Men’s Lacrosse Readies for Landmark Conference Playoff Tilt at Elizabethtown Wednesday

For the first time since 2014, the Goucher College men's lacrosse team will play in the Landmark Conference Championship on Wednesday afternoon, as the third-seeded Gophers head to second-seeded Elizabethtown in semifinal action. Things get underway at 4 p.m.

Fans attending the game are reminded that admission will be charged at the gate: $5 for adults and $3 for seniors (62 and older) and non-Landmark Conference students. Children ages 10 and under are admitted free of charge, as are all Landmark Conference students, faculty, and staff with their school ID. Gates at E-Town will open at 3 p.m.

If you won't be attending the match, a live stream and live stats will be available here. Also, Goucher's SAAC will be hosting a viewing party in the Varsity Room on the lower level of the Decker Sports and Recreation Center, which will begin at 3:30 p.m.

The Gophers enter the Landmark playoffs on quite a run, winning four of their last five matches to end the regular season to secure a bid. At 10-6 overall, Goucher has won double-digit games for the first time since the 2012 season (Goucher finished 18-2), which ironically was the last time the Gophers won the Landmark Conference title.

Overall on the year, Goucher has been led on the offensive end by junior Zephan Harnish (Woodsboro, Md.) and sophomore Matt Woodson (Timonium, Md.). Harnish ended the regular year as the team's leading goal scorer with 26 goals and nine assists. Woodson, meanwhile, has dished out 27 assists (along with scoring 16 goals). His assist marks currently leads all of the Landmark Conference.

On defense, Goucher has been strong down the stretch, allowing a team to hit double digits in the goal scoring column just once over the last month.

Leading the way has been a pair of seniors in Peter Cost (Berwyn, Pa.) and goalie Matt Messerle (Limerick, Pa.). Cost leads the team and is second in the Landmark in caused turnovers with 30 for the season, while Messerle has been impressive in between the pipes for Goucher the entire year, finishing with 166 saves (a conference-best mark), a save percentage of 56.7 and a goals-against average of 8.38.

Elizabethtown, who ended the regular year at 7-9 overall, begins defense of their 2017 Landmark Conference title on Wednesday. On the season, the Blue Jays are led offensively by Mike Scrafano, who has scored 34 goals, the fourth highest mark in the Landmark.

In the regular season matchup between the teams, it was a tale of two halves.

After E-Town opened up a 6-1 lead on Goucher halfway through the third quarter, the Gophers went on a tear, scoring seven of the next eight goals to take an 8-7 lead with 5:33 to go in regulation.

But, the host Blue Jays scored the final goal of regulation with 3:07 left, then tallied the game-winner in overtime to take a 9-8 victory.

For more on the rest of the 2018 Landmark Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship, click here.

--GOPHERS--