NEWARK, Del. - - For the sixth Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament in a row, the Wilmington University men's lacrosse team has earned a spot in the semifinals, this time by winning the CACC Regular Season Championship and entering the postseason on an eight-game winning streak.
A change in the format of the CACC Tournament has the higher seed hosting the semifinal round for the first time in 2024. The Wildcats host post and the No. 2 seed Chestnut Hill hosts No. 3 Georgian Court on Wednesday. The winners advance to the CACC Tournament Championship being hosted by Dominican University in Orangeburg, New York, on Sunday, May 5.
Ways to Follow:
- Live stats vs. Post: https://wildcats.athletics.wilmu.edu/sports/mlax/2023-24/boxscores/20240501_xd7h.xml
- Live stream: https://caccnetwork.com/wilmington/?bfplayvid=1066688
- CACC Tournament Central: https://cacc.prestosports.com/sports/Championship/2023-24/MLAX
Admission to WU Athletics Complex:
- Adults- $10
- Seniors/Children/Students w/ School ID- $5
- WilmU Students and Faculty with ID – Free
Scouting the No. 1 Wilmington University Wildcats:
For the second time in three years, the Wildcats went undefeated in CACC play to win the CACC Regular Season and earn the top seed for the CACC Tournament. The Wildcats have made the postseason in all seven seasons of existence, but we are still searching for their first CACC Tournament Championship.
The 2024 Wildcats are led by CACC Player of the Year Logan Stinson and CACC Rookie of the Year Josh Weston. The Wildcats placed eight student-athletes on the All-CACC teams, including five on the First Team. IT is the second straight year the Player of the Year has been a Wildcat, with TJ Caton earning the major award last season. Logan Stinson (A), TJ Caton (M), Jacob Herman (M), Quinn Tracy (D), and Matt Kracyla (SSDM) were all named First Team All-CACC while Miles Crouse (A), Tyler Quinn (SSDM), and Carnell Lofton Jr. (Specialist) were named to the Second Team.
As a team, the Wildcats are second in all of NCAA DII with a scoring 18.15 goals per game. Only Limestone scores more, averaging 18.82 goals a game. The Wildcats are third in NCAA DII on the advantage, scoring on 55.1 percent of their opportunities, and fifth in the country in averaging 10.85 assists per game. On defense, the team leads all of NCAA DII in opponent clear percentage, only allowing the opposition to get up the field 70.8 percent of the time. The Wildcats also lead the CACC at the spot, winning face-offs at a 59.6 percent clip.
Individually, Logan Stinson leads all of NCAA DII in scoring 4.46 goals per game while Jacob Herman is second in the country in dishing out 3.08 assists per game. Stinson is also fifth in the country in scoring 5.62 points per game while Miles Crouse is sixth overall in shot percentage, scoring on 53.4 percent of his opportunities.
Wildcats First Matchup Against Post:
The Wildcats and Post should be familiar with each other, as the regular season game between the two was just on April 20 in Waterbury, Conn. Trailing for the majority of the game, the Wildcats won the fourth quarter, 8-2, to come back and defeat the Eagles, 15-10. Post scored back-to-back goals to take a 10-9 lead with 12:04 to play in regulation, but then the Wildcats scored the final six goals of the game to secure the comeback.
Logan Stinson had six goals and two assists for the Wildcats while TJ Caton scored three goals and three assists. Miles Course and Josh Weston added two goals and an assist each while Jacob Herman chipped in with a goal and two assists. Wilmington won the face-off batter, 16-12. Daniel Flynn made 13 saves in the win.
Post was led by Tim Keefe's four goals and an assist while Dylan Heald and Noah Piette scored two goals and added an assist each. Robbie McGrayne chipped in with two goals for the Eagles. Cole George made 15 saves in net.
Scouting the Eagles:
Post placed five players on the All-CACC teams today, including a pair on the First Team. Tim Keefe was named a First Team midfielder while Nolan Carfagna was named a First Team defender. Dylan Heald and Robbie McGrayne were voted as Second Team attackers while James Sproul was voted a Second Team long-stick defensive midfielder.
As a team, the Eagles rank third int eh CACC in scoring 14.12 goals per game, bumping that average up to 15.38 goals per game against CACC competition. The Eagles are second in NCAA DII on the man advantage, scoring on 56.9 percent of their chances. The Eagles are fourth in face-offs with a 49.8 winning percentage. They take care of the ball in transition though, leading the CACC with an 85.4 success rate on clears. Their defense ranks second in the CACC in only allowing 9.76 goals per game and second with a .559 save percentage.
Wilmington All-Time in the CACC Tournament:
2018 - #1 Georgian Court def. #4 Wilmington, 17-4
2019 - #2 Georgian Court def. #3 Wilmington, 15-6
2020 – DNP (COVID-19)
2021 - #2 Wilmington def. #3 Georgian Court, 12-11; #1 Chestnut Hill def. #2 Wilmington, 17-9
2022 - #1 Wilmington def. #4 Dominican, 24-8; #2 Chestnut Hill def. #1 Wilmington, 13-12
2023 - #2 Chestnut Hill def. #3 Wilmington, 12-8
Total: 2-5
Wildcats vs. 2023 CACC Tournament Participants:
1. Wilmington University Wildcats (10-3, 8-0 CACC)
2. Chestnut Hill College Griffins (9-4, 7-1 CACC) – vs. W 10-8 (2-6 all-time, 0-3 CACC Tourn.)
3. Georgian Court University Lions (9-7, 6-2 CACC) – vs. W 17-14 (4-5 all-time, 1-2 CACC Tourn.)
4. Post University Eagles (10-7, 5-3 CACC) – at W 15-10 (5-1 all-time, 0-0 CACC Tourn.)
2024 CACC Tournament Schedule:
Semifinals Played at Higher Seed
Wednesday, May 1 – Semifinals:
#1 Wilmington vs. #4 Post – 3:30 p.m.
#2 Chestnut Hill vs. #3 Georgian Court – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 5 – Championship (at Dominican University):
Semifinal Winner 1 vs. Semifinal Winner 2 – 11:00 a.m.