ROCHESTER, NY – The top-seeded RIT (17-1) men's lacrosse team will host No. 2 seed Union College (13-3) in the 2019 Liberty League Men's Lacrosse Championship at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 4 on RIT's Turf Field.
The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in this week's USILA Division III Men's Lacrosse poll, advanced to the title game with a 17-13 win over No. 18 St. Lawrence in Wednesday's semifinal.
Dawson Tait (Ottawa, Ontario/Mother Teresa) led the Tigers with five goals and seven points. Union, ranked No. 12 nationally, advanced to the championship on the heels of a 13-8 win over No. 19 Rensselaer Wednesday.
RIT is vying for its eighth straight Liberty League title, while the Dutchmen are seeking their first crown since 2011. The Tigers have won seven straight Liberty League Tournament titles and nine straight conference championships dating back to RIT's days in the Empire 8.
The Tigers enter Saturday as the highest scoring team in the Liberty League, averaging 17.22 goals per game. RIT has outscored its opponents 310-143 this season and are third in Division III with 207 assists. The Tigers lead the Liberty League, converting 52.2 percent (36-of-69) of their man-up chances.
RIT features 14 players with 10 or more points and 11 with at least 10 goals. Senior
Shawn Nally (Rochester, NY/McQuaid) leads RIT and is second in the league with 69 points. He is second in the league with 29 assists, and tied for third with 40 goals.
Ryan Barnable (Whitby, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) is second on the team and sixth in the league with 64 points.
Dawson Tait (Ottawa, Ontario/Mother Teresa) is third on the team in scoring with 59 points on 33 goals and 26 assists and leads the Tigers with nine man-up goals.
Cam Isaac (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) is tied for sixth in the league with 37 goals.
Defensively, RIT is third in the Liberty League, allowing 7.94 goals per game. RIT is second in Division III, with 783 ground balls. The Tigers have won 61.2 percent of its face-offs this season, good for second in the league, and are third in the league, causing 10.89 turnovers per contest.
Nick Montemorano (Victor, NY/Victor) is third in the league, winning 62.1 percent of his draws and is third, averaging 4.28 ground balls per game. Senior
Chandler Allen (Ilderon, Ontario/Medway) leads the team and is tied for second in the league causing 1.94 turnovers per contest.
Walker Hare (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville) is 17-1 in net this season and enters Saturday third in the league with an 8.38 goals against average and second with a .607 save percentage.
Union advanced to the championship with a 13-8 win over No. 18 Rensselaer in the semifinal Wednesday. Kerry Lynne led Union with five goals. Hayden Frye tallied three goals, while John Edmonds finished with two goals and two assists. Jack Santilli picked up the win in net for the Dutchmen, making 15 saves. The Dutchmen led 9-0 at halftime.
Union enters Saturday third in the league in scoring, averaging 13.60 goals per game. The Dutchmen are second defensively, allowing 7.94 goals per contest. Union has won 60.1 percent of its face-offs, averages 38.27 ground balls per game and is just 5-of-40 (.125) on man-up chances.
Lynne leads Union in goals (35) and points (42). Frye is second on the team with 41 points on 31 goals and 10 assists, and Keaton McCann is third with 29 goals and 38 points. Santilli leads the Liberty League with a .609 save percentage, and is second with a 7.44 goals against average.
RIT is 21-3 all time versus Union. The Tigers defeated the Dutchmen 12-9 in the regular season finale on April 24. Barnable led RIT with three goals and five points, while Nally finished with three goals. McCann led Union with three goals. Hare got the win in net, making 11 saves. Santilli took the loss for Union, making seven stops.
The winner of Saturday's championship will earn the automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship. The Tigers are looking for their tenth straight berth in the national tournament and 22nd trip overall in program history.
