No. 8 Cabrini University Cavaliers (15-2, 7-0 CSAC) vs. Gwynedd Mercy University Griffins (10-3, 6-1 CSAC)
Colonial States Athletic Conference Tournament Final
Saturday, May 5, 3:30pm
Edith Robb Dixon Field

Game Day Links: Live Stats, Webcast
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What's at Stake?
The winner of Saturday's action will claim the 2018 CSAC championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will begin on Tuesday, May 8.

Saturday will mark the fourth time the Griffins and Cavalier shave matched wits in the CSAC championship game, with the Blue and White winning the previous three.

The teams most recently met in the 2016 title game, with Cabrini scoring a 21-6 victory behind 10 points from sophomore Matt LoParo and five points each by juniors Timmy Brooks and Jordan LoParo.

The Cavaliers are making their 19th consecutive championship appearance and looking to extend their title streak to 18 straight wins. Sophomore Jake Klein paired three goals and five assists to lead Cabrini to the 2017 championship with an 18-6 win over Marywood.

The Griffins are appearing in their fourth championship game, seeking their first league men's lacrosse title.

Last Meeting: #8 Cabrini 16, Gwynedd Mercy 6 (4/18/2018, Gwynedd Valley, PA)
Trailing 2-1 late in the first quarter, the Cavaliers scored five goals in a period of four minutes to pull away from the Griffins in a battle for first place in the league.  The Blue and White added five unanswered goals in the second and third quarters to establish an 11-3 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

Krug led Cabrini with six goals and an assist, while Klein and LoParo added three goals each. Senior Riley Michaels sparked the Cavaliers at the faceoff spot, when the senior went 12-17 with a game-high eight ground balls, while senior Josh Moore accounted for two of Cabrini's seven caused turnovers in the win.

Seniors Jacob Snavely and Dominic Moscariello combined for five goals and six points for the Griffins , while junior goaltender Chris Burns recorded 12 saves in the loss.

Cabrini Last Time Out: #8 Cabrini 24, Centenary 2 (4/28/2018, Radnor, PA)
Cabrini secured its spot in Saturday's title game with a dominant 24-2 win over Centenary in the semifinal round.  The Cavaliers outshot the Cyclones 49-16 and committed just six turnovers en route t the victory.

Fourteen Cavaliers marked the scoring column in the win, with four players recording three goals. Freshman Kyle Tucker led the Blue and White with three goals and three assists, while junior Jordan Krug paired three goals and two assists.

Michaels won 10 of his 16 chances at the faceoff spot and scooped a team-high four ground balls, while senior Ethan Trusty accounted for two of the Cavaliers' 10 caused turnovers. Junior goaltender Riley White recorded four first half saves to secure his 13th win of the campaign
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Gwynedd Mercy Last Time Out: Gwynedd Mercy 9, Marywood 3 (4/28/2018, Gwynedd Valley, PA)
Marywood built a 3-2 lead in the opening moments of the second quarter and held its lead until the final minute of the period, when Moscariello netted two goals to give Gwynedd Mercy a 4-3 lead at the break. The Griffins took over in the second half, as the Pacers recorded just seven shots and turned the ball over 12 times.

Ryan Simpson scored three times, including a man-up tally, while Moscariello added two scores and two assists.  Simpson and Sean Miller scooped four ground balls each, with Burns pairing eight saves and two caused turnovers.

5 Factors for Cabrini

• The Blue and White sport the nation's fourth highest scoring offense, tallying 17.41 goals per contest.  Cabrini also ranks in the nation's top 17 in 10 other statistical categories, including the country's second best scoring margin of 10.24.
• Cabrini has recorded more assists (157) than its opponents have scored goals (122) and tallied more shots on goal (517) than total shots its opponents have recorded (445).
• Three Cavaliers rank among the top five scorers in the CSAC. Krug (74), LoParo (69) and Brooks (55) rank second, fourth and fifth, respectively.
• Cabrini has recorded at least 40 shots in 14 of its 17 games, including five games of at least 60.
• Fourteen Cavaliers have caused at least five turnovers on the season, with sophomore Tommy DeLuca's 25 leading the conference.

5 Factors for Gwynedd Mercy

• The Griffins boast the nation's third ranked scoring defense, surrendering just 5.40 goals per game.
• Simpson is the only Griffin to total 30 points on the season. The junior has recorded a team-best 29 goals and seven assists.
• Burns has established himself as one of the nation's top goaltenders, as his 5.65 goals against average and .629 save percentage rank third and fifth in Division III, respectively.
• Gwynedd Mercy has recorded at least 30 shots in eight of its last nine games, going 8-1 during that span. The only game they did not reach the mark was the loss to Cabrini in which they attempted a season-low 21 shots.
• Sophomore Joey Giordano has been stellar at the X, winning .667 of his faceoff chances, 17th best in the country.

 

	TALE OF THE TAPE
No. 8 Cabrini		Gwynedd Mercy
15-2, 7-0 CSAC	Record	10-3, 6-1 CSAC
296	Goals	119
157	Assists	59
853	Shots	479
643	Ground Balls	309
168	Caused Turnovers	76
.545	Faceoff Percentage	.618
.882	Clear Percentage	.843
.545	Save Percentage	.636
	TEAM LEADERS
Jordan Krug (51)	Goals	Ryan Simpson (29)
Matt LoParo (31)	Assists	Kohler Setley (16)
Jordan Krug (74)	Points	Ryan Simpson (36)
Riley Michaels (76)	Ground Balls	Joey Giordano (53)
Tommy DeLuca (25)	Caused Turnovers	Shawn Ryan (15)
Riley Michaels (.566)	Faceoff Percentage	Joey Giordano (.667)
Riley White (.571)	Save Percentage	Chris Burns (.629)