GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - The Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team (14-1), ranked No. 5 nationally by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association in its NCAA Division II coaches' poll, is preparing for its third matchup of the season against No. 2 Adelphi. This will mark the second straight meeting between the two programs in the national semifinals, with the Hawks aiming to punch their ticket to Gillette Stadium for the program's first-ever NCAA Championship appearance.

When asked if he envisioned this opportunity before the season began, Head Coach Drew Bourdeau said, "Before I got the job, Coach (Eric) Coburn … he called me after they lost and said, 'I guarantee you we make it back to the final four next year' … if you have (Coburn) as your defensive coordinator, there is always a chance. I knew that we could get there."

 

GAME INFO:

Date: Sunday, May 18th, 2025 

Time: 1:00 PM 

Location: Garden City, N.Y. (Motamed Field)

Live Stream: FloSports

Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

Tickets: Purchase Here 

 

ALL-TIME SERIES: 

There have been 21 meetings between Adelphi and Saint Anselm in the all-time series dating back to 2008. Entering this season, the Panthers were undefeated with a 19-0 record against the Hawks.

However, Saint Anselm secured its first win over Adelphi in program history earlier this season, ending the Panthers' 25-game winning streak with a 9-6 victory on April 5. Adelphi avenged the loss in the NE10 championship game, winning 13-12 in overtime to improve to 20-1 all-time against the Hawks.

This will be the second straight meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Final Four, with Adelphi winning last year's matchup 12-9.

 

SEMIFINAL PREVIEW:

The Hawks secured their spot in the final four with a 9-8 victory over three-seed Seton Hill. It was a back-and-forth affair, with Saint Anselm securing the victory behind the eventual game-winning goal with 5 minutes to play from senior Colin Mulvey (Reading, Mass.). 

Saint Anselm is making their second ever appearance in the NCAA Semifinals, boasting Division II's seventh-ranked scoring defense (8.27), also ranking 14th in face-off winning percentage (60.4%), and 11th in fewest turnovers per game (16.13).

Adelphi has cruised into the semifinals, scoring 20-plus goals in each of its two NCAA Tournament games and winning both by 14-goal margins. The Panthers currently rank second in Division II in scoring defense (6.22 goals allowed per game) and fourth in scoring offense (17.83). They also sit in the top five nationally in assists (208), total points (529), shooting percentage (.370), and turnovers per game (15.17).

Adelphi won the NCAA Championship last season, ending a 23-year title drought and claiming its eighth national title. The Panthers have previously won back-to-back national titles, doing so in the 1998 and 1999 seasons.

Sunday's game will be the first in the series this season played at Adelphi. Head coach Drew Bourdeau, when asked about facing Adelphi on the road for the first time as a head coach, said, "It's one of the best environments in college lacrosse. Having seen that environment three times as a player and seen some hostile environments, I'm ready for it. And obviously, the guys—besides the freshmen—they know it. For me, helping the freshmen understand what it's gonna be like is the biggest thing."

 

KEY PLAYERS: 

Head Coach Drew Bourdeau gave insight into the impact of some of his players, at one point stating, "The two most important positions in lacrosse are faceoff and goalie, and we have two of the best."

In net for the Hawks, sophomore Finn Granara (Reading, Mass.) has posted a 7.72 goals-against average, the third-lowest single-season mark in program history. A Second Team All-NE10 selection, Granara—called the "keeper of the gate" by Bourdeau—has notched 13 wins in 14 starts, tying the single-season record of 13 wins held by CJ Hart '22, also from Reading. Bourdeau added, "He's one of the hardest working kids I've ever met. He pays such attention to detail, watches so much film, studies shooters—where they shoot, how they release, when they release, where it's going—he's so prepared every single week. It gives the defense confidence knowing they can completely sell out for him, but if they make a mistake, he's still back there and he's going to give us a chance."

Controlling the faceoff game this year has been junior Quinn Gannon (Scituate, Mass.), a Second Team All-NE10 pick. Gannon has won 152 face-offs at a 63.6% success rate—the second-best single-season mark in team history. His 101 ground balls rank third all-time for a single season, and his 7.77 ground balls per game this season is the best mark in program history. Bourdeau said, "The team that has the best chance to win is the team that has the most possessions, and Quinn gives us that chance every single time we walk into a game. He's dialed into the film, watching every single guy, knows what their moves are, what their counter-moves are, and works so hard on the field. Since the moment he stepped on campus, he's played in the biggest of games. That's the best thing about him—there is no moment that is too big for Quinn."

Junior Colby Goodchild (Reading, Mass.), a First Team All-Conference defender, totaled 26 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers during the season. He has added five ground balls and four caused turnovers across two NCAA postseason games. Against Bentley in the NCAA tournament, he scored his first career goal.

Senior Will Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) also earned First Team All-NE10 recognition, scoring 22 goals and six assists for 28 points heading into Sunday.

Junior Chris Claflin (Newton, Mass.) is tied for second on the team in points with 42, including 30 assists—more than double his 2024 total of 12, despite playing in three fewer games. His five assists against Adelphi on April 5 marked a season-high. His 30 assists this year rank as the seventh-most in a single season in program history. He was named Second Team All-Conference.

Senior Colin Mulvey (Reading, Mass.) earned Third Team All-Conference honors and enters Sunday's game with 62 career appearances, the third-most in team history. He has totaled 116 career points on 80 goals and 36 assists.

Sophomore Mark Boyle (Reading, Mass.) and freshman Johnny Lucas (Peabody, Mass.) also earned Third Team All-NE10 honors. After scoring two goals as a freshman, Boyle now ranks sixth on the team with 28 points (21 goals, 7 assists). Lucas, who has played in 15 games, has tallied 48 ground balls and helped anchor the defense.

Freshman Matt Lemay (Westminster, Mass.), the NE10 Co-Rookie of the Year, leads the team with 51 points (39 goals, 12 assists). He has recorded at least one point in each of his first 14 career games and enters the NCAA Semifinal against Adelphi with seven straight games of three or more points. Bourdeau praised his "ability to stretch the defense … he has such an incredible ability to shoot the ball, and that's exactly what you need to beat the best goalie in Division II, which is what we're up against for the third time."

That goalie is Dylan Renner, who earned his third NE10 Goalkeeper of the Year award this season. He ranks second in Division II in goals-against average (6.47) and third in save percentage (.614). Renner made 11 saves in the NE10 Championship overtime win and added another 11 saves in Adelphi's most recent victory over Molloy—his eighth game this season with double-digit saves.

Braeden Donnellan, the NE10 Player of the Year, leads both Adelphi and all of Division II with 5.83 points per game. He's been just as productive in NCAA play as he was during the regular season, recording five assists in each of the Panthers' first two tournament games. Donnellan enters the semifinal with 37 goals, 69 assists, and 106 total points.

Ries Bower, the NE10 Defensive Player of the Year, anchors one of the nation's top defensive units. He has collected 67 ground balls and caused 42 turnovers this season, while also contributing offensively—recording a point in each of his last five games.

The Panthers have also benefited from strong postseason contributions by Kyle Lewis, who has tallied five goals and 10 assists in the two NCAA games, and Noah Gibson, who has scored nine goals over that stretch and now has 62 goals on the season. Defensively, Michael D'Alessandro has recorded 29 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers, while Nick O'Shea has matched him with 29 ground balls.

 

HEAD COACHES: 

First-year Head Coach Drew Bourdeau '18 was named NE10 Co-Coach of the Year after guiding the Hawks to the conference's regular-season crown. He becomes the third head coach in program history to earn the honor, joining Michael Sciamanna (2021) and Rick Senatore (2007). Bourdeau most recently served as the head coach at Bedford High School, leading them to an NHIAA Division I championship appearance.

As a student-athlete at Saint Anselm, Bourdeau earned USILA Third Team All-America honors as a senior, captaining the team and graduating with the fifth-best average for caused turnovers per game (1.09) at the time. Over 57 career games, he totaled 129 ground balls and 62 caused turnovers.

Gordon Purdie is in his 18th season as head coach for Adelphi. He has led the team to a 222-62 overall record during his tenure, the most wins by a coach in program history.

Under Purdie, the Panthers have won six NE10 postseason titles, been to four NCAA Final Fours, and won last year's NCAA National Championship. He is a two-time NE10 Coach of the Year and was named the USILA Coach of the Year last season.

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