The 11th-ranked Middlebury men's lacrosse team advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the second-consecutive season and will take on familiar NESCAC foe #14 Bowdoin on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Second-ranked Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) serves as the host and square off with #6 Christopher Newport in the 12:00 p.m. bout. 
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury is making its 19th appearance in the national tournament after earning an at-large berth, and is advancing to the quarterfinal round for the 14th time.
• The Panthers topped SUNY Geneseo 17-10 in the second round after receiving a bye, before pulling away from #4 Dickinson 13-9 on Sunday.
• Middlebury looks to play in the semifinal round for the ninth time in program history, and first since 2009. The program is seeking its fourth NCAA Title after claiming three straight (2000, 2001, 2002) over two decades ago.
• The Panthers have played 11 nationally-ranked opponents this year and own a 6-5 mark in those contests. 
• The NESCAC is well-represented in the quarterfinal round with #8 Tufts also advancing to make three league squads in the final eight. 

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Middlebury is powered by several offensive threats this season, including Russell Thorndike, Billy Curtis, Patrick Jamin and William Ryan who have played in all 20 games. Curtis paces the squad in points (61) and assists (34), while Thorndike is first in goals (46) and right behind his teammate with 60 points. Both Panthers have also collected 40 groundballs which is tied for fourth. Jamin is second for Middlebury in helpers (27), while Ryan is tied for second with 27 tallies. 
• Will Zink has been on fire as of late, scoring 20 goals in his last four contests, including seven markers during the Panthers' victory over SUNY Geneseo.
• Faceoff specialist William Munroe owns a .486 winning percentage at the X and ranks first on the team with 122 rollers. 
• Defender duo Teddy Curran and Henry Tarr have helped protect the crease this season. Curran sits atop the squad with 29 caused turnovers, while Tarr is right behind with 24 and has tallied seven points (5G, 2A) this year.
• Goalie Hayden Kern has been outstanding this season, starting in all 20 games while boasting a .540 save percentage. Kern has made double-digit saves in 13 contests this spring and holds a 9.90 goals against average (GAA).

ABOUT BOWDOIN

• Bowdoin is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament after receiving an at-large bid.
• The Polar Bears are looking to advance to the semifinals for the first time in program history after playing in the quarterfinal in 2022.
• Bowdoin advanced to the weekend after topping Grove City College 23-9 and stunning #2 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 12-5 in the third round. 
• The Polar Bears rank in the top-20 spots nationally in player-up offense (10th - 0.467), assists per game (15th - 9.78), points per game (17th - 25.39) and assists (20th - 176). 

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• Will Byrne paces Bowdoin and is ranked sixth in the country in points per game (5.94) and eighth in assists per game (3.17). The Polar Bear has tallied 107 points (50G, 57A) and has also collected 39 groundballs.
• Also contributing to the offensive output is Jason Lach who leads the squad with 58 goals, while ranking second in points with 69. Casey Ryan is second in helpers with 23, while ranking third in points (57) and tallies (34). 
• William Bernard is second in the NESCAC with an impressive .609 faceoff win percentage, while scooping up a team-high 115 rollers. 
• Zack Goorna is an all-around threat, having collected the second-most groundballs (58) this season, while also causing 12 turnovers which ranks fourth on the squad. The Polar Bear is also contributing offensively with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points.
• Netminder Robert Hobbs has started all 18 games in between the pipes for Bowdoin. Hobbs owns a .573 save percentage and a 10.21 GAA.

ABOUT RIT

• The Tigers are making their 14th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and 25th overall, after receiving an at-large berth this year.
• RIT opened the season with eight-straight wins and enters the weekend with a 19-2 mark. Both of its losses were by one goal to RPI who was bounced from the tournament by Bowdoin.
• The Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals by easing past Hope (23-9) and Babson (23-16). 
• RIT is seeking its third NCAA Championship in four years, having claimed the crown in 2021 and 2022. 
• The program ranks in the top-three spots nationally in nine different categories including assists (1st - 257), assists per game (1st - 12.24), points (1st - 642), points per game (1st - 30.57), shot percentage (1st - .374), winning percentage (2nd - .905), groundballs (2nd - 858) and scoring offense (3rd - 18.33).  

TIGERS TO WATCH

• Clifford Gaston leads the squad in points (98) and goals (66), while his 32 assists are second. Gaston's 13 player-up goals rank third in Division III. Jake Erickson has dished out the most helpers (49) and is second with 90 points. 
• Allyn French owns a .571 faceoff winning percentage and tops the squad's charts with 126 rollers. 
• Contributing on both sides of the field is Michael Grace who leads the team in caused turnovers (17) and is second with 83 groundballs while tallying 10 points (6G, 4A).
• Goalie Alex Zborowski has started in 20 games, boasting a 9.56 GAA and owning a .585 save percentage. 

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT

• The Captains are making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and seeking the program's first title. 
• Christopher Newport earned an at-large berth and is looking to advance to the semifinals for the second time in four years. The Captains competed in the quarterfinals in 2022 and reached the final four in 2021 and 2023. 
• The squad is ranked third in the country with an impressive .902 clearing percentage, and is eighth with 13.76 caused turnovers per game.

CAPTAINS TO WATCH

• Leading the team offensively is Andrew Cook who tops the charts for the Captains in points (98), goals (59) and assists (38). Alex Brendes is second on the team with 80 points and 51 markers, while Cody Auslander is second in helpers (33).
• Warner Cabaniss owns a .617 winning percentage at the X and paces the squad with 163 groundballs.
• Ryan and Brandon Young along with A.J. Rosacker are a defensive triple threat. R. Young paces the group in rollers (55) and caused turnovers (41), while Rosacker has forced the second-most takeaways (37) and B. Young is second with 42 rollers.
• Zac Hanway has started in 17 contests in net, owning a 10.41 GAA and a .506 save percentage.  

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Bowdoin are playing for the third time this season, with each team claiming a victory. The Polar bears earned a 16-10 win back in March, while the Panthers claimed a 17-9 NESCAC Semifinal victory. The teams have a storied history, with the first battle coming back in 1974. 
• Middlebury owns a 36-19 advantage in the series with the programs splitting the last 10 meetings. The programs have only played once in the NCAA Tournament, with the Panthers claiming a 10-7 first round triumph in 2008.
• If Middlebury and RIT were to play on Sunday, it would be just the seventh all-time meeting. The Tigers have claimed four victories, including a 16-6 NCAA Quarterfinal triumph a year ago. The two wins that the Panthers own both came during the national tournament, claiming a tight 15-14 win in the 1999 semifinals and a 12-9 victory in the 2000 quarterfinals. 
• If Middlebury and Christopher Newport were to compete against each other in the semifinals, it would be the first meeting between the programs in men's lacrosse. 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Schedule 
  • Saturday, May 18 (Quarterfinals)
    • RIT vs. Christopher Newport - 12:00 p.m. 
    • Middlebury vs. Bowdoin - 3:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 19 (Semifinals)
    • Winners of Saturday - 3:00 p.m.  

The winner of Sunday's contest advances to the NCAA Championship contest on May 26 at 1:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.