SAINT LEO, Fla. – Then there were two! The Saint Leo University men's lacrosse team earned the program's first-ever NCAA Division II Championship appearance against Merrimack College. The stage is set in Foxborough, Mass., at Gillette Stadium ready to name a national champion on Sunday, May 27, with the opening faceoff at 4:00 p.m. (ET).
South Region No. 2 Seed Saint Leo upset No. 1 Seed Lenoir-Rhyne, 12-11, on Sunday, May 20 in Hickory, N.C. The Lions were led by goal keeper
Thomas Tatarian's 16 stops combined with 10 different sticks racking up the 12 Green and Gold goals.
Tournament Page
Tournament Bracket
The Basics
May 27 at 4:00 p.m.
Foxborough, Mass. | Gillette Stadium
Away: No. 2 South Region Saint Leo Lions (16-2)
Home: No. 1 North Region Merrimack Warriors (17-1)
NCAA Ticket Page
What to Know About the Warriors
How They Got Here
- Quarterfinals: Merrimack 24, NYIT 6.
- Semifinals: Merrimack 16, Seton Hill 9.
- 2018 marks the Warriors second-straight NCAA Championship appearance.
Points to Note
- Sean Black has compiled 91 points (37g, 54a) averaging a season .407 shooting percentage while placing .692 on frame.
- Charlie Bertrand enters the game with 75 points (58g, 17a) shooting .356 percent placing .583 percent of those shots on goal.
- Christian Thomas tallied 70 points (32g, 38a) netting .471 percent of his shots, .765 percent of his shots on frame.
- Blake Boudreau has won 275-of-404 faceoffs (.681) coming in with 165 ground balls.
- In goal, Peter Brown has made 89 saves while facing 337 shots. He enters the championship game with a 6.71 goals allowed average, .497 save percentage.
What to Know About Saint Leo
How They Got Here
- Quarterfinals: Saint Leo 12, Tampa 11.
- Semifinals: Saint Leo 12, Lenoir-Rhyne 11.
- 2018 marks the Lions' first-ever NCAA Championship appearance.
Points to Note
- Jake Gilmour leads the Saint Leo offense with 75 points (36g, 39a) shooting .424 percent while placing .706 of his shots
are on frame.
- Kyle Pauwels has compiled 71 points (54g, 17a) shooting .600 percent putting .778 percent of his shots on goal.
- Charlie Kurtenbach enters the game with 68 points (39g, 29a) with a .424 shooting percentage and a .685 shots on goal percentage.
- Jordan Williams, the starting faceoff specialist for the Lions, has won 156-of-343 faceoffs (.455) and has picked up 62 ground balls.
- In goal, Thomas Tatarian has made 249 saves while facing 700 shots. He enters the championship game with a 9.24 goals allowed average, .604 save percentage.
Among the NCAA Statistic Leaders
Merrimack Team Stats
- #1 Winning Percentage (0.944)
- #4 in Scoring Defense (7.39)
- #4 in Scoring Margin (7.56)
- #4 in Shot Percentage (0.361)
- #5 in Points Per Game (23.83)
- #3 in Assists Per Game (8.89)
Merrimack Individual Stats
- Charlie Bertrand: #5 in Goals Per Game (3.41)
- Sean Black: #2 in Assists Per Game (3.00)
- Peter Brown: #3 in Goals-Against Average (6.71)
- Sean Black: #5 in Points Per Game (5.06)
Saint Leo Team Stats
- #3 Winning Percentage (0.889)
- #1 in Shot Percentage (0.393)
- #3 in Clearing Percentage (0.907)
Saint Leo Individual Stats
- Kyle Pauwels: #1 in Shot Percentage (0.598)
- Tom Tatarian: #4 in Save Percentage (0.604)
Saint Leo Records Set in 2018
Single Game Record Book
- Most Points
- Most Goals
- Most Assists
- Most Saves
- Most Caused Turnovers
- #10 Ethan Ticehurst (4 CT; at Florida Southern; 4/11/18)
- #10 Joe Serrechia (4 CT; at Tampa; 4/18/18)
- Most Man-Up Goals
- Most Man-Down Goals
Season Record Book
- Points
- Points Per Game
- Goals
- Goals Per Game
- Assists
- Assists Per Game
- Shots On Goal
- Caused Turnovers
- Caused Turnovers Per Game
- Man-Up Goals
- Man-Down Goals
- Game-Winning Goals
- Saves
- Saves Per Game
- Save Percent
- Most Wins
