BU to Host Army West Point Saturday
April 7, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse
| Men's Lacrosse (8-3, 3-2 PL) vs. Army West Point (7-3, 4-1 PL) | |
| Date | Saturday, April 9 (1 p.m.) |
| Venue | Nickerson Field (Boston, Mass.) |
| Game Notes | BU Notes | Army Notes |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Watch | Patriot League Network |
| Tickets | Individual Tickets |
| @BUGameDay | @BUMensLacrosse | |
| Registration | Faculty & Staff Day |
The Boston University men's lacrosse team will host Army West Point on Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
Saturday is Faculty & Staff Day. There will be a pregame reception and free admission to the game for all BU faculty and staff members and their guests who register. In addition, the Terriers will be signing autographs after the game.
BU (8-3, 3-2 PL) can clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament with a win on Saturday in addition to a Colgate loss. It would be the first-ever postseason appearance for the Terriers. Meanwhile, Army West Point (7-3, 4-1 PL) will make the tournament no matter what on Saturday if Colgate loses against Navy.
The Terriers are looking to rebound from an 8-7 loss last Saturday to Lehigh in which sophomore Ryan Hilburn recorded three points (2g, 1a) and freshman Michael Laviano also tallied two goals. BU has yet to lose two straight games this season and has held its opponents to an average of seven goals per game over the last three contests.
Both teams have been excellent at the faceoff X this season, with three of the nation's top specialists set to take the field on Saturday. Junior Sam Talkow is third in the nation at .698 this season and the Terriers rank fifth as a team at .654. Meanwhile, Army West Point is third in the NCAA at .667 thanks to senior Alex Daly (.674) and junior Dan Grabher (.667), who rank fifth and sixth, respectively, behind Talkow.
In addition to their prowess on faceoffs, the Terriers are among the nation's best in the defensive end. They lead the nation with 100 caused turnovers and have allowed a mere 8.55 goals per game, which is fourth-best in the country.
The Black Knights were ranked as high as No. 15 in the media poll last week before dropping out of both polls after an 8-7 loss to Bucknell this past Saturday afternoon. Army West Point is in the top 10 nationally in many categories, including clearing (3rd, .906), ground balls per game (8th, 33.7) and man-down defense (5th, .783).
Junior Cole Johnson leads Army West Point in goals (28), assists (22) and points (50), and he ranks third in the nation with an average of 5.0 points per game. Freshman AJ Barretto has started nine of the 10 games he has played, ranking eighth in the country with a 7.05 goals-against average along with a .568 save percentage.
Following Saturday's game, the Terriers will hit the road for their final two Patriot League contests of the season, beginning with a trip to Baltimore to face Loyola Maryland on April 15.
