WATERVILLE, ME- Sixth-seeded Thomas College (4-9, 3-5 NAC) will travel to play third-seeded Husson (7-8, 6-2 NAC) in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) first round matchup at 1:00 PM on Saturday, April 27.
How they got here:
Thomas enters the NAC tournament after an up and down campaign in which they were unable to win consecutive games all season. The young Terrier squad struggled on the road going only 1-6 away from home. Thomas went 2-3 over final five games.
Husson comes into the postseason play playing its best lacrosse of the season, winning five of their final seven games. The Eagles also won when it counted, going 6-2 in the conference to earn the home playoff matchup.
The last time the two met:
The two teams met just days ago on April 24 in the regular-season finale in which Husson took down Thomas, 9-3.
Historically speaking:
Thomas and Husson have played six times starting back in 2009. Husson has won four straight in the series after Thomas won the first two meetings. This will be the first matchup between the two schools in the NAC tournament.
Coaches Corner:
Head Coach Jake Cowen is in his first season as head coach at Thomas.
Head Coach Sean Murphy is also in his first season as head coach at Husson.
Who to watch:
Thomas features a balanced scoring attack with five players recording at least 14 goals. The Terriers were led in points by junior Gunnar Shelton (Eugene, Ore.) as he racked up 15 goals along with a team-leading 16 assists. Leading goal scorers senior Sean Machin (Brunswick, Maine) and freshman Parker Chute (Exeter, N.H.) both netted 17 goals on the season to pace the Terrier offense. Junior Jordan Marino (Londonderry, N.H.) and freshman Bryan Ferris (Whitman, Mass.) both scored 14 goals on the season to chip in for Thomas.
Defensively Thomas are anchored by senior goalkeeper Jesse Morkeski (Damariscotta, Maine) and his 218 saves. Morkeski logged over 760 minutes in net for the Terriers on the season. Senior Isaac Brown (Kennebunk, Maine) and junior Tyler Mitchell (Eastport, Maine) are key defenders with size for Thomas. Freshman Zac Crimmin (Westbrook, Maine) had a team-high 51 ground balls for the Terriers.
Husson is led offensively by senior Mitch Heaps (York, Pa.) and his team-high 48 goals and 57 points. The Eagles also had five other players record 10 or more goals. Freshman Brandon Corbo (Rome, Maine) was second on the team with 18 goals and led the squad with 18 assists. Senior Dillon Shaw (Augusta, Maine) had a team-high 95 ground balls.
On defense, the Eagles are led by senior goalkeeper John Hooper III (Wakefield, R.I.) who recorded 135 saves on the season in over 657 minutes in net. Senior Matt Tabler (Cantonsville, Md.) anchors a solid group of defenseman for Husson.
