The Hobart College lacrosse team will host Merrimack College in a Northeast Conference showdown on Saturday, April 24, on Boswell Field at Urick Stadium. The first meeting between the two programs is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

The game will be webcast on HWS All-Access and broadcast in the Geneva area on WEOS-FM (89.5/90.3). Fans can also track the action with Live Stats.

Hobart (3-2, 3-2 NEC) returns to action following an unplanned week off. The Statesmen were supposed to play at Wagner last Saturday, but the game was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.

Hobart can clinch a spot in the four-team NEC Championship Tournament with a win over the Warriors. Merrimack is in its second year of transitioning from Division II to Division I. The Warriors are not eligible for the NEC Tournament this year.

Senior Ryan Archer leads the Hobart attack. In five games, he's produced 17 points on nine goals and eight assists. Junior midfielders Derrek Madonna and Bradley Simas are also in double digits in points with with 13 and 10, respectively. Sophomore Adam Shea has taken a majority of the team's faceoffs, winning 64.5% and scooping up a team-high 41 ground balls. Senior defenseman Sam Mueller and junior defenseman Michael Christiansen pace the defense with four caused turnovers apiece. In goal, sophomore Kevin Holtby has played every minute this year, posting a .590 save percentage and a 10.95 GAA. He is second in the nation in saves per game (15.8) and sixth in save percentage.

 

TALE OF THE TAPE
MER		HOB
11.56	Offense	12.20
11.00	Defense	11.00
.856	Clearing	.807
.472	Faceoff	.614
32.8	Ground Balls	30.8
.378	Extra-man	.207
.704	Man-down	.727
17.3	Turnovers	17.6

Merrimack comes to Geneva riding a three-game winning streak, including a 14-10 win over Sacred Heart last Saturday. The Warrior offense features six players with 10 or more points. Sophomore midfielder Jack Rooney sports a team-high 32 points on 23 goals and nine assists. Senior attackman Sean Black is the team's top playmaker, counting 17 assists among his 22 points. Junior defenseman Nicholas Perez-Blanco has a team-high 17 caused turnovers and 10 ground balls. First-year goalie Henry Vogt has played the majority of minutes, logging a .536 save percentage and a 10.31 GAA.

In Episode 23 of the Hobart Lacrosse Podcast, Head Coach Greg Raymond talks about the challenges Merrimack presents. He also breaks down the Saint Joseph's game and looks ahead at the remaining schedule.