PREVIEW: Dallas at Johnson & Wales (4/4) | University of Colorado Denver (4/5)
THE LEAD
The University of Dallas men's lacrosse team (5-5) begin the first of a seven-game road trip on Saturday, April 3 at Johnson and Wales University (2-2). Dallas continues with a contest on consecutive days for the second time this campaign at University of Colorado Denver Sunday.
The previous time the Crusaders performed on back-to-back days on the pitch resulted in a pair of setbacks versus Piedmont College and Huntingdon College.
Dallas posted two wins in a row for the first time this year, as the program also broke a historic mark with five victories during a season. All of the Navy and White's triumphs have resulted in double-digit scoring efforts by the squad.
LAST TIME OUT
Dallas secured a 3-1 home record with its final affair in Irving, Texas, nipping Dallas Baptist University in a 13-1 decision a little over a week ago. After holding a slight 1-0 advantage, UD tallied four-goal quarters the remainder of the way to celebrate a successful Senior Day at Crusader Field.
The trio of players recognized before the first faceoff included: Zachary Wellwerts (McHenry, Ill.), Cody Wooten (Aurora, Colo.), and Charles Shaughnessy (Cimarron, Kan.).
Wellwerts was one of five individuals netting at least a goal, firing two in the back of the cage. The midfielder has scored in the past two contests. Junior Matthew Cyr (St. Louis, Mo.) paced the group with five netters, and classmate Alex Ziolkowski (Ann Arbor, Mich.) chipped in four right behind.
Wooten and Shaughnessy also tacked on goals during their final home match.
TEAM-LEADERS
Cyr maintains a team-high, 29 goals, 33 points, 87 shots, and 56 groundballs. The native of St. Louis, Missouri, has shot 56.3 percent of his attempts on cage. The attacker's quartet of assists matches Wooten for the most on the Navy and White.
Ranking second in scoring results is Ziolkowski with 15, and he has pounded 52 shot attempts to go with 49 groundballs; each marking the second highest amount. The junior has specialized the most in faceoffs, helping the Crusaders' gain possession 46 times.
Wooten rounds out the top three goal season-performances with 11. He eclipsed double-figures with his second hat trick of the campaign two weekends ago at Centenary College. The senior has scored in the past three contests, and he has effectively displayed a 73.3 shots on goal percentage.
Three players have accumulated three goals overall: freshman Ethan Fuller (Huntville, Ala., sophomore Jacob Tom (Waukesha, Wis.), and Wellwerts.
In the goalkeeper's position, junior Ryan Murphy (Yorba Linda, Calif.) has stopped 179 saves and reflects a 56.3 save percentage throughout 567:59 minutes.
LOOK AT BOTH OPPONENTS
Johnson and Wales have dropped its past two outings, and are hosting the first home-opener of the regular campaign on Friday with Cal State San Marcos. Two opponents that both programs have met this season were Dallas Baptist and St. Gregory's University.
JWU prevailed in both 16-3 and 16-4, respectively. Offensively, the Wildcats are led by Gage Blottenberger with 19 goals and Colton Steiner with 10. Jonathan Gonzalez and Alexander Adler have hit eight and seven, respectively. Evan Longinott has etched all minutes in the cage, and posted a 64.0 save clip.
University of Colorado Denver is a club program that took the pitch for the first time during the 2014 season. The goal for the Lynx is to continue building a competitive bunch for the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA).
Dallas has never played either team prior to this weekend's slated affairs.
ROAD WARRIORS
The season-long, seven-game road stint continues on Apr. 11 as Dallas heads to fellow Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) opponent, Southwestern University. Start time is set for 1 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
UD Twitter: @UDallasSports
Men's Lacrosse: @UDallasMLax
Facebook: University of Dallas Athletics