EMMITSBURG, Md. - The Mount St. Mary's men's lacrosse team will travel to top-ranked Virginia for the first round of the NCAA Division I Championship on Saturday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.
The Mountaineers advanced to its second NCAA Division I Tournament after defeating Siena 7-6 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship game on Sunday. Freshman midfielder Andrew Scalley (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding) scored the game-winner at the buzzer to propel Mount St. Mary's to the title while the freshman finished with three tallies on the afternoon to earn the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament honor. Junior goalkeeper T.C. DiBartolo (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) made 13 saves against the Saints to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team.
Mount St. Mary's (12-4), who set a school record with 12 victories, is led by sophomore attacker Cody Lehrer (Baltimore, Md./Dulaney), the MAAC co-Offensive Player of the Year, after pacing the team with 48 goals and nine assists for 57 points. Scalley ranks second on the squad with 29 tallies and 17 assists for 46 points while freshman twin brothers Bryant and Brett Schmidt (Great Mills, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) are tied for third on the team with 36 points. All-MAAC first-team selection Bryant has 20 goals and 16 assists while Brett has 17 markers and 19 helpers for 36 points in their first season. The defense is led by senior defender Matt Nealis (Chatham, N.J./Chatham), an All-MAAC first team selection for the second-straight season, who has 19 ground balls and six caused turnovers. Senior defender Russell Moncure (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams), an All-MAAC second-team honoree, leads the team with 14 caused turnovers and has scooped up 29 ground balls. Faceoff specialist junior Ben Trapp (Timonium, Md./Dulaney) leads the team with 92 ground balls and has won 55.1 percent (188-for-341) of his face offs. DiBartolo, who was named to the All-MAAC second team, has 209 saves, an 8.81 goals against average and a .606 saves percentage this season.
The top-ranked Cavaliers (14-1) are led by sophomore attacker Chris Brocket, who has 43 goals and 12 assists for 55 points. Sophomore attacker Steele Stanwick ranks second on the team with 25 tallies and 23 assists for 48 points while freshman attacker Matt White is third on the squad with 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points. Senior defender Ken Clausen fuels the defense with 43 ground balls and 34 caused turnovers while junior defender Bray Malphrus has 38 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers. Senior midfielder Brian McDermott is the squad's top faceoff specialist with a 63.6 percent (89-for-140) while junior goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman has 135 saves, an 8.07 goals against average and a .549 save percentage.
The tilt between the Mount and Virginia marks the eighth meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2003 season. The Cavaliers lead the series 7-0, including a 15-7 win in the season opener on Feb. 23. Bocklet fueled Virginia with four goals and one assist while freshman attacker Connor English found the twine three times and Stanwick tallied a goal and two assists in the match. Lehrer paced the Mountaineers with four markers and an assist while Bryant Schmidt posted a goal and an assist in the loss.
Mount St. Mary's is making their second trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament after advancing to tournament in 2003. Mount St. Mary's, who won also won the MAAC championship in 2001 and 2003, lost to Virginia 19-8 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2003. The Mount is coached by Tom Gravante, who is in his 15th season in Emmitsburg. Gravante has a 107-129 career record and has earned MAAC Coach of the Year five times (1997, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2010).
Virginia will be making its 33rd trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament and boast a 41-28 record in the tournament. The Cavaliers will be the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in program history (1980, 2006, 2009 and 2010). Virginia is coached by Dom Starsia, who is in his 18th season in Charlottesville. Starsia has a career record 313-112 in 27 seasons and has led the Cavaliers to the national championship in 1999, 2003 and 2006.