BU, Holy Cross Meet for Playoff Spot Friday
April 21, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse
| Men's Lacrosse (8-5, 3-4 PL) at Holy Cross (3-10, 2-5 PL) | |
| Date | Friday, April 22 (7 p.m.) |
| Venue | Holy Cross Field (Worcester, Mass.) |
| Game Notes | BU |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Watch | Patriot League Network |
| @BUGameDay | @BUMensLacrosse | @TurnpikeTrophy | |
The Boston University men's lacrosse team will play its most important game of the season on Friday night when the Terriers travel to Worcester to face Holy Cross at 7 p.m.
A playoff spot will be on the line as BU (8-5, 3-4 PL) and Holy Cross (3-10, 2-5 PL) battle for the sixth and final berth into the Patriot League Tournament. For the Terriers, it will be their first postseason appearance. If they win, they will travel to either Loyola Maryland, Army West Point or Bucknell. In addition, a Turnpike Trophy point will be up for grabs, though the Terriers have already clinched the trophy thanks to a 13-3 lead in the year-long competition.
The two teams met on the final day of the conference regular season last year, with the Terriers coming up short in a 12-10 loss. BU bested Holy Cross, 9-8, in the teams' first-ever meeting in 2014. The road team has won both contests in the brief season series.
BU almost secured a spot in the conference tournament at then-No. 12/13 Loyola last Saturday but fell in a heartbreaker, 13-12. Freshman James Burr (3g, 1a) and sophomore Ryan Hilburn (2g, 2a) each had four points while junior Christian Carson-Banister made 15 saves. Two of the Terriers' last three losses have been by just one goal.
Hilburn has been on a roll of late, having tallied seven goals and three assists for 10 points in the last three games. His classmate, Jack Wilson, is on a 24-game point streak and enters Friday's contest as the Terriers' leader in points with 33 (22g, 11a).
Holy Cross kept its season alive last weekend with a 12-6 win at Colgate last Saturday. The Crusaders are just 3-10 this season, but they have won two straight games entering Friday, also defeating Lafayette, 11-6, on April 9.
Junior Jon Vogel leads the team with 37 points thanks to a team-best 35 goals. Senior Sean Wilkinson is atop the team leaderboard with 13 assists in addition to his 18 goals. Classmate Michael Ortlieb has started all 13 games in the cage, posting a .457 save percentage and an 11.62 goals-against average.
If the Terriers win, they will play in a Patriot League quarterfinal game on Tuesday. If they lose, the Terriers' next game will be on May 8 when they host Duke at Nickerson Field.
