Owls to battle Ducks in NCAA second-round clash

GAMBIER, Ohio -- At the tail end of one of the most successful seasons in program history, the Kenyon College men's lacrosse team earned the right to keep things going. Saturday at Dickinson College, the Owls will do just that as they tangle with the Ducks from Stevens Institute of Technology in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Kenyon heads into NCAA play with a 15-2 record, a No. 19 national rank from USA Lacrosse Magazine and a No. 4 rank in the NCAA Division IV regional ranking. The Owls gained entry to the national tournament by securing one of just 10 at-large bids.

The NCAA appearance will be Kenyon's fifth overall and first since the 2012 season. That year, Kenyon played Dickinson in the first round and fell by a 15-6 final.

Dickinson, the current No. 6-ranked team by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and No. 5-ranked team by USA Lacrosse Magazine, will serve as host to the Owls and Ducks. The Red Devils await the winner of the tournament's first-round game between John Carroll University and Lake Forest College, which will be played on Wednesday.

After second-round games are completed Saturday, the two winners will square off Sunday at 3:00 p.m., also at Dickinson.

Kenyon will carry with it averages that include 15.0 goals per game and 7.9 goals per game allowed. Those marks rank 37th and 9th, respectively, among all NCAA Division III teams. Additionally, Kenyon ranks fourth-best in Division III with a face-off winning percentage of .688.

Individually, first-year David Chintala leads the Owls with 52 goals scored. That's the second-best, single-season output in program history. His 63 points on the season are only surpassed by senior Jack Giuffre, who registered 67 points on 34 goals and a team-high 33 assists. Sophomore Thomas Nelson dominated face-offs for the Owls, winning 238-of-328 for 72.6 win rate that ranks second-best among all players in Division III. Anchoring the defense, first-year goalkeeper Adam Hall generated an 8.40 goals against average to go along with a .577 save percentage.

The Owls will be tested by a Stevens team that boasts a 17-2 record, a No. 20 USILA rank, and a No. 14 rank from USA Lacrosse Magazine. Stevens does not appear in the NCAA's regional ranking, but earned its way in the national bracket by winning the Middle Atlantic Conference Tournament and claiming an automatic berth.

The Ducks scored piles of goals in conference play and own an overall scoring average of 19.7 goals per game, the second-best mark in NCAA Division III. On the flip side, they allow 8.47 goals per game, which ranks 22nd in Division III.

Individually, the Ducks have three players who have scored 50 goals or more and four who have registered 65 points or more. Leading that group is first-year Matthew Pergola, who has racked up 64 goals and 16 assists. The team's top goalkeeper is grad student Ryan Leahy, who has an 8.40 goals against average and a .602 save percentage.

The Owls and Ducks share just one common opponent, Haverford, this season. Kenyon defeated Haverford 7-6 at a neutral site in Colorado. Two weeks prior, Stevens was at home to record a 17-9 victory against the Fords.

Head-to-head, Kenyon and Stevens have played just once. That encounter occurred in the 2009 season and the Ducks came away with an 8-4 win at a neutral site in Boca Raton, Florida.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Jack Giuffre: A; Junior

#28 Thomas Nelson: M; First-Year

#22 David Chintala: A; First-Year

#35 Adam Hall: G; First-Year

Players Mentioned

#3 Jack Giuffre
: Junior
: A

#28 Thomas Nelson
: First-Year
: M

#22 David Chintala
: First-Year
: A

#35 Adam Hall
: First-Year
: G