MOUNT ST. MARY'S (2-3) vs. RICHMOND (3-2)
Wednesday, March 11, 4:00 p.m.
Waldron Family Stadium, Emmitsburg, Md.
VIDEO STREAM: NEC Front Row
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
OPENING FACE-OFF: Mount St. Mary's improved to 2-3 this season with a 7-6 win at Furman on Saturday. Clayton Wainer scored with 2:05 remaining to snap a 6-6 deadlock. Goalkeeper Matt Vierheller made 14 saves in the win. Justin Gosnell had his best game of the season with two goals and an assist while Evan Gormley, Bubba Johnson, Spencer Smith and Robert Jones also scored. The game was tight throughout with neither team leading by more than one goal. The shots were even at 31 apiece, while Furman held a 19-18 edge in ground balls.
ABOUT RICHMOND: Richmond enters the game with a 3-2 overall record and a 1-0 mark in the Southern Conference. The Spiders are coming off a 20-1 shellacking of VMI on Saturday. J.P. Forester led Richmond with three goals and four assists in the win while five players added two goals each. Mitch Goldberg leads Richmond in scoring with 17 points (13g, 4a) while Forester is right behind with 16 points (9g, 7a). Mickey Hofmeister has chipped in 10 goals for the Spiders. In goal, Benny Pugh has started all five games, posting a 6.73 goals against average and a .631 save percentage.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: This will be the first-ever meeting between the Mount and Richmond.
IN THE CAGE: Freshman Matt Vierheller continues to shine in his first season for the Mountaineers. Vierheller leads the Northeast Conference in goals against average (8.00), save percentage (.628) and saves per game (13.50). He has recorded double figures in saves in each of his four starts, including a season-best 17 saves in the Mount's 7-4 loss to No. 15 Towson. Vierheller made 14 saves while allowing just six goals in the Mount's win over Furman on Saturday.
BALANCED SCORING: Eleven different players have scored for the Mount this season, with nine scoring two or more goals. Spencer Smith leads the team with six goals while Evan Gormley and Bubba Johnson each have five. Gormley has scored a goal in each of the Mount's first five games this season.
GOSNELL CONTRIBUTING: Junior Justin Gosnell, in his first season with the Mountaineers, has acclimated himself to the Mount lineup, posting four goals and an assist over the past three games. Gosnell had his best game of the season with two goals and an assist in the Mount's 7-6 win at Furman.
MOYNIHAN NAMED NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Mount St. Mary's freshman Mike Moynihan started the season off with a bang, recording a hat trick in the Mount's 11-8 season-opening win at VMI. Moynihan was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week, becoming the first Mountaineer to earn the honor since Braedon Graham on Feb. 27, 2012.
TEAM CAPTAINS: Mike Daly, Nick Firman and Braedon Graham will serve as team captains for the Mountaineers this season.
SMITH HAS CAREER DAY: Sophomore attack Spencer Smith scored a career-high four goals in the Mount's 11-10 loss to Delaware. Smith, who had not had a mulitple-goal game in his career, has six goals and two assists for eight points this season.
EXPERIENCE ON DEFENSE: The Mount's trio of senior starters on defense includes Nick Firman, Kyle O'Brien and Alex Stefkovich. The trio combined for 90 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers last season. This season, O'Brien leads the Mount with nine caused turnovers, Firman has 10 ground balls, and Stefkovich nine ground balls. The three have combined for 28 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers in the Mount's five games this season.
PRESEASON POLLS: Mount St. Mary's has been picked to finish in sixth place in the annual Northeast Conference preseason coaches' poll, released Tuesday. Three-time defending NEC Tournament champion Bryant was picked to finish in first place, followed by Saint Joseph's, Hobart, Sacred Heart, Robert Morris, the Mount and Wagner.
UP NEXT: The Mountaineers open Northeast Conference play at Wagner on Saturday, March 21.
