WILKES-BARRE, PA (April 25, 2019) – The King's College men's lacrosse team will finish its 2019 season on Saturday, celebrating Senior Day at 1 p.m. as the Valiants of Manhattanville College come to town for a Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) tussle in McCarthy Stadium. King's is coming off a 17-9 defeat on Wednesday evening to Misericordia University, as the Cougars scored seven third-quarter goals to pull away.

Event Details
Opponent: vs. Manhattanville College (7-7, 2-4 MAC Freedom)
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2019
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA – McCarthy Stadium (Directions)
Live Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Last Time Out: Misericordia University busted open a 6-5 game with seven third-quarter goals, as the King's College men's lacrosse team fell 17-9 Wednesday evening in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) play from Mangelsdorf Field in Dallas, PA.

The Monarchs fell behind early with back-to-back goals from the Cougars, but King's netted the next three tallies before the end of the first 15 minutes on goals from Alex Martin, Jared Gambino and Duncan Breig.

In the second quarter, Misericordia tied the game early but Holden Schooley put the Monarchs back on top with an unassisted goal at 7:40 of the second quarter. The Cougar notched the next two goals before Michael O'Brien netted the first of his three goals Wednesday to tie the game at five. Nick Torzilli would give the Cougars the lead heading into the break on an assisted goal from Brandon Winslow.

After the break, Misericordia would see its offense kick into gear, outscoring the Monarchs 7-1 in the period. After Gabe Vansuch tallied with help from Gambino at the 13:05 mark of the third quarter to make the game 7-6 in favor of the hosts, MU's Patrick Luzzi scored five straight goals as part of a 6-0 run to end the third quarter as MU took a 13-6 lead into the fourth.

King's and Misericordia would play seemingly even lacrosse in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was too large for the Monarchs to get back into the game. With the loss, King's was officially eliminated from MAC Freedom Tournament action in 2019.

O'Brien posted three goals on 10 shots, nine coming on goal, while Gambino finished with two goals and an assist. Long stick midfielder Jacob Wrede finished with a team-high three ground balls along with a caused turnover, while Chris Surina added a pair of loose balls along with a caused turnovers.

King's was outshot on the night 47-38, while senior Matt Basile made 15 stops in net for the Monarchs, as his 216 saves this year are the fourth-most ever in a season at King's. The number passed assistant coach Steven Matusiewicz and his 215 made in 2005.

A Look At The Monarchs (3-11, 1-5 MAC Freedom):

• King's will honor 12 of its players on Saturday during the pre-game Senior Day festivities, as the 10 seniors along with juniors Jack Camp and Seamus Boyle will be finishing their careers.
• Sophomore Gabe Vansuch has been playing well all season for the Monarchs, as the sophomore has netted a goal in all 14 games in 2019. Vansuch's 26 goals are tied for the eighth-most in a year ever at King's.
• Matt Basile will finish his amazing career at King's on Saturday, and he comes into the contest with Manhattanville with 505 saves for his career. He is 11 saves shy of moving into second all-time saves list.
• Senior Brian Steiger ranks second on the team this season in points with 26, while his 87 shots are tops on the team. Steiger also is tied for the team-lead in assists with 12.
• Jared Gambino is second on the squad in goals with 18, adding 27 ground balls this year, and Michael O'Brien has also posted 13 goals including three Wednesday.
• Sophomore attack Charlie Alessi works well out of X, as his 12 assists is tied for the team lead with Steiger.
• Alex Martin has posted 11 goals for King's, and Ryan Matusiewicz has been stellar with four goals, nine assists, 34 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. He's the only player on the team with double digits in points, ground balls and caused turnovers.
• Sophomore Sam Moyer has been rock solid during the second part of the season, as he now is second on the team with 14 caused turnovers and has at least one ground ball in his last nine games.
• Junior Jacob Wrede leads the squad with 15 caused turnovers this season, while Chris Surina also has 14 caused giveaways.

A Look At The Valiants (7-7, 2-4 MAC Freedom):

• The Valiants have something to play for Saturday afternoon, as a win coupled with a Wilkes win over FDU-Florham would put all three teams in a three-way tie for the fourth and final spot in the MAC Freedom Tournament.
• Since the teams all went 1-1 against each other, and they all defeated the same teams in conference, tie-breaking procedures would go into effect.
• The Valiants come into Saturday's game with the league's fourth-best offense, scoring 154 goals on the season while allowing 142.
• Manhattanville is also very strong on clear attempts, leading the conference with 297 clears on just 340 attempts.
• Gianni Ciffone leads the Valiants in goals per game with 2.79, as his 39 goals rank fifth in the MAC Freedom.
• Teammate Will Duval leads the conference in assists per game with 29, as his 2.07 assists per game is second in the conference. Ciffone and Duval are 4-5 in the MAC Freedom in points per game.
• Jason Frezza ranks fifth in the MAC Freedom in goals against average with 10.44, and his save percentage of 58.8 is fourth-best. He also ranks third in saves per game with 13.43.
• Sam Hahn leads the defensive unit with 25 caused turnovers this season for the Valiants, also posting 46 ground balls.

Against Manhattanville All-Time: Saturday's meeting with the Valiants will be the final meeting as conference foes, as Manhattanville departs for the Skyline Conference next year. King's is 8-3 all-time against M'Ville, winning the last eight games in the series. Last season, KC knocked off the Valiants 13-7 in Purchase, NY.