ANGOLA, Ind.-- The Trine men's lacrosse team will travel to Alma to face the Scots in the MIAA Semifinals Thursday night.
The Thunder and Scots will face off at 7 p.m. at Alma College's Bahlke Field. Trine earned the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament after finishing a program-best 5-2 in conference play. Alma finished league play 6-1 to earn the No. 2 seed in the conference's postseason tournament. The winner of Thursday's semifinal matchup will advance to Saturday night's championship game, where they will take on the winner of the semifinal between regular-season champion Albion and No. 4 seed Olivet. A Trine win would give the Thunder its first appearance in the championship game.
The matchup will showcase the two top scoring defenses the MIAA had to offer during the regular season. Trine led the conference and ranked 10th in the nation, allowing 6.46 goals per game. Sophomore goalie Travis Lores (Kildeer, Ill. / Lake Zurich) enters the tournament ranked seventh in the nation with a 6.39 goals-against average and 31st nationally with a .581 save percentage. Both marks led the MIAA.
Alma allowed 8.63 goals per game to rank second in the conference. Scot defenders were credited with 17 caused turnovers in Alma's victory over Trine earlier this season. Senior defender Sam Korbel was an All-MIAA Second Team performer in 2015.
Trine defender Jordan Backer (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) tied for third in the MIAA in caused turnovers in conference play, while Colin Lelito (West Chicago, Ill. / West Chicago) tied for fifth. Backer is a three-time All-MIAA performer, including two First Team selections. The Thunder defensive corps also features 2015 All-MIAA Second Team honoree Colin O'Keefe (Gurnee, Ill. / Warren Township).
Leading Trine's attack this season has been leading-scorer Nick Maher (DeWitt, Mich. / DeWitt). The sophomore set career-highs with 27 goals and 10 assists. Two-time All-MIAA performer Chris Ward (Oak Lawn, Ill. / St. Rita) contributed 20 goals and will reach the 100-career goal milestone with his next tally.
Alma's Jared Nycz led the MIAA with 45 assists, scoring 35 goals to rank second in the conference with 80 points. Daniel Buchy scored a team-high 42 goals, while Marshall Argenta scored 36 times on a .439 shot percentage.
The Scots won the regular-season meeting between the two teams by an 11-3 final. Alma scored the first six goals and converted 3-of-6 extra-man opportunities.
Tickets for Thursday night's contest cost $7.00 for general admission, while tickets for non-MIAA students and MIAA faculty and staff with ID cost $5.00. MIAA students with ID are admitted free of charge.
Live stats and video will be available for those who are unable to attend Thursday's game. Links are below and can also be accessed from the SCHEDULE page.
