Men's Lacrosse | 5/8/2016 6:18:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY -- The No. 2 RIT men's lacrosse team will face John Carroll University in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship. That game takes place on Wednesday, May 11 at 4 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.

RIT comes into Wednesday 17-1 and ranked No. 2 in the final USILA Division III Coaches Poll of the season. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament by earning the automatic qualifier after a 15-5 win over Rensselaer in the Liberty League Championship last Sunday. Matt Hossack (Port Perry, Ontario/Port Perry) was named Tournament MVP for the second straight season, while Chad Levick (Newmarket, Ontario/The Hill Academy) tallied seven goals in Sunday's title game.
 
John Carroll is making its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. The Blue Streaks beat Otterbein in the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament championship game, 15-8, last Saturday.
 
RIT comes into Wednesday fifth in Division III in scoring, averaging 16.72 goals per game. RIT has outscored its opponents 301-141 this season and has scored at least 10 goals in all 18 games. The Tigers scored 20 goals in a game five times this season, including a program-record four straight games late in the season. RIT's man-up unit is 13-of-45 (28.9%) of its chances.

RIT features 14 players with 10 or more points, eight players with at least 20 points, and three players with 50 or more points. Ryan Lee (Sharon, Ontario/The Hill Academy) leads the team in scoring with 82 points on 59 goals and 23 assists. He is 13th in Division III averaging 3.22 goals per game. Chad Levick (Newmarket, Ontario/The Hill Academy) is second in scoring with 64 points on 48 goals and 16 assists, and Kyle Sterzin (Fairport, NY/Fairport) is third with 56 points. Braden Wallace (Oakville, Ontario/Abbey Park) has 26 goals, while Jay Vakiener (Fairport, NY/Fairport) has 17 goals and 16 assists in his first season at RIT.

Defensively, RIT allows 7.83 goals per game. Nick Nesbitt (Burlington, Ontario/Salisbuury School) is 9-0 on the season with a 7.74 goals against average and a .630 save percentage. Jarryd Lee (Melbourne, Australia/St. Leonards) is 8-1 this season with an 8.05 goals against average and a .567 save percentage. Hossack leads the Tigers with 105 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers. Jakob Krzyston (Bedford, NH/Bishop Guertin) and Patrick Hannigan (Hanover, MA/Hanover) each have 20 caused turnovers, while Josh Harris (St. Catharines, Ontario/Sir Winston Churchill) has 58 ground balls.
 
RIT has won 303-of-506 (59.9%) of its face-offs led by junior Steven Ricci (Rochester, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) who has won 126-of-199 (63.3%) of his draws. Hossack has won 65-of-113 (57.5%) draws this season, while freshman Brandon Buscaglia (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) has won 48-of-78 face-offs (.615).

John Carroll comes into Wednesday's first round game 12-5 on the season, and have won seven straight games. The Blue Streaks are averaging 11.61 goals per game, and have outscored their opponents 194-139, and converting 23.1% (18-of-78) of their man-up chances. Defensively, John Carroll allows 8.18 goals per game and has held opponents to 10 goals or less eight times.

Declan O'Grady leads the team in scoring with 64 points on 50 goals and 14 assists. Michael Hubert is second in scoring with 61 points (26 goals, 35 assists), and Connor Pike and Collin Rice are tied for third in scoring with 37 points apiece. Kyle Patterson has won 55.9% (186-of-333) of his face-offs, while Bryan Neitzelt leads the team with 71 ground balls. Carl Roman has seen the majority of time in net for John Carroll. He is 7-1 on the season with 7.60 goals against average and a .504 save percentage.

RIT is making its 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and seventh in as many years. Last season, the Tigers defeated SUNY Morrisville in the first round, and came back to beat Union in the second round. In the quarterfinals. The Tigers beat SUNY Cortland, 18-7, before losing to Tufts in the semifinals for the second straight season. Overall, RIT is 19-17 all time in NCAA Tournament games, and has made six straight trips to the national quarterfinals, played eight times in the national semifinals (1984, 1985, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) and appeared in its first championship game in 2013.

The Tigers are 17-1 overall this season, and have an impressive 93-9 (.912 winning percentage) record over the last five seasons. The Tigers have won seven straight conference championships, including two Empire 8 titles (2010, 2011), and five Liberty League crowns (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).