MOUNT ST. MARY'S (2-6, 0-1 NEC) vs. SACRED HEART (4-2, 1-0 NEC)
Saturday, March 28, 12:00 p.m.
Waldron Family Stadium, Emmitsburg, Md.
VIDEO STREAM: NEC Front Row
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
MOUNT UPDATE: The Mountaineers fell to UMBC, 11-8, on Tuesday night to drop to 2-6 on the season. Justin Gosnell posted his first hat trick for the Mount while Evan Gormley added a pair of goals in the game. Bubba Johnson chipped in a goal and two assists as well. The Mount scored both goals in the second quarter to force a 4-4 halftime tie, but UMBC scored all four goals in the third quarter to take an 8-4 advantage. The Mount cut the gap to 8-6, but could get no closer.
ABOUT SACRED HEART: Sacred Heart has won three in a row, including a 12-10 victory over Robert Morris in their Northeast Conference opener last Saturday. The Pioneers are 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the NEC. Sacred Heart used a 9-0 run to take a 12-5 fourth-quarter lead against the Colonials, and held on for the victory. Brian Masi had three goals in the win while Jon Flood made 18 saves. Masi and Alex Dodge are tied for the team lead with 13 goals each while Dodge tops the squad with 22 points. Flood has an 11.83 goals against average and a .520 save percentage in goal while Mike Calvagna has won 82-of-150 (.547) face-offs on the year.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: Mount St. Mary's holds a 6-2 lead in the all-time series with Sacred Heart. The Pioneers have won the past two matchups, including a 14-10 win in Fairfield, Conn., last year. The Mount is 4-1 all-time at home against Sacred Heart, but the Pioneers captured the last meeting at Waldron Family Stadium (14-5 in 2013). Three of the Mount's six wins have come by the score of 9-8. The teams have split four regular season matchups in Northeast Conference play.
IN THE CAGE: Freshman Matt Vierheller continues to shine in his first season for the Mountaineers. Vierheller leads the Northeast Conference and is seventh in the nation in save percentage (.581). He is second in the NEC and 12th in the country in goals against average (8.11) and he is second in the NEC and tied for 15th in the NCAA in saves per game (11.29). He has recorded double figures in saves five of seven starts, including a season-best 17 saves in the Mount's 7-4 loss to No. 15 Towson.
BALANCED SCORING: Fourteen different players have scored for the Mount this season, with 10 scoring two or more goals. Justin Gosnell leads the squad with 10 goals while Evan Gormley and Bubba Johnson have eight each. As a team, the Mount is averaging 7.12 goals per game, but has been held to eight or less goals in each of the past six contests.
GOSNELL CATCHING ON: Junior Justin Gosnell, in his first season with the Mountaineers, has acclimated himself to the Mount lineup, posting 10 goals and two assists over the past six games. Gosnell has scored eight goals over the past four games, including a season-high three in the Mount's 11-8 loss to UMBC.
O'BRIEN HAS CAREER DAY VS. WAGNER: Senior Kyle O'Brien had a standout day on defense against Wagner with career highs of seven caused turnovers and seven ground balls. The seven caused turnovers are the most by a Mount player since Phil Thomas had five on April 14, 2007, against Manhattan. O'Brien, who is third in the nation with 2.50 caused turnovers per game, has 21 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers on the year.
HALEY HAS BANNER DAY ON FACE-OFFS: Nick Haley won 15-of-19 face-offs in the Mount's 8-7 loss to Richmond. The senior won all eight face-offs in the second half, while matching a career-high with 10 ground balls. Haley's 15 face-off wins were a career high as well.
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.
EXPERIENCE ON DEFENSE: The Mount's trio of senior starters on defense includes Nick Firman, Kyle O'Brien and Alex Stefkovich. This season, the three have combined for 49 ground balls and 32 caused turnovers over the first eight games. O'Brien has 21 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers, Firman has 17 ground balls and seven caused turnovers, and Stefkovich has 11 ground balls and five caused turnovers. The three combined for 90 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers last 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 host Bucknell on Saturday, April 4, at 12:00 p.m. at Waldron Family Stadium on campus.
