GRANTHAM, Pa. – Messiah College men's lacrosse secured the second seed in the upcoming Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Tournament. The Falcons finished the regular season with a conference record of 6-2, the same as their semifinal opponent Lycoming. With a chance to go to the conference finals, the Falcons will host the No. 3 seed Lycoming Warriors Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m on their home turf. A Falcons' win on Wednesday night would send Messiah to their 11th championship game in program history.
On the other side of the bracket, the top-seeded Stevenson Mustangs will host the fourth-seeded Widener Pride for the other spot in the championship final.
Since this is a MAC Championship event, admission will be charged for all matches. With prices as follows:
Adults - $5 | Seniors - $4 | Students (valid ID) & Children - $2 | Under 6 years old - Free
See below for quick preview of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament Field:
No. 2 Messiah College Falcons – 9-7 (Overall), 6-2 (Conference)
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How we got here: The Falcons wrapped up the regular season, winning four of the last six matchups. That provided Messiah a boost as they headed into the conference tournament. As teams head into the conference tournament, Messiah currently leads the conference with a 14.44 goals per game average and a .359 penalty-kill percentage. Individually, Honebrink leads the conference in ground balls per game with 10.30. The Falcons are ranked 33rd in the nation in man-up offense with an average of .393 goals per opportunity. Amsbaugh (2.92) and Franken (2.88) both rank in the top-5 in scoring in the entire conference.
Players to watch:
Joseph Franken – Sr. - Midfielder – 46 goals, 22 assists, 68 points, .585 shots on goal percentage (All-Conference First Team)
Garrett Amsbaugh - Sr. - Attacker – 38 goals, 7 assists, .663 SOG percentage (All-Conference First Team)
Dylan Gillisse - Sr. - Attacker – 32 goals, 62 points, .739 shots on goal percentage (All-Conference Second Team)
Lucas Honebrink - So. – Face-off - .623 face-off win percentage, 103 ground balls
Evan Stoker - Jr. – Goalie - .468 save percentage, 7-4 record, 12:05 goals against average
Postseason Resume: The Falcons are trying to advance to the conference championship for the first time since 2016. This is the fifth straight year under head coach
Atsen Bulus that the squad has qualified for the conference championships. The last time the Falcons won a conference championship was 15 years ago in 2004.
No. 3 Lycoming College Warriors – 8-8 (Overall), 6-2 (Conference)
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How they got here: After going to the semifinals last year, the Warriors will look to make history this year and earn their first conference title in program history. In 2019, Lycoming went 6-2 in conference play with their only conference losses coming by way of the two top seeds in this year's tournament. The Warriors concluded the regular season on a four-game winning streak. Lycoming goalie Michael Tenant leads the conference with an 8.90 goals against average and a .625 save percentage. The Warriors gained the team's best finish in conference play since 2010.
Players to watch:
Andrew Ream - Sr. - Attacker – 26 goals, 44 points
Drew Collins – Jr. - Attacker – 19 goals, 14 assists, .633 SOG percentage
Michael Tenant - Sr. - Goalkeeper- .599 save percentage, 7-8 record, 10.30 goals against average (All-Conference Defensive Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team)
When they met: The Falcons earned their first victory of the conference schedule on March 27 against the Warriors by a final of 12-8. Bellows led the Falcons with six goals on a total of nine shots, leading all scorers.
Cory Hurst also notched a hat trick off five shots while
Joseph Franken found the back of the net twice. Between the pipes,
Evan Stoker collected a dozen saves, earning the victory. The Falcons have won the past five straight matchups between the two. In their past three meetings, all three games have been decided by four or fewer goals.
Postseason Resume: The program has been to three conference championships games (2001, 2002, 1999). The Warriors won the play in game last year to Lebanon Valley by a score of 6-5 in the third overtime period.
No. 1 Stevenson University Mustangs – 10-7 (Overall), 8-0 (Conference)
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How they got here: Much like the Falcons, the Mustangs have played a very competitive schedule this season. After losing the first six of seven non-conference matchups of the season, the Mustangs entered conference play looking to bounce back. Stevenson then won the next seven straight en route to a perfect 8-0 conference record. Between the net, Mustangs' goalies have kept opponents to an average of 9.81 goals a game which ranks second in the MAC Commonwealth. Stevenson heads into the conference tournament leading all teams with 49.0 shots per game.
Players to watch:
JT Thelen - So. - Attacker – 17 goals, 17 assists, 32.6 shots percentage (All-Conference First Team)
Ethan Christensen - Jr. - Attacker – 32 goals, 32 assists (All-Conference Offensive Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team)
Gray McKee - Sr. - Midfielder – 32 goals, 48 points, 26 ground balls (All-Conference First Team)
Marc Poust - Jr. - Goalkeeper – 8-2 record, 8.99 goals against average, 49.9 save percentage (All-Conference Second Team)
When they met: The Falcons battled the Mustangs in their final match-up of the regular season. Messiah held close through the first half, trailing just 7-4 at half. However, the Mustangs scored nine straight goals in the third quarter, pushing away from the Falcons. The Falcons were unable to mount a comeback and Stevenson finished the game with a 17-6 final.
Postseason Resume: Stevenson has won six straight conference title since entering the conference in 2003 with Messiah finishing as the runner-up twice in that span.
No. 4 Widener University Pride – 7-10 (Overall), 5-3 (Conference)
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How they got here: The Pride finished the regular season with a 5-3 conference record, earning the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Widener had to face Arcadia in the Monday play-in-game for the final spot in the semifinals. The Pride defeated Arcadia by a final score of 16-11 with Connor Heisman and Brady Franks combined for 11 goals in the victory. The Pride will play in their third straight conference semifinal and a chance to extend their winning streak to four games.
Players to watch:
Connor Heisman - Fr. - Attacker- 44 goals, 10 assists, .458 shots percentage (All-Conference Rookie of the Year, All-Conference Second Team)
Paz Gismondi - Jr. – Midfielder– 10 goals, 24 assists (All-Conference Second Team)
Matt Horton - Sr. – Goalie – 3-4 record, 10.68 goals against average, .574 save percentage
When they met: Widener won the regular season matchup over the Falcons. The Pride held a 9-7 lead heading into the halftime break and then were able to hold the two-goal difference in the end to earn the 18-16 victory. Since 2010, the Falcons are 5-2 against Widener when they hold the Pride to less than eight goals.
Postseason Resume: The Pride finished as the runner-up in last year's tournament, falling to Stevenson 12-6. The Pride have a storied past in the championship environment for their program as the team holds the most titles (14) in the conference history with all of their titles coming between 1996 and 2012.
