MATCH-UP:
Rollins (3-1) vs. Wheeling Jesuit
(0-3)
WHERE:
Barker Family Stadium & Cahall Sandspur Field | Winter Park,
Fla.
WHEN:
Thursday, March 2, 2017 | 7:00 P.M.
COVERAGE:
- LIVE STATS: Rollins Live
Stats
- VIDEO: Free
Video on the Geico Tars Sports Network
- PLAY-BY-PLAY: Clark Sprinkle
SET-UP:
Rollins, who received votes on the latest USILA Division II
Poll, enters in their home opener with a record of 3-1 after
earning a big come-from-behind victory over the University of
Indianapolis on Sunday, February 26. Trailing by four with 12:33
to play, the Tars turned on the afterburners, scoring four straight
to knot the score at 8-8 and send the game into overtime against
the Greyhounds. With a minute left in OT, Justin
Diamond found the back of the net, marking his third goal in
the Tars' final five goal run, to secure the 9-8 victory against
UIndy on the road.
Diamond led the way for Rollins with four goals, including his
three in the Tars' final push to lift the team to victory. Connor
Ashton notched three points with two goals and an
assist, while Eric
NeCamp earned two points with a goal and an assist on
the day. Greg
Taicher, and Dylan
Bassham each scored once, while Carson
Buell, Blake
Buell, Dalton
LeMaster, and Roy
Hansen added assists. In goal, Jake
Hogan played the full 63 minutes between the pipes,
earning 11 saves, including five in the first quarter.
Wheeling Jesuit makes the trip to Winter Park with an overall
mark of 0-3, but their record is not to be overlooked. The
Cardinals have squared up against nationally-ranked opponents in
all three of their contests so far this season, beginning with a
season opener against then-No. 18 Molloy where they fell by a final
score of 11-9. Wheeling Jesuit then took on Rockhurst who, while
not ranked on the poll at the time of the contest, just earned the
nod at No. 18 on this past week's USILA Poll. The Cardinals had
the edge throughout the majority of the game, but ultimately let
the Hawks walk away with the 12-11 victory. Their last time out,
Wheeling Jesuit took on Lenoir-Rhyne, who was ranked
14th at the time of the matchup. After a solid first
half, the Cardinals were unable to hold back a solid Bears squad,
falling by a final tally of 21-17 on February 25.
TRACKING THE TARS:
The Tars enter into Thursday's home opener with Justin
Diamond leading the way in goals with 12 on the year, while
adding an assist for a team high 13 points overall. Connor
Ashton and Greg
Taicher have notched five goals apiece, with Taicher dishing
out a team high seven assists for 12 points so far this season. Lucas
Brush leads the team with 14 grounds balls, followed by Andrew
Matthews with nine, Trey
LaPorta with eight, and Roy
Hansen with seven. Both Brush and Hansen lead the team in
caused turnovers with four apiece, followed by Austin
Jackson with three. LaPorta has been the primary faceoff
specialist for the Tars this season, winning 41-of-70 attempts for
a win percentage of .586. Brett
Portera has stepped up to the faceoff-x on 12 occasions,
winning six for a win percentage of .500 in three games played. In
goal, Jake
Hogan has seen a total of 183:00 minutes between the pipes,
earning a save percentage of .491 having made 27 saves as he has
faced 93 shots. Hogan has allowed 28 goals so far this season,
averaging 9.18. Freshman Landon
Salie started the Tars' season opener, playing a full game
where he earned five saves as he faced 20 shots for a save
percentage of .357. Salie has allowed nine goals in 60 minutes of
action, for a goals against average of 9.0.
TRACKING THE CARDINALS:
Entering into Thursday's game with a record of 0-3, the Wheeling
Jesuit Cardinals are led by Dereck Downs, who has amassed 11 goals
so far this season. Downs has also added a team second best 4
assists, good for a team high 15 points. Matt Lee follows Downs in
the goal column with nine, and has chipped in one assist for 10
points, good for second best on the squad. Lee also leads the team
with three man-up goals so far this year. Joe Wright leads the
team in assists with six. Scotty Gwyn has earned a team high 12
ground balls, followed by Jack Brandenburg with nine. Gwyn also
leads the team in caused turnovers with nine, and has compiled a
team best faceoff percentage of .381, winning 8-of-21 attempts.
Oscar Ortega is next, winning 4-of-11 for a .364 win percentage,
and Spencer Hilden with a win percentage of .269 having won 7-of-26
attempts. Fernando Martinez has taken the most faceoffs for the
Cardinals this season, winning 8-of-33 for a win percentage of
.242. In goal, Jake Lilly has started all three contests, seeing a
total of 171:22 minutes in cage. Lilly has faced 135 shots so far
this year, and has earned 39 saves for a save percentage of .476.
Lilly has compiled a goals against average of 15.06, having allowed
43 goals on the season. Kellen McMahon, who has played a total of
8:38 minutes, has allowed one goal and earned no saves in his time
between the pipes.
NOTES:
- The will square off against Wheeling Jesuit for the third time
in program history, with the Cardinals leading the series,
2-0.
- Last time out against the Cardinals, the Tars fell by a final
score of 16-6 back on April 6, 2014.
- Rollins opened their season ranked No. 20 on the USILA Division
II Poll, and have been receiving votes on the first two polls of
the season.
- For their efforts in last week's game at UIndy, Justin
Diamond and Jake
Hogan earned Sunshine State Conference Offensive and Defensive
Player of the Week honors, respectively
NEXT:
The Tars return to the turf on Sunday, February 5, when they
host No. 5 NYIT at Barker Family Stadium and Cahall-Sandspur
Field. Game time against the Bears is set for 1 p.m. Fans who are
unable to attend the game will be able to follow all of the action
live with free HD video on the Geico Tars Sports Network, as well
as live stats provided on RollinsSports.com.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Rollins
men's lacrosse team, fans can visit RollinsSports.com. Fans can
also stay up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following
Rollins Sports on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram.
