NEWARK, Del. - - Following wins over nationally ranked No. 12 St. Anselm and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Georgian Court last week, the Wilmington University men's lacrosse team earned national recognition by two National Polls, being ranked No. 16 in this week's USA Lacrosse Magazine DII Poll and No. 20 in the USILA DII Poll.
It is the first time in program history the Wildcats have been ranked nationally by either organization. The Wildcats started its program with the 2018 season.
The Wildcats earned its defining win last week, defeating nationally ranked No. 12 St. Anselm, 17-14. It was the team's first win over a ranked opponent in program history. Giovanni Marino scored a program record nine goals in the game while Jacob Herman dished out a program record five assists.
The Wildcats then started slowly against CACC foe Georgian Court, falling behind 6-1 early in the second quarter. But the Wildcats responded by outscoring the Lions, 16-2, starting with a goal with 9:08 remaining in the second quarter. Jake Copio scored five goals and added an assist to lead the offense.
The Wildcats play a pair of CACC opponents this week, starting with Felician at home on Wednesday. They head to Dominican on Saturday for a night game. Wednesday's game against Felician is set for 4:00 p.m. at the WU Athletics Complex.