CU Men's Lacrosse Preview - Liberty League First Round at Union College (4/30)

Ivan Henwood

Men's Lacrosse | 4/29/2024 12:47:00 PM

Thanks to wins in the finals two games of the regular season, the Clarkson University Men's Lacrosse team has earned a spot in the Liberty League Tournament, beginning the conference gauntlet with top-10 ranked Union College on Tuesday afternoon.

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The Series: Earlier this season, Union downed the Golden Knights 15-10. The Garnet Chargers held a modest lead in shots (54-45), but the biggest difference came on faceoffs, where Union won 27 of the 29 chances, helping the home team gain a 44-24 advantage in groundballs.

Key Stats for Clarkson (8-8): Sebastian Geiger scored six points and had six groundballs in the first meeting against Union is among the top 10 in the Liberty League in goals per game. Andrew Kearney (35), Matt Reilly (34), and Geiger (34) have been jockeying for the team lead in goals for most of the season. Matt Szwagulinski ranks second in the Liberty League in caused turnovers per game (1.81) and has one of the better groundball totals (51) among players that aren't starting on the faceoff. Sophomore goalkeeper Griffin Emerson made 15 saves in his first meeting against Union, and is coming off an 18-save outing against Vassar this past Saturday.

Key Stats for Union (11-4): The only losses suffered by the Garnet Chargers in 2024 are teams ranked in the top five in the country, including three from the Liberty League. Overall, Union has faced seven teams ranked in the top 25 this season. Clarkson did a good job of holding Union's top scoring threats in check in the first meeting, but others emerged in the process. Emmett Lyne and Hazen Pike combined for five goals against Clarkson, but had just 20 total in the other 14 games this season. Matthew Paolatto was 27-for-29 on faceoffs in the first game, scooping up 16 groundballs. His .715 winning percentage on faceoffs is the best in the conference and third nationally. His 10.73 groundballs per game are also in the top 10 nationally.

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Players Mentioned

#44 Griffin Emerson: GK; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#14 Sebastian Geiger: A; 6' 1"; Graduate Student

#31 Andrew Kearney: M; 5' 10"; Senior

#4 Matt Reilly: M; 6' 3"; Senior

#19 Matt Szwagulinski: D; 5' 11"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#44 Griffin Emerson
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: GK

#14 Sebastian Geiger
: 6' 1"; Graduate Student
: A

#31 Andrew Kearney
: 5' 10"; Senior
: M

#4 Matt Reilly
: 6' 3"; Senior
: M

#19 Matt Szwagulinski
: 5' 11"; Senior
: D