Men's Lacrosse | 5/14/2021 9:01:00 AM

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SUNDAY, MAY 16 - 4PM
RIT VS. CORTLAND
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ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's lacrosse team will face Cortland in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Tournament this Sunday (May 16) at 4:00 p.m., hosted by Stockton (N.J.). The Tigers (10-0) were the only squad in the 31-team field to receive a first round bye.

The Tigers are making their 11th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 22nd overall, advancing to the quarterfinals 15 times and the national semifinals on 10 occasions. RIT will be in the hunt for its third national championship game appearance after finishing runner-up in 2013 and 2017.
 
RIT defeated St. Lawrence, 19-6, last Saturday to clinch its ninth-consecutive Liberty League Championship and receive an NCAA Tournament automatic bid.
 
RIT enters Sunday's game averaging 16.9 goals per game, and are ninth nationally with a 52.9 (18-of-34) man-up percentage. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 169-86 this season, including a season-high in the 23-8 victory over Nazareth to open the season (Mar. 10).
 
RIT features eight players with 10 or more points and six players with at least 10 goals. Senior Dawson Tait (Ottawa, Ontario/Mother Teresa), the 2021 Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year, leads RIT with 44 points on 37 goals and seven assists. Larson Sundown (Basom, NY/Akron) is second with 33 points on 14 goals and 19 assists, including  three goals and three assists in the Tigers' 11-9 victory over Union in the Liberty League Tournament Semifinals (May 5) on his way to Liberty League Offensive Player of the Week honors this past week. Senior Quinn Commandant (Rockwood, Ontario/The Kiski School) is third in scoring with 32 points on 22 goals and 10 assists.
 
Defensively, RIT allows 8.60 goals per game and averages 37.6 ground balls per contest. The Tigers have won 55.2 percent of its face-offs (158-of-286), and held opponents to seven man-up goals in 29 chances (75.8 percent).
 
Senior goalie Walker Hare (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville) is 9-0 in net this season. The 2021 Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year enters the weekend with an 8.35 goals against average, and a .583 save percentage. Hare made a season-high 17 saves in the 21-8 win at Clarkson (Apr. 22).

Senior face-off specialist Nick Montemorano (Victor, NY/Victor) has won 122-of-219 (55.7) of his face-offs this season and leads the team with 74 ground balls. The 2021 Liberty League Tournament Most Outstanding Player won 14-of-19 draws, grabbed 11 ground balls and scored two goals in the Liberty League Championship against St. Lawrence. Senior defenseman Patrick Shoemay (Surrey, British Columbia/Holy Cross) leads the team with 35 caused turnovers. 
 
RIT is 23-20 all-time versus Cortland, including a 12-8 road win (March 20) this season. The Tigers have won 10 straight over the Red Dragons and are 11-4 since 2010. RIT has never faced UMass Boston.

Cortland (11-3) defeated UMass-Boston, 24-6, in Saturday's first-round. The Red Dragons earned an automatic bid to this year's NCAA Tournament with an 11-8 win over Geneseo in the SUNYAC Championship game. Cortland is making its 20th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 36th overall, winning the national title in 2006 and 2009.
 
The Red Dragons entered the weekend averaging 14.08 goals per game, while allowing 7.85 per contest. Cortland is 12-of-42 (28.6 percent) on man-up, and have stopped its opponent's man-up 74.4 percent of the time. The Red Dragons enter Saturday's game winning 61.3 percent of its face-offs.
 
Cortland features six players with 20 or more points, and six with 10 or more goals. Junior Dante Yacavone leads the team in scoring with 56 points on 37 goals and 19 assists. Classmate Pat Doyen is second in scoring with 42 points on 25 goals and 17 assists, while Zak Jones is third with 38 points on 28 goals and 10 assists.
 
Junior goalie Marc Esposito has seen the majority of the minutes in net for Cortland. He is 10-3 on the season with a 7.43 goals against average and a .611 save percentage. Senior Brian Williams has won 159-of-242 (65.7 percent) of his face-offs and leads the team with 107 ground balls. Senior long-stick midfielder Mike Nicholson leads the Red Dragons with 11 caused turnovers.
 
SPECTATORS
Fans should check StocktonAthletics.com for information about attending this weekend's games, including COVID-19 protocols and fan attendance policies.