PREVIEW: Men's Lacrosse vs. Southwestern (4/9) | Benedictine College (4/10)
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
(vs. Southwestern on 4/9)
Livestats unavailable
Video (Tape Delay around 6 or 7 PM)
(vs. Benedictine College 4/10)
THE LEAD
The University of Dallas men's lacrosse team will begin its final homestand with two games this weekend. April 9th, the Crusaders welcome the only other NCAA Varsity men's lacrosse program in Texas, Southwestern University. First faceoff is at 1 p.m. On April 10, Dallas will take on Benedictine College (KS) on April 10th at 12 p.m.
Dallas is 3-9 this season and 1-7 at home this year. The Crusaders are coming off a pair of losses where they scored only one goal in each game. This followed after matching a season-high, 11 goals in an 11-3 victory at Carroll University two weeks ago.
CRUSADER NOTES
- Freshman Peter Early (San Antonio, Texas) leads the team with 24 points and 16 goals. He ranks second on the team with eight assists. 13 of his goals have occurred at home.
- Senior Alex Ziolkowski (Ann Arbor, Mich.) is right behind with 22 points and has logged 13 goals. The midfielder has logged at least a point in seven of the last eight games, and in the last four thanks to an assist in each of the last contests. He also is the leader in groundballs with 67.
- Freshman Ben Blessard (Falls Church, Va.) wraps up the top three scorers with eight goals. Classmate Ryan Thie (Saint Paul, Minn.) and senior Matthew Cyr (St. Louis, Mo.) have contributed seven goals apiece.
- Senior Ryan Murphy (Yorba Linda, Calif.) has played 718:44 minutes in the goalkeeper position. He has made 190 saves this season.
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
Southwestern University has dropped its past three games and are 6-8 on the regular season. The Pirates are coming off a 20-9 setback versus Whittier College last Sunday. The Pirates are 1-3 on the road this season, and end the campaign with two in Irving, Texas. SU returns on Apr. 17 for a neutral site match with Colorado College.
Matt Amerie leads the team with 23 goals. Kai Knight-Turcan joins Amerie with 25 points, which rank second on the squad. Jordan Riggs, Austin Fox, and Jared Welsh form a trio of players with 15 goals apiece. Riggs has been credited with nine assists to reflect 24 points. The team-leader in points has recorded more assists than goals, dishing 16. Charlie Fisher has made 137 saves through 630:26 minutes in the goalkeeper position.
Dallas is 0-4 in the all-time series, dropping two games at each venue. The most recent match on Crusader Field was 2013. Last season, Southwestern prevailed 17-3 in Georgetown, Texas). Cyr notched a hat trick with all three goals scored. Amerie had five for SU. Murphy nabbed 19 saves.
SCOUTING THE RAVENS
Benedictine College is 4-6 this season and have gone 2-4 on the road. The Ravens are coming off a pair of victories with the most recent being an 8-4 final to Kansas State University. The southern trip to Texas stops at Saint Gregory's University in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on Apr. 9.
Benedictine is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Sunday marks the first time these programs will meet each other on the field.
(BENEDICTINE COLLEGE SCHEDULE/RESULTS)
SENIOR DAY
Prior to the match on Sunday, Dallas will recognize four seniors: Richard Pierce (San Antonio, Texas), Murphy, Cyr, and Ziolkowski for "Senior Day." The quartet have been members of the team all three years a season was scheduled for the Crusaders. Murphy and Cyr each hold a season record in saves (301) and points (49), respectively.
UP NEXT
Dallas concludes its home portion of the ledger on Apr. 15 versus Colorado College. That match begins at 5 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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