GAME INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 | 1:00 p.m.
Location: Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium (Brookville, N.Y.)
Live Stats: www.LIUAthletics.com
Live Video: NEC Front Row
THE OPENING FACE-OFF:
- Despite being separated by just 31 miles, Saturday will mark the first ever meeting between LIU and Wagner in men's lacrosse.
- The Sharks opened their 2020 campaign and first season of Division I competition since 1992 at Siena on Saturday, Feb. 8, falling by a 14-12 margin despite a big fourth-quarter run.
- Several LIU newcomers had strong collegiate debuts, including freshman Sean Boll who led the Blue and Gold with five goals and rookie goalie Will Mark who made 18 saves between the pipes.
- Wagner will return to Long Island for their second game in as many weeks, falling to Hofstra University in its season-opener by a 21-11 margin.
- The Seahawks also had a newcomer lead the squad in points in the season-opener, as freshman Tyler Nawton tallied four goals and one assist for five points. Rookie goalie Danny Brady made 10 saves on 23 shots on goal in his debut in 45 minutes of action.
WAGNER NOTES:
- The Seahawks come to Brookville having won just two of their previous 24 contests.
- Wagner returns its top three point scorers from 2019 to the 2020 lineup, including sophomore Stephen Dwyer who led the Seahawks with 24 points a year ago.
- Wagner averaged just 7.24 goals per game last season, ranking 71st out of 73 programs., though surpassed that mark with 11 goals in its season-opener at Hofstra.
- The Seahawks will have a major void to fill on the defensive unit after Kyle Stofko transferred following his sophomore season. Stofko averaged over two caused turnovers per game in 2019, ranking seventh in the nation individually.
- Additionally Wagner replaces its starting goalie after Matt Sefcik graduated at the end of 2019. Sefcik ranked in the top-20 in the country in save percentage (.540) and saves per game (13.43).
- Wagner was selected to finish tied for fourth in the east division of the Northeast Conference in the preseason coaches poll.
SHARK BITES:
- Junior Will Snelders tallied five assists in the season-opener at Siena last weekend. The five assists were the most in a single-game since teammate Thomas Liantonio dished out five helpers against Saint Anselm College on Feb. 23, 2019.
- Freshman Sean Boll made a mark in his collegiate debut against the Saints, finding the back of the net five times. Boll's five goals matched sophomore Jake Gillis' five goals in his debut from a year ago and becomes the third freshman in three seasons to score five or more goals in their collegiate debut for LIU. Snelders leads all LIU players with eight goals in his collegiate debut during the 2018 season.
- Rookie goalie Will Mark was outstanding in his collegiate debut, making 18 saves between the pipes for a .562 save percentage. The 18 saves marked the second-consecutive game where an LIU goalie made 18 stops, with graduating senior Bryan Ochs making 18 saves against Mercy in the 2019 East Coast Conference championship game.
- Snelders has recorded a point in all 33 career games, a mark that stands as the 11th-longest mark among Division I players. During his sophomore campaign, Snelders tallied at least three points in every contest and ranked 15th in the nation with 4.69 points per game.
- The Sharks return over 90-percent of their scoring from 2019 to this season's squad. Seven point scorers left the program after 2019, with the highest point scorer coming in the form of Connor Farrell who tallied 14 points as a senior. The Sharks' top eight goal scorers return to the lineup (Snelders, Jake Gillis, Mike Kadnar, Alex Russell, Thomas Liantonio, Nick Grassa, Dan Foley, Dylan Villari) in 2020. That group combined for 204 goals and 301 total points last season, giving LIU one of the deepest attacks in the NEC this season.
- A win on Saturday would be the 22nd of head coach Eric Wolf's career and first at the Division I level. Wolf has compiled a 21-11 (.656) record, including two-consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins.
