CU Men's Lacrosse Preview - at Vassar College (4/14)

With the conference season winding down, both the Clarkson University Men's Lacrosse team and its Saturday opponent Vassar College are among four teams fighting for the final two spots in the Liberty League playoffs, and a win for the Golden Knights would go a long way in securing a post-season appearance.

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The Series: Although the Golden Knights hold an overwhelming 15-2 advantage in 17 meetings since the rivalry began in 2001, Vassar has come away with a win in each of the past two contests, both by the score of 10-9. Last year, Clarkson's Shane Kilday scored three times in the Knights' losing effort.

Key Stats for Clarkson (5-6, 2-3 Liberty League): Two of the top faceoff men in the Liberty League will be vying for draws on Saturday as sophomore Ryan Gabriel will see if he can continue his dominant run at the 'x.' Gabriel has won the battle at midfield in seven of the last eight games, including a 49-for-57 run in the last 10 days. For the season, he is winning 65.2% of his draws with 64 groundballs. Classmate Conor Bartlett leads Clarkson in scoring with 41 points on 23 goals and 18 assists, and he has recorded 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists) in league play. The strong defensive trio of Liam St. Croix, Trevor Borchardt, and Michael Nourse are tied for the team-lead with 12 caused turnovers each.

Key Stats for Vassar (2-9, 1-4 Liberty League): Opposite of Clarkson's Ryan Gabriel, Brewers sophomore Matthew Lowery has been just as dominant on faceoffs. Lowery is winning 66.4% of his draws, including 67.9% in league play (91-for-134), and he finishes off the plays as well with a league-high of 8.27 groundballs per game. Michael Mullen ranks second on the team with 29 groundballs this year, and the sophomore leads the Brewers with 26 points overall (18 goals, 8 assists). Dekker Stebel (14 goals), James Thomas (13 goals) and Nick Diamond (8 goals, 13 assists) also contribute to the Brewers' offense.

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Players Mentioned

#14 Michael Nourse: D; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#20 Shane Kilday: M; 5' 8"; Freshman

#2 Conor Bartlett: A; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#42 Trevor Borchardt: D; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#21 Ryan Gabriel: M; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#11 Liam St. Croix: D; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#14 Michael Nourse
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: D

#20 Shane Kilday
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: M

#2 Conor Bartlett
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: A

#42 Trevor Borchardt
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: D

#21 Ryan Gabriel
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: M

#11 Liam St. Croix
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: D