SJU: Roster | Schedule | Stats
PHILADELPHIA – It's time for city lacrosse!
The #20 Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse squad (4-1) is set for the second annual Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic, presented by Rothman Orthopaedics, this weekend. The Hawks will first face Drexel (2-2) this Friday, March 6, with opening face-off set for 5:00 p.m. at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field. Saint Joseph's will then return home to host #9 Penn (1-2) this Sunday, March 8, with opening face-off set for 2:30 p.m. on Sweeney Field as the back end of a doubleheader between Drexel and Villanova, beginning at noon on Sweeney Field.
Live stats will be provided for Friday's neutral-site game vs. Drexel; a live stream will not be available. On Sunday, live stats will be provided for the Drexel vs. Villanova game; a live stream will not be available. Fans can watch SJU's contest against Penn on NEC Front Row, with Shane Taggert '17 on the call.
The nation's top face-off specialist through five games hails from Hawk Hill, as sophomore Zach Cole leads the nation in both face-off winning percentage (76.9%, 83-of-108) and total ground balls (66). Cole ranks third across all of Division I in ground balls per game (13.20) and has gone a combined 86.8 percent (33-of-38) from the X with 26 ground balls in his last two games.
United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Team of the Week and Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week selection Mike Adler (4-1) and his defensive core of seniors Tyler Makar and Josh Bosher and redshirt freshman Joe Burnham will backstop the Hawks, who average just 9.20 goals allowed per game (13th nationally), while the starting attack of redshirt freshman Levi Anderson (11g, 4a), freshman Matt Bohmer (8g, 5a), and junior Matt Tufano (5g, 7a) will lead the offensive crew.
Drexel dropped its first two games of the season on the road to High Point, 16-15, and Albany, 14-13, before bouncing back with back-to-back home wins over Robert Morris, 24-14, and Marquette, 13-11. The Hawks will look to shut down Matthew Varian, who leads the squad with 19 points on five goals and 14 assists, the latter of which ranks him third in the country in helpers per game (3.50). Ryan Genord (14g, 2a), Collin Mailman (12g, 2a) and Reid Bowering (11g, 2a) are the top offensive threats while at the X, Jimmeh Koita wins at a clip of 48.8 percent (61-of-125) and averages 9.25 ground balls per game, which ranks eighth nationally. The Dragons average 16.3 goals per game. The Hawks allow an average of 9.20 goals per game.
#9 Penn has opened the year with a 17-15 road loss to then-#4 Maryland, a 14-11 road win over then-#10 Duke, and an 18-17 overtime road loss to then-#2 Penn State. The battle at the X will prove to be exciting to watch, as Cole goes up against Penn face-off specialist Kyle Gallagher, who is winning 59.2 percent of his opportunities and comes into Friday's game against Villanova as the national leader in ground balls per game (14.33). Adler and the defensive unit will look to stifle Sean Lulley (12g, 9a), who enters Friday's game against Villanova ranked second nationally in points per game (7.00), only behind Princeton's Michael Sowers. The Quakers enter the weekend allowing 15.3 goals per game yet scoring 15.3 goals per game, on average.
LAST TIME OUT
A complete team effort led the #20 Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse squad to a 10-3 win over Monmouth in non-conference action at Kessler Stadium on February 29. With their third consecutive win, the Hawks improved to 4-1. Sophomore face-off specialist Zach Cole went 87.5 percent from the X (14-of-16) to go with a game-high 10 ground balls, senior goalkeeper Mike Adler (4-1) made 12 saves, junior attackman Matt Tufano scored three goals for his first collegiate hat trick, and freshman attackman Matt Bohmer dished out five assists on SJU's first six goals to lead the Crimson and Gray.
RANKED... AGAIN!
Following a dominant 10-3 road win over Monmouth on Saturday, February 29, the Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse squad remains ranked #20 in the nation in the Nike/US Lacrosse Magazine Media Poll this week. This marks the first time in program history the Hawks have been ranked in consecutive weeks and the third time in the 27-year history of the program in which the Hawks have been ranked, joining the 2018 Hawks (April 30, 2018). Saint Joseph's has also received votes in both the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division I Coaches Poll and Inside Lacrosse Maverik Division I Media Poll for the second week in a row.
ADLER EARNS NATIONAL, CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
After backstopping the #20 Hawks to a 10-3 road win over Monmouth on Saturday, February 29, senior goalkeeper
Mike Adler has repeated as the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week. This marks Adler's second of the season and fifth of his career. Adler made 12 saves and allowed just three goals in the full 60:00 against Monmouth for his fourth win of the season and 21st of his career. The veteran netminder made six stops in each half to go with three ground balls and a caused turnover.
In addition to his NEC honor, Adler was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's Team of the Week.
COMING BACK FROM 2019...
On the offensive end of the field, Saint Joseph's returns 87.8 percent of its goal scoring production from a year ago. Returners with 10 or more goals from last spring include junior attackman Nate Patterson (18g), sophomore attackman Ryan Doran (18g), junior attackman Shane Fable (14g), junior midfielder Austin Strazzulla (11g), junior attackman Matt Tufano (10g), and junior midfielder Evan Campbell (10g).
The defensive end of the field will be led by a veteran group of seniors, as captain Mike Adler returns for his third year between the pipes, Tyler Makar returns for his third year of anchoring the close defensive group, and Liam Hare returns for his second year as SJU's top long stick midfielder.
Coming off of the most successful freshman season a Hawk has ever seen at the X, 2019 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year and 2020 Inside Lacrosse NEC Preseason Team selection Zach Cole is set to enter his second year as SJU's primary face-off specialist.
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