MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team will play Bentley University on Saturday, Mar. 27 in the Hawks home opener at Grappone Stadium. The game is slated to begin at 3 p.m.

The No. 19-ranked team in NCAA Division II, according to the most recent United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll released to start the week, powered past Southern New Hampshire University on Wednesday by a 17-10 score.

The Falcons had their scheduled opener against Adelphi postponed and will instead open their season Saturday against Saint Anselm. Last season, Bentley posted an 0-3 record in the pandemic-shortened season and will look for their first win since Apr. 23, 2019.

Spectators of any kind, including on-campus students, staff and faculty, are not permitted at Grappone Stadium. Those in attendance will only include participants and those in a working capacity.

Live Stats and Live Video of Saturday's home opener against the Falcons will be provided on the NE10 Now Network.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS

• The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team was ranked fourth in the Northeast-10 Conference, according to the league's Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Led by sixth-year Head Coach Michael Sciamanna, the Hawks are presently ranked 19th in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/Dynamic Division II National Coaches Poll.
• The Hawks learned earlier this week that it opens the season ranked atop the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association coaches' poll. Saint Anselm earned all six first-place votes and is ranked first ahead of Bentley, Assumption, Southern New Hampshire and Franklin Pierce.
• Senior Matt Ward (Shrewsbury, Mass.) led the way with five goals against Southern New Hampshire, posting a career-high three caused turnovers on defense in a well-rounded effort. Sophomore Jack Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) contributed with four goals off the bench and senior Griffin Shoemaker (Shirley, Mass.) was responsible for two goals and two assists.
• Defensively against the Penmen, Andrew Bonavita (Longmeadow, Mass.) logged five ground balls and sophomore Ryan Slattery (North Andover, Mass.) chipped in with three caused turnovers.
• Ward owns an active 12-game point scoring streak, notching 30 goals and seven assists for 37 points (30-7=37) since Apr. 2, 2019 against Merrimack. Shoemaker has logged a modest eight-game goal scoring streak entering Saturday's game with Bentley.
• Saint Anselm finished the shortened 2020 season with a 3-0 record, picking up two victories over nationally-regarded programs. Saint Anselm logged a season-opening win over No. 18-ranked New York Tech to crack the USILA national coaches' poll.
• Last month, Ward and Thomas Mapstone (Andover, Mass.) earned Honorable Mention Preseason All-America honors from the USILA. In early January, Ward and Shoemaker were named captains of the squad.
• Saint Anselm has posted a 22-12 record since the start of the 2018 season and has made the last four NE10 postseason tournaments.

FEATURING THE FALCONS

• Bentley is receiving votes in the USILA Division II National Coaches' Poll.
• In 2019, the Falcons registered a 9-5 overall record that included a 10-8 victory over Saint Anselm on Apr. 13. Bentley lost its First Round postseason game at Pace just a week after a 21-16 regular-season defeat in Pleasantville.
• Head Coach Jim Murphy is the reigning NE10 Coach of the Year for his efforts with the 2019 iteration of the Falcons roster. He earned his 200th career win against Saint Michael's earlier that season and became just the fifth coach in NCAA Division II history to surpass 200 wins.
• Defensive midfielder Connor Baughan was named to the Preseason All-America team by the USILA in 2021 after capturing All-NE10 honors in 2019. He led Bentley in ground balls in 2019.
• Midfielder Ben Baldasaro, a native of Exeter, N.H., was named to the NE10 All-Rookie Team in 2019. He had a strong start to his sophomore season in 2020, scoring five goals and an assist for six points (5-1=6) in the three-game campaign.

ALL-TIME vs. BENTLEY

• Bentley leads the all-time series, 19-7. The Hawks, however, have enjoyed wins in five of the last meetings.
• The all-time series began on Apr. 13, 1994 in just the third varsity lacrosse game played by Saint Anselm. The very first win in the all-time series came on Apr. 14, 1999 with a 12-11 victory by the Hawks on the Hilltop.
• Each of the last 21 games between Bentley and Saint Anselm have been decided by a single-digit margin. In fact, all but four of those match-ups were determined by a five-goal margin or less.