Men's Lacrosse Opens League Play on Saturday

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army lacrosse team jumps into Patriot League play for the first time this season with a visit to Lafayette on Saturday for a noon faceoff on the Patriot League Network.

HOW TO FOLLOW
TELEVISION • None
RADIO • None
VIDEO • Patriot League Network (FREE)
AUDIO • None
LIVE STATISTICS • GoLeopards.com
GAME NOTES • Army Notes
TWITTER • ArmyWP_MLax

THE OPENING FACEOFF
Army opens its Patriot League slate this Saturday with a visit to Lafayette for a noon faceoff. The Black Knights enter the weekend at 2-2 on the year after a tough 9-8 loss to No. 3 Syracuse last Sunday. The Patriot League was full of close matchups in the first weekend with three of the four games being decided by one goal. Army has averaged 12.5 goals per game early this season and has allowed 7.5 per contest. The Black Knights have held three of their first four opponents to single digits on the scoreboard.

LAST TIME OUT
With Army down one with three seconds left against third-ranked Syracuse, Cole Johnson had his shot ring off the post and Army dropped a hard-fought 9-8 decision to the Orange at the Carrier Dome. Connor Cook finished with a team-high three points on two goals and an assist. Both scores by the senior were during man-up situations. Johnson ended up with two points on a goal and an assist. The Black Knights had eight different goal scorers in the game.

THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
The Black Knights open another Patriot League season and are the last team to start the conference slate. Army was picked to finish fourth in the league according to the preseason poll. The Black Knights enter Saturday's game with a 34-0 record against the Leopards in the series history. The Army defense sits just outside the top 10 nationally in scoring defense. Only Towson, Richmond and Navy have allowed less goals in their first four games than the Black Knights. Pennsylvania native Austin Schultz has led the way for the defensive unit after a terrific game on Sunday against Syracuse.

WHAT'S UP NEXT?
Army continues its league slate next weekend with a visit from Lehigh, which is always a tough matchup for both schools. The Black Knights will then turn around on Sunday and host NJIT at Michie Stadium. Both games are set for noon faceoffs on the Patriot League Network.

BALANCED ATTACK
The Black Knights continue to be a balanced team on the offensive end as seven different players had goals against the Orange last Sunday. So far this year, 18 different Cadets have goals, led by senior Connor Cook and rookie Nate Jones with nine.

SECOND HALF TEAM
The second half has been the better half for the Black Knights as they have 30 of their 50 tallies in the final 30 minutes. Army found itself down four goals early in the third quarter and fired back to outscore the Orange, 5-2, in the final 29 minutes of the game to have a chance to win it at the end.

AT THE X
Army has had a great start to the season at the faceoff "x" as it ranks ninth in the nation in winning percentage at .630. It leads the Patriot League in that category and as a team. The Cadets won by 20 against VMI on Feb. 21, the most since winning 20 opposite Loyola on March 14, 2015. Ben Williams of Syracuse won 13-of-19 against Dan Grabher and Alex Daly last Sunday at Syracuse.

D-FENSE, D-FENSE
Heading into league play, the Black Knights are 11th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 7.5 goals per game, and have held two opponents to five or less goals this season. Army is 21st in the country in caused turnovers and second in man-down defense through three games at a 90 percent success rate.

ROOKIE THREAT
Plebe Nate Jones has shown he is a scoring threat for the Black Knights early in the season. He had one goal against the Orange and is tied for the team lead with nine goals. Three of his goals have come in man-up situations, and he has turned the ball over only five times, which is the least amount among all attackmen.

SCOUTING THE LEOPARDS
Lafayette is still in search of its first conference win of the season when it welcomes the Black Knights on Saturday. The Leopards opened up the league slate with a tough matchup against No. 6 Loyola and dropped a 12-8 decision. Lafayette had the game down to a 6-5 deficit in the third quarter, but the Greyhounds took over in the final frame. The Leopards are 1-2 on the year with a win at Wagner on Feb. 19 after starting the year with a 12-8 loss against Sacred Heart.

Leading scorer Eric Joseph is one of nine returning starters for the Leopards and off to a solid start with 10 goals, good enough for second in the league rankings. Junior Jason Sands has also been stellar with 15 points, including 13 assists this season, leading the Patriot League in both categories. The Lafayette man-up offense has been consistent with seven goals on 11 opportunities, and overall the Leopards are averaging 9.3 goals per game.

In net, senior Ben Falcone has remained solid to open the 2016 season, with a 10.33 goals-against average with 10 or more saves in all three of the Leopards' contests. Falcone has stopped 35 shots this season for a .530 save percentage on 103 shots faced.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the 35th meeting between Army and Lafayette and the Black Knights own an undefeated record against the Leopards. The series has gotten a lot more competitive over the last decade with four games decided by two goals or less, including last year's 8-6 win for the Black Knights at Lafayette. Army has hosted the Leopards 23 out of the 35 games all time.

Army West Point Athletics

Men's Lacrosse Opens League Play on Saturday

Players Mentioned

Connor Cook

Alex Daly

Dan Grabher

Cole Johnson

Nate Jones

Austin Schultz

Related Videos