PHILADELPHIA – After knocking off the #20 Quakers to match its program-record eighth consecutive win on Tuesday evening, the Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse squad (8-3, 4-0 NEC) will host Mount St. Mary's (4-8, 1-3 NEC) in the 2018 regular-season home finale this Saturday, April 21. Opening face-off is set for 1:00 p.m. on Sweeney Field. After starting the season 0-3, the Hawks have bounced back with eight straight wins while the Mountaineers snapped a four-game losing skid with a 15-14 win over Hobart last Saturday.

Saint Joseph's, who received votes in this week's Inside Lacrosse/Maverik Lacrosse Division I Media Poll and were predicted to finish fourth in the NEC Preseason Poll, sits atop the NEC standings while Mount St. Mary's is tied for fifth, with Hobart. The Hawks clinched an NEC Tournament berth with their win over the Bulldogs last Saturday, as Saint Joseph's, Bryant, and Robert Morris have all qualified for the postseason. The 2018 NEC Championship is a four-team tournament that will be held on Thursday, May 3 and Saturday, May 5 at the site of the regular-season champion.

Live streaming of Saturday's game 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 at SJUHawks.com.

Backed by redshirt freshman goalkeeper Mike Adler and joined by starting defensemen Nick Buckley, Brendan McNicholas, Tyler Makar, and defensive midfielders Austin Smith, Davis Stoner, Will McNamara, and Liam Hare, SJU leads the conference and ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense at a clip of 8.00 goals allowed per game.

The Hawks will go up against offensive talent Brendan McCarthy, who leads the league in assists per game at 1.92 helpers per outing. 

SENIOR DAY
Prior to the start of Saturday's game, the Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse program will honor senior attackmen Chris Blewitt and Patrick O'Brien, senior midfielders Kyle Cain, Jason Kelly, Hayes McGinley, and Davis Stoner, senior long stick midfielder Austin Smith, senior defensemen Nick Buckley and Brendan McNicholas, senior goalkeeper Pat Dallon, graduate student attackman Mike Rastivo, and graduate student midfielder Will McNamara in a Senior Day ceremony. With 36 wins as a class, four-year letterwinners Blewitt, Cain, Kelly, McNicholas, Stoner, Smith, and Dallon, three-year letterwinners Buckley, McGinley, and Rastivo, two-year letterwinner O'Brien, and recent addition McNamara currently comprise the third winningest class in program history, behind the Class of 2016 and Class of 2017 with 39 wins apiece.

KING OF THE HILL
Graduate student attackman Mike Rastivo scored four goals against Bryant, the third of which broke the all-time, goal-scoring record on Hawk Hill, previously held by Randy McNeill '01 (120). Rastivo now owns 124 career goals with two regular-season games plus a minimum of one postseason game remaining in his collegiate career.

HAWK LEADERS
For the season, the veteran trio of senior attackman Chris Blewitt (team-high 19g, team-high 17a), graduate student attackman Mike Rastivo (team-high 19g, 11a), and senior midfielder Kyle Cain (15g, 3a) have combined for 94 of SJU's 181 points on the year, while rookie attackman Shane Fable has been a factor with 15 points on 12 goals and three assists through seven appearances. 

The veteran trio of senior long stick midfielder Austin Smith (4g, 5a, team-high 34 ground balls, eight caused turnovers), senior short stick defensive midfielder Davis Stoner (5g, 3a, 33 ground balls, team-high 13 caused turnovers), and graduate student midfielder Will McNamara (5g, 5a, 22gb) have completely dominated the transition game this year; all three have appeared in all 11 games and have combined for just 15 turnovers, McNamara with zero. SJU's pair of rookie face-off specialists in Billy Jardeleza (58-of-116) and Tyler Green (34-of-81) have combined to average 46.0 percent from the X while redshirt freshman goalkeeper Mike Adler (7-3, 4-0 NEC) has dominated in goal, sporting a 58.9 save percentage and 8.35 goals against average with 119 saves vs. 83 goals allowed in 596:45.

SCOUTING MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Mount St. Mary's dropped four of its first five games of the season with a trio of losses to Delaware, 16-12, then-#18 Towson, 15-13, and Richmond, 13-10, before earning a win 16-7 win over UMBC followed by a 16-6 loss to then-#17 Georgetown. The Mount then won back-to-back contests over VMI, 16-9, and Mercer, 12-9, before dropping three NEC contests to Bryant, 20-11, then-#20 Robert Morris, 15-5, and Sacred Heart, 10-9. The Mountaineers dropped a 14-9 decision to then-#14 Bucknell before defeating Hobart, 15-14, this past Saturday; Brendan McCarthy (1g, 6a) and Chris DiPretoro (4g) lead the Mountaineer offense.

For the season, McCarthy (18g, 23a) and DiPretoro (32g, 7a) lead the Mount in scoring while Sam Stephan owns 97 ground balls alongside a face-off clip of 54.1 percent (159-294). The Mountaineers have used three different goalkeepers consistenly; Dylan Furnback (1-2, 1-1 NEC) played 51:41 against Hobart and made five saves vs. 12 goals allowed in the win.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the 23rd all-time meeting between Saint Joseph's and Mount St. Mary's. The Mount holds a slight 13-8 all-time series edge, but the Hawks have won the last five contests, all under the direction of seventh-year head coach Taylor Wray, averaging 12.6 goals per game and holding the Mount to 5.8 goals per game. Then-junior attackman Chris Blewitt (2g, 5a) and then-junior midfielder Hayes McGinley (4g) led the Hawks in scoring in their 15-11 road win in the 2017 season finale.

2017 - W - 15-11 - Away
2016 - W - 12-5 - Home
2015 - W - 10-4 - Home (NEC Semifinals)
2015 - W - 16-4 - Away
2014 - W - 10-5 - Home
2010 - L - 18-8 - Home
2009 - L - 7-6 - Away
2008 - L - 18-8 - Home
2007 - L - 9-8 - Away
2006 - L - 7-5 - Home
2005 - L - 16-10 - Away
2004 - L - 16-12 - Home
2003 - L - 8-2 - Neutral (MAAC Championship Game in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
2003 - L - 17-7 - Away
2002 - L - 15-4 - Home
2001 - L - 14-10 - Away
2000 - W - 12-10 - Home
1999 - L - 18-10 - Away
1998 - L - 17-10 - Home
1997 - L - 12-9 - Away
1996 - W - 14-8 - Home
1995 - W - 10-9 – Away

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Also be sure to check out Sideline Photos, LLC's shots from home games vs. Fairfield, St. John's, Drexel, and Bryant at PhotoShelter.com.