GAME INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2020 | 2:00 p.m.
Location: Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium (Brookville, N.Y.)
Live Stats: LIUAthletics.com
Live Video: NEC Front Row
THE OPENING FACE-OFF:
- Saturday's matchup with the Bobcats will be the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
- Both defenses will be tested in the weekend matchup, as Quinnipiac ranks fifth in the nation in saves per game (14.8), while LIU ranks seventh (14.6).
- LIU matched its season high with 15 goals against Fairfield on Tuesday. The Sharks also scored 15 goals against St. John's on Feb. 22.
- Quinnipiac head coach Mason Poli is looking for his first win of the season after leading the Bobcats to a 9-7 record in his first year at the helm.
- Saturday's game is the penultimate non-conference matchup for LIU who opens NEC play against NJIT on March 14.
- LIU has recorded an assist on 70-percent of their goals this season, with Richie LaCalandra dishing out a team-high 11 helpers.
- LIU lacrosse is playing Saturday's men's and women's doubleheader to help support breast cancer research. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game and make a donation at the ticket booth.
QUINNIPIAC NOTES:
- Demitri George has been a force at the faceoff X this season, winning 61-percent of his attempts and collecting 11 ground balls per game. George currently ranks fifth in the country in ground balls per contest.
- In goal, Nick DiMuccio has been busy this season, making 14.8 saves per game. That mark currently ranks fourth in the country, but does not lead the MAAC. Canisius' Otto Bergman leads the conference and the country with 16 stops per game. DiMuccio made 21 saves against Brown on Feb. 15, the fifth-highest total in Division I this season.
- Jake Tomsik was named the MAAC Co-Preseason Player of the Year alongside Marist's Peyton Smith. Tomsik led the Bobcats with 60 points last season, scoring 37 goals and adding 23 assists.
- Will Abbott earned a spot on Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays on Feb. 1 with a gorgeous behind0the-back, bounce shot in the Bobcats' season-opener at Rutgers.
- Abbott and Tomsik have led Quinnipiac's offensive attack, scoring a combined 21 goals and adding eight assists for 29 points through the first five games.
SHARK BITES:
- Will Snelders has recorded a point in all 37 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.
- Additionally, Snelders scored his 125th career goal against Fairfield. Snelders now sits 25 away from an LIU program record held by Matty Beccaris '16.
- Will Mark currently ranks fourth in the nation in saves per game, making 14.6 stops per game. Mark made a career-high 19 saves against the Stags on Tuesday, the most by an LIU goalkeeper in recorded history.
- 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 21-15 (.583) record, including two-consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins.
