MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team will return home to battle Saint Michael's College on Saturday evening at Grappone Stadium. The game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. under the lights.

NO. 17 SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS (3-0, 3-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2021 Statistics | News

SAINT MICHAEL'S COLLEGE PURPLE KNIGHTS (3-0, 3-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2021 Statistics | News

The No. 17-ranked team in NCAA Division II, according to the most recent United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) poll released to start the week, powering past Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday by a 13-6 score.

Wednesday's matchup will feature two undefeated teams, with one coming out of the other side with a 4-0 record. The Purple Knights have beaten its first three opponents of the 2021 season, earning wins over American Int'l (14-3), Franklin Pierce (7-6), and Southern New Hampshire (17-14).

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 game against the Purple Knights 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 17th in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/Dynamic Division II National Coaches Poll.
• In the USILA Coaches' Poll, the Hawks are one of four nationally-ranked teams along with No. 1 Le Moyne, No. 7 Adelphi, and No. 10 Pace.
• Senior co-captain Matt Ward (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was tabbed as the NE10 Men's Lacrosse Player of the Week and earned a spot on the USILA Division II Team of the Week after scoring five goals in his team's season-opening victory over Southern New Hampshire last Wednesday before adding six against Bentley on Saturday. Throughout three games this season, Ward ranks fifth nationally in goals per game (4.00). Within the NE10, he is fourth with three man-up goals and also is ranked with exactly four points per game.
• Across a 14-game point-scoring streak that dates back to 2019, Ward has notched 37 goals with seven assists for 44 points (37-7=44).
• After scoring another four goals in a game this season, sophomore Jack Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) has now tied Ward with the team-lead in points (12) and goals (12). Both Hawks student-athletes have recorded six ground balls on the season. Andrews has scored four goals each in every contest that he has played in the 2021 campaign.
• Senior co-captain Griffin Shoemaker (Shirley, Mass.) joins the other two Hawks student-athletes with 10 or more points in 2021 as Shoemaker has scored five goals and assisted on five (5-5=10) for 10 points. He netted two goals in the wins over the Penmen and Ravens, dishing out four assists in the season-opener.
• The Hawks defense is led by senior CJ Hart (Reading, Mass.) whose .489 save percentage ranks as high as 36th in the nation and seventh in the conference. Hart's 7.77 goals-against average is atop the NE10 category. Sophomore goalkeepers David Olsen (Salem, N.H.) and Will Davis (Franklin, Mass.) also got the opportunity to earn some playing time against Franklin Pierce on Wednesday.
• 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 24-12 record since the start of the 2018 season and has made the last four NE10 postseason tournaments.

CHECKING OUT THE PURPLE KNIGHTS

• The Purple Knights come to the Hilltop with a 3-0 record. Saint Anselm and Saint Michael's are the only two teams that have claimed three conference victories in 2021.
• Saint Michael's began the season with a 14-3 victory over the Yellow Jackets, returning for its home opener against Franklin Pierce, resulting in a narrow 7-6 win. The Purple Knights finished March with a 17-14 triumph over Southern New Hampshire on Saturday, Mar. 27.
• In those games, the Purple Knights average 12.67 goals per game, along with Dominic Joy's conference-leading 65.7 save percentage.
• Max Katavolos leads the Purple Knights offense with 12 points (9-3=12) on nine goals and three assists. Nathan Woods also has included himself in the attack, scoring 11 points (5-6=11) on five goals and six assists. His assist mark is tied for fourth in the entire NE10.
• After claiming three straight NE10 Goalie of the Week accolades, Joy looks to keep on going with outstanding performance. Joy currently leads all Division II netminders in save percentage (.657) while standing seventh in goals-against average (7.89) and ninth in saves per game (14.9). On Wednesday against the Ravens, Joy made 17 saves with one ground ball and one caused turnovers before notching 12 stops, three ground balls, and a caused turnover in the win over the Penmen on Saturday.

ALL-TIME vs. SAINT MICHAEL'S

• Against the Purple Knights, the Hawks are 12-18 in each program's history. Saint Anselm's last encounter with the Purple Knights was on Apr. 16, 2019 when the Hawks cruised past their opponent, 16-6. Patrick Sweeney '19 and Anthony Busconi '19 scored four goals and an assist to lead the Hawks offense. In the contest, Sweeney became the seventh student-athlete in program history to reach 150 career points.
• Saint Anselm is currently on a four-game winning streak against Saint Michael's, which is also the longest winning streak between the two programs. In the last 10 matches, it is a close one with the Hawks defeating the Purple Knights, 6-4.
• Since 2002, the Hawks have averaged 8.14 goals per game against its opponents up north in Vermont. Saint Anselm is also 7-2 on home turf against the Purple Knights in the past 19 years.
• Saint Anselm and Saint Michael's have also seen each other on the big stage, battling one another in the NE10 Tournament. The series is tied at 2-2 when in that situation. The last time the Hawks and Purple Knights saw each other in the NE10 Tournament was in the 2012 Quarterfinals, falling 8-4.
• Back in 2009, the Hawks rallied from a 9-7 halftime deficit to upset No. 4 seeded Saint Michael's by a 14-13 final, advancing the Hawks to the semifinals against Le Moyne.