Liberty League Tournament Central
ROCHESTER, NY -- The No. 1 RIT men's lacrosse team begins post-season play on Friday, May 1 when the Tigers host Clarkson University in the semifinals of the 2015 Liberty League Men's Lacrosse Championship at 4 p.m. from Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers earned the top seed and home field advantage throughout the tournament by finishing the regular season 16-0 overall and 7-0 in conference play. The Golden Knights come into the weekend as the fourth seed with a 7-7 overall record, and finished Liberty League regular season play with a 4-3 mark.
The winner moves on to the Liberty League Championship on Sunday, May 3 at 12 p.m. versus the winner between second seeded St. Lawrence University and third seed Union College. The game will be played at the highest remaining seed. Sunday's winner earns the automatic berth into the 2015 NCAA Division III Tournament.
RIT enters this weekend after completing a perfect 16-0 record in the regular season for the third time in four seasons. The Tigers are vying for their fourth Liberty League title in as many years, and a 17th trip to the NCAA Tournament. RIT has won five straight league titles, including three straight Liberty League titles (2012-14) and two Empire 8 titles (2010 & 2011).
The Tigers clinched the top seed in this weekend's tournament with an 18-12 win over St. Lawrence last Saturday.
Ryan Lee (Sharon, Ontario/The Hill Academy) led the Tigers with six points on three goals and three assists.
Eddie Kiesa (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) added four assists, while
Allister Warren (Toronto, Ontario/Malvern Collegiate Institute) scored three goals.
Matt Hossack (Port Perry, Ontario/Port Perry) grabbed seven ground balls, caused five turnovers and dished out a pair of assists. Senior goalie
Pat Johnston (Norwell, MA/Norwell) picked up the win in net for RIT, making 19 saves.
RIT is the highest scoring team in Division III, averaging 18.0 goals per game. RIT has outscored its opponents 288-118 this season and have scored in double figures in all 16 games. RIT's man-up unit is tied for 12th nationally, converting 21-of-48 (43.8%) chances on the season.
RIT features 13 players with 10 or more points, and three players with 50 or more points led by Lee who leads the team in scoring with 72 points on 44 goals and 28 assists. He leads the Liberty League, averaging 4.50 points per game and 2.75 goals per game.
Allister Warren (Toronto, Ontario/Malvern Collegiate Institute) is second in scoring with 57 points (34g, 23a) and
Eddie Kiesa (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) is third with 53 points (33g, 20a). RIT leads the country in assists (192) and assists per game (12.0).
Defensively, RIT allows 7.38 goals per game. Johnston has started every game in net with a 16-0 record, an 8.32 goals against average, and a .592 save percentage. Johnston is the program leader with 51 career wins, posting a 51-4 career record (.927 Win %). Hossack leads the team with 80 ground balls and 39 caused turnovers.
RIT has won 256-of-458 (55.9%) of its face-offs led by sophomore
Steven Ricci (Rochester, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) who has won 87-of-157 (55.4%) draws, while freshman
Jake Quay (Latham, NY/Shaker) has won 119-of-219 draws (54.3%).
Phil Spiridigloizzi (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) has won 38-of-58 (65.5%) of his face-offs.
The Golden Knights come into Friday's semifinal sixth in the conference in scoring, averaging 9.29 goals per game and have outscored their opponents 130-115. Clarkson's man-up unit has scored on 9-of-53 (17.0%) opportunities this season.
Clarkson features seven players with 10 or more points led by Ryan St. Croix who has 38 points on 29 goals and nine assists. Matthew Gold is second on the team in scoring with 36 points on 31 goals and five assists, and Vautour is third in scoring with 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists.
Defensively, Clarkson is second in the conference, allowing 8.21 goals per game and has held its opponents to 10 goals or less in 9-of-14 games. Nick Standholm has started all 14 games in net this season for the Golden Knights, with a 7-7 record with an 8.26 goals against average and a .574 save percentage. Junior defenseman Keith Mierzwa leads Clarkson with 12 caused turnovers.
Clarkson is 171-of-294 (58.2%) on face-offs this season led by Dylan Broomfield who is 167-of-284 (58.8%).
RIT is 26-14 all time against Clarkson, including a 16-7 win in Potsdam on March 21.
Ryan Lee (Sharon, Ontario/The Hill Academy) led the Tigers with three goals and two assists, while St. Croix and Ryan DaRin each had two goals and an assist for Clarkson. RIT has won seven in a row over Clarkson. The Golden Knights last win came in 2009.
