Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/13/17
From Press Release
NCAA Tournament Third Round: No. 9 Cabrini University (16-3, 7-0 CSAC) vs. No. 10 Franklin & Marshall College (16-2, 8-0 Centennial), Saturday, May 13, 3pm, Tylus Field, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
Key info:
The winner of Saturday’s tilt will advance to Wednesday’s national quarterfinal, where it will face either No. 1 Salisbury University (18-1) or Hampden-Sydney College (16-5).
This is Cabrini’s 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its time reaching the tournament’s third round. Both of its previous third round appearances (2008, 2012) ended in losses at Salisbury.
Cabrini’s top scorer, Jordan Krug (Cherokee-NJ)
F&M is making its fifth appearance in the tournament and its first since 2003. The Diplomats own a 3-4 all-time tournament record after Wednesday’s second round win.
How Cabrini Got Here
The Cavaliers earned their spot in the 2017 tournament after claiming their 17th consecutive Colonial States Athletic Conference championship and extending their NCAA record CSAC win streak to 108 games.
Cabrini pairs one of the nation’s most dynamic offensive attacks with a stifling defensive effort. The Blue and White rank seventh in Division III with 16.58 goals per game, while surrendering just 7.26, 12th in the nation.
Four Cavaliers have posted north of 50 points on the season, with sophomore Jordan Krug (Cherokee-NJ) leading the way with 71 points and 54 goals. Sophomore Timmy Brooks (Haverford School) and freshman Tyler Kostack (Marple Newtown) have also tallied at least 60 points, with Kostack notching a team high 30 assists despite missing four games.
Freshman Tommy DeLuca leads five Cavaliers with double digit caused turnovers, forcing 24 miscues on the year. Fellow rookie Matt Nestler has manned the Cabrini crease in 18 of the team’s 19 games and owns a 7.62 goals against average, 16th in Division III.
How Franklin & Marshall Got Here
The Diplomats earned an automatic bid to the dance as Centennial Conference champions, after scoring a 9-8 overtime win over Gettysburg in the conference championship game.
F&M key defender Anthony Dougherty (Archbishop Wood)
Franklin & Marshall may be the hottest team in the country, as it has won 16 consecutive games after opening the season with losses to Lynchburg and Frostburg State.
Freshman Kevin Mollihan and junior Sean Rogers provide the spark to the F&M attack, as the duo leads the team with 80 and 79 points, respectively, accounting for nearly 44% of the Diplomats’ offense. Mollihan’s 62 goal lead the team, as do Rogers’ 32 helpers.
Four Diplomats have caused north of 20 turnovers on the season, with senior Anthony Dougherty (Archbishop Wood) notching 37. Sophomore goaltender Scott Hatch has manned the pipes in all 18 games, pairing 142 saves with an 8.75 goals against average.
Junior faceoff specialist Andrew Rose has won just south of 51% of his chances at the X and, with a team high 54 ground balls, leads four Diplomats with north of 50 ground balls.
Cabrini Last Time Out: Cavaliers overpower Colorado, 22-8 in tournament opener (5/10/17, Radnor, PA)
After a slow start, Cabrini found its rhythm in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 10-0 to build a 13-3 halftime lead.
Ten Cavaliers marked the scoring column, led by senior Evan Downey, who posted a career high seven points. Brooks also had a career game, finding the back of the net five times. Krug and Kostack also posted four points each in the win.
The Blue and White’s offensive flow stemmed from a dominance at the faceoff spot, where it went 26-35. Junior Riley Michaels (Pottsgrove) posted a career best 20 faceoff wins in 24 chances and scooped a game high eight ground balls.
Franklin & Marshall Last Time Out: Late rally secures 11-8 win over Elizabethtown (5/10/17, Lancaster, PA)
Trailing 8-7 entering the fourth quarter, the Diplomats scored four goals in a four minute span to claim victory and advance to Saturday’s third round.
Senior Mike Rama (Upper Dublin) led F&M with three goals and an assist, while Rogers marked the scoring column twice. Six other Diplomats notched unassisted goals in the win.
Rose claimed wins in 12 of his 21 chances at the faceoff spot, while freshman Jarrett Donaghy scooped a team high six ground balls.
Dougherty and junior Read Ziegler anchored a defensive effort that allowed just 29 shots. The duo accounted for nine of F&M’s 17 caused turnovers, while Hatch recorded seven saves to seal the victory.
5 Factors for Cabrini
Cabrini ranks in the top 16 in 14 NCAA statistical rankings, including scoring margin (#3-9.32), points per game (#8-26.11) and man-up offense (#2-0.53).
Michaels ranks 13th in the country with a .681 (162-238) faceoff winning percentage, including .779 (74-95) in his last five games.
Krug has tallied at least three points in each of Cabrini’s last 12 games, including five points in the team’s last two outings.
Cabrini has more than doubled its opponents on the scoreboard this season, 315-138, while outshooting them 875-556.
The Cavaliers have committed just 60 penalties on the year and allowed just nine man-down goals, as its man-down defensive percentage of .850 ranks sixth in the country.
5 Factors for Franklin & Marshall
Mollihan was named Centennial Tournament after scoring six goals including the overtime game-winner with nine seconds left in the extra period.
Like the Cavaliers, the Diplomats take good care of the ball, committing just 14.44 turnovers per game, 14th in Division III.
Mollihan and Rogers rank first and second in the Centennial Conference in goals, points and shots, while Rogers leads the league in assists.
Dougherty has caused at least one turnover in 16 of 18 games and multiple turnovers in 11 games.
Hatch has recorded at least seven saves in each of F&M’s last nine games and 14 times on the year.