No. 3 Spartans Set to Face No. 2 Limestone in National Semifinals
GAFFNEY, S.C. - The No. 3 University of Tampa men's lacrosse team is looking to avenge its only other loss of the season as they get set to square off with No. 2 Limestone College in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Gaffney, S.C., with the winner earning a spot in the national championship game on May 25 in Baltimore.
Tampa comes into the game with a 16-2 record after defeated No. 5 Mercyhurst 11-9 in the quarterfinals last Saturday. Tampa has averaged 14.33 goals per game. Jake Rooney, Conor Whipple, and Mike Morris have played a major role in the offensive success. Whipple leads the team with 41 assists and 89 points while Rooney has netted a team-high 61goals. Morris has tallied 24 goals and 11 assist this season. Nick Ferreiro has tallied 27 points and has a .708 faceoff win percentage. Andrew Failla is 12-2 in the cage this season and has a .595 save percentage. The trio of Larry Gress, Marty Heyn, and Nate Tembi have helped hold opponents to 7.44 goals per game.
Limestone comes into the game with a 17-1 record, after defeating Queens 17-6 in the Quarterfinals last weekend. The Saints are led by Todd Nakasuji, Anthony Starnino, and Patrick Sheridan. Nakasuji leads the team with 40 goals and 62 points, while Starnino has tallied 43 caused turnovers and 54 ground balls. Sheridan has made 159 saves on the season and a .621 save percentage.
The Spartans and Saints faced each other on March 22, with Limestone winning 8-5. In that game, Tampa struck first as Brian Patton netted an unassisted goal to jump out to an early 1-0 lead. Limestone responded with back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead after the first quarter. The Rooney scored twice in the second quarter for the Spartans, but Limestone responded with three goals of their own to take a 5-3 lead into halftime. Whipple netted the lone goal of the third quarter to cut the lead to 5-4, before the Saint scored three out of the final four goals for the 8-5 final.
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