The Rematch: The No. 7 Spartans vs The No. 2 Saints
The University of Tampa Spartans are looking for revenge after falling short to the Limestone Saints in the 2016 Division II Semifinal.
Tampa, Fla. - The No. 7 University of Tampa men's lacrosse team will host the No. 2 Limestone College Saints on Saturday, at 1 p.m. The meeting marks the eighth matchup between the schools. Tampa is still in the hunt for its first victory over the Saints.
The Matchup: No. 7 University of Tampa (3-1) vs. No. 2 Limestone College (2-0)
- In the last meeting, on May 22, 2016, the University of Tampa Spartans fell short to the Limestone College Saints 10-13 in the 2016 Division II Semifinal. Now sophomore Andrew Kew led UT with five goals, while senior Conor Whipple had one goal and led the Spartans with two assists. On defense, A.J. Ferraro and Noah Menendez held the Saints from scoring on seven different occasions. Additionally, returning goal keeper A.J. Arnold had ten saves against the Saints. Even though the Spartans took the "L", the game was a hard fought battle and was an impressive improvement from their 25-7 loss earlier in the 2016 season.
Date/Time: Saturday, February 25 at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out: Tampa defeated the Maryville Saints 16-2 on their first road weekend in St. Louis, Missouri on February 19. Kew led the Spartans to victory with five goals, followed by freshman Bryan Wright with three. The Spartans were led in assists by senior Chris Vetter. Additionally, juniors Alex Patton and Menendez won twenty out of twenty-two total faceoffs, 7-9 and 13-13 respectively. Due to his weekend performance against both the Lindenwood Lions and the Maryville Saints, sophomore Kew eared the SSC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
About the Spartans: The Spartans finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 15-3. After falling short in the semifinal, UT is hungry for another national championship title run. Going into the 2017 season, the Spartans are led offensively by attackers Kew and Whipple with 62 and 46 goals respectively. Whipple, a 2016 USILA second team All-American and 2016 Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, also led the team in assists last year totaling 50 on the season. Additionally, the University of Tampa Spartans return seniors Jake Schmidt and Marty Heyn. Schmidt was a 2016 USILA third team All-American, and Heyn was a 2016 USILA honorable mention.
About the Saints: The Saints return two of their five leading point scorers from the 2016 season. Junior Charlie Sheehan with 46 total goals in the 2016 season, and senior Chris Clancy with 35 total goals in the 2016 season. Returning standouts for the Saints include Kevin Reisman (face off specialist) who was named the 2016 USILA/Nike Division II Specialty Player of the Year for the last two seasons and earned First-Team All-American accolades. Junior Tyler Gaulton also earned First-Team All-American and senior Colton Watkinson was named a Second-Team All-American. Limestone finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 21-1, 6-0 in the Conference Carolinas.
Milestone Within Reach: Head coach Rory Whipple currently stands at 299 career victories. The all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division II is looking to reach the 300 mark with his next victory.
Rankings: The University of Tampa men's lacrosse team was selected as the No. 4 squad in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/Nike Preseason Coaches Poll. The Spartans hauled in 297 points after reaching the 2016 NCAA Division II Semifinals just a season ago. Taking the top spot is reigning national champions LeMoyne, as the Dolphins received all 18 first place votes. Runner up Limestone sits No. 2 while Merrimack garnered 322 points to pick up the No. 3 ranking. However, after losing on February 18, to the No. 17 Lindenwood Lions, the Spartans dropped to No. 7.
Entering this match, the Spartans have been ranked in the top ten for 40 consecutive weeks. This dates back to their 2014 season.
Series History: Limestone takes the sweep, with a 7-0 record against the Spartans in the all-time series. The first time the teams met (March of 2012), the game was played in Gaffney, S.C. at the Saints Field.
Tickets: Tickets for are $5 for adults, senior citizens and coaches. Children under 12 will be admitted free. UT students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid student ID.
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