announced on February 7. The Hawks won the regular-season title outright in 2014 and 2015 and shared it last spring and are 17-3 in regular-season conference games since joining the league in 2014. The Statesmen, who currently sit fourth in NEC standings, was predicted to finish second.

Saturday's game will be a battle at the X, as Saint Joseph's senior specialist Danny Manning's 57.8 percent goes up against Hobart's Matthew Pedicine's 54.8 percent from the circle.

Backstopped by Saint Joseph's senior goalkeeper T.J. Jones' average of 11.10 saves per game, which ranks second in the NEC, SJU's defensive unit will go up against a Hobart offense that leads the league in scoring offense at an average of 11.80 goals per game. 

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will mark the eighth all-time meeting between Saint Joseph's and Hobart. The Statesmen lead the series, 4-3, but the Hawks own a 3-2 edge since sixth-year head coach Taylor Wray took over the program. Saint Joseph's will look to avenge an 11-7 loss to Hobart in the NEC title game last spring.

All-Time Series Results:
2016 - L - 11-7 - Home (NEC Championship Game)
2016 - W - 13-5 - Away
2015 - W - 7-6 (OT) - Home
2014 - L - 10-9 (2OT) - Home (NEC Semifinals)
2014 - W - 15-8 - Away       
2009 - L - 12-7 - Home
2008 - L - 8-3 - Away

ABOUT THE HAWKS
The Hawks have seen their season happen in streaks. After opening the season with a trio of losses to then-nationally-ranked teams in Maryland (16-8), Penn (10-5), and Duke (16-3), the Hawks finished the non-conference schedule with three consecutive wins over St. John's (8-5), Manhattan (18-6), and Monmouth (6-5 OT) before dropping its most recent four contests at Drexel (12-8), Delaware (12-7), and Bryant (8-7), in the NEC opener, and against Robert Morris (13-7) last Saturday.

Junior attackmen Jason Kelly and Chris Blewitt lead the squad in scoring with 24 points apiece; Kelly's 19 goals lead SJU while Blewitt sports a team-best eight helpers to go with 16 goals.

Senior face-off specialist Danny Manning owns a 57.8 percent winning percentage from the X (96-for-166) to go with 32 ground balls, including a career-high nine last time out against Robert Morris, while junior Austin Smith's 35 ground balls are a team-best. Senior defenseman Connor Kubikowski, who has earned the last five starts, has gone for 24 ground balls and a team-best 12 caused turnovers while senior goalkeeper T.J. Jones (3-7, 0-2 NEC) sports a .529 save percentage and 10.27 goals against average in 578:31, including all 10 starts between the pipes in all but 22:37 on the year.

SCOUTING HOBART
The Statesmen are 1-1 in NEC play with a 17-5 home win over Wagner and an 8-7 road loss to Sacred Heart. Chris Aslanian tallied 13 points (6g, 7a) in the win over the Seahawks while Jackson Brown made 14 saves in the loss to the Pioneers.

Hobart won two of its first three outings to open the season with a 21-15 loss to then-#15/14 Penn State before back-to-back wins over Siena (16-15) and Cornell (16-8). The Statesmen then dropped three in a row to Binghamton (12-6), Colgate (13-6), and Georgetown (16-6) before downing Canisius (18-11) to open NEC play. After the 1-1 NEC start, Hobart most recently fell to #2 Syracuse, 17-11, on Wednesday evening as the Orange dominated in EMOs (5-for-5) and man-down defense (Hobart went 0-for-4 in EMOs) backed by a career-high 17 saves from goalkeeper Evan Malloy.

Aslanian (13g, 15a) and Frank Brown (16g, 12a), who had five points vs. Syracuse, lead Hobart's offense while Matt Pedicine averages 54.8 percent from the X. Jackson Brown (3-6, 1-1 NEC) sports a 12.32 goals against average and .476 save percentage in 530:55, all but 69:05 on the year.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Saint Joseph's senior goalkeeper T.J. Jones and senior defensemen Charles Giunta and Shane Taggert have been selected as candidates for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate men's lacrosse, it was announced on Thursday afternoon. Twenty of the top NCAA men's lacrosse student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates, and Saint Joseph's leads all NCAA Division I men's lacrosse programs with three candidates selected. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Read more here.