Men's Lacrosse Game Preview Home GNAC Playoff Sat. 1 pm vs. Emmanuel

Preview written by Ruppy Hailey Director of Rivier University Lacrosse Operations

NASHUA, N.H. 

The Rivier University Men's Lacrosse team (3-4, GNAC 3-4) will play host to the Emmanuel Saints (3-6, GNAC 3-5) in the opening round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament this Saturday afternoon. The opening whistle is set for 1:00 PM on the friendly confines of Joanne Merrill Field. The Raiders earned the 3rd seed in the tournament while playing one of the toughest schedules in the conference this season. The 6th seeded Saints will try to find the answer to beating the Raiders in 2021, as Rivier has won both matchups between the two teams this year. The most recent win was a decisive 16-10 victory to close out the regular season Wednesday evening in Boston.

Players to Watch for the Raiders:

Senior attackman Dylan McSparren (Warwick, RI) leads the way as the team's quarterback on offense. When he's not putting the ball in the back of the net (16 G), he is dodging, drawing a slide and setting up a teammate for a score (10 A). McSparren also applies a ton of pressure on the ride, contributing to one of the GNAC's top units in minimizing the opponents clearing percentage.

Senior SSDM Jacob Enwright (Dracut, MA) is turning in yet another spectacular performance in 2021. The co-captain has not only excelled by almost always shutting down his adversary in the defensive end, but he is also a leader in the team's transition game.

Freshman long pole Adam Hailey (Salem, NH) has been a force in the defensive end of the field for the Raiders all season. Often matched up against the opponent's top scorer, Hailey leads the team with 16 caused turnovers while collecting 14 GB's in just 6 games played.

Freshman attackman Michael Ference (Salem, NH) continues to impress during his rookie season. His numbers for the '21 campaign currently sit at 23 goals and 14 assists, good for 37 points in the team's 7 contests this year. In each of these categories, the lefty finds himself either leading his team or tied for the team lead.

This game marks the 11th overall meeting between Rivier and Emmanuel, and the first time that they have competed against one another in the postseason. The Saints hold the advantage with a 6-4 record over the Raiders. However, Rivier is currently riding a four game winning streak over Emmanuel. Historically, the Saints have outscored the Raiders by a total of 107-90.

Live Stream available on RivierAthletics.com