The #19 Middlebury men's lacrosse team has secured the fifth seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament and will travel to #10/fourth-seeded Amherst on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers make their 22nd appearance in the conference tournament. Only Tufts has qualified for more in league history with 24.
• Middlebury looks to secure its eighth NESCAC Championship and the first since 2007. The Jumbos pace the league with 12.
• The program has the second-most victories in tournament action, sporting a 31-14 mark.
• Last year, Middlebury earned the fourth seed and secured a spot in the NESCAC Championship, finishing as the runner-up.
• The squad is fifth in the league in goals against average (10.31) and faceoff percentage (.535) this season, while it sits sixth in goals per game (11.47), assists per contest (7.13) and points per game (18.60).

PANTHERS TO WATCH  

• Billy Curtis and Logan White have been a solid one-two punch on the attack this year. Curtis paces the squad in points (57), goals (29) and assists (28). The Panther broke the school record for career assists (132). White is tied for second on the team in goals (21) and third in points with 33. He has tallied at least one point in every contest this season, headlined by a three-goal, three-assist performance against Colby.
• At the midline, Patrick Jamin and Cooper DeMallie have each appeared in all 15 contests. Jamin sits second in assists, setting up 25 markers, while registering 46 points. DeMallie has tallied 31 points this season (21G, 10A).
• Defensively, Drew Dummer leads the Panthers with 19 caused turnovers and has scooped up 16 groundballs. The tandem of Will Spehr and Teddy Curran has double-digit caused turnover totals with 11 and 10, respectively.
• Hayden Kern has started all 15 games in front of the goal. The junior sits just outside the top five in the conference for total saves (158) and saves per contest (10.25) and tallied a career-high 19 stops on Wednesday.

ABOUT AMHERST

• Amherst is searching for its initial NESCAC Title and has appeared in 22 conference tournaments.
• The Mammoths hold a 12-21 overall mark during league tournament action and have reached the final twice (2014 and 2015).
• Amherst concluded the year with a 10-4 overall record and a 7-3 mark in the NESCAC and earned the fourth seed with a 16-10 win over Trinity.
• The Mammoths have been strong defensively this spring, ranking second in the conference in GAA (8.86). Amherst has also been effective at the faceoff dot, sitting second across the league in winning percentage (.631).

MAMMOTHS TO WATCH

• Bennett Chow, Alex Giacobbe and Brendan Reilly pace the Mammoth attack. Chow leads the team in points (37) and ranks second in goals (24), while Giacobbe paces the squad with 28 tallies and ranks second in points (34). Reilly has handed out a team-leading 17 assists to go alongside 16 markers, while he has scooped up 34 groundballs.
• Aiding the output for Amherst are Bob Gross and Willie Doyle with 28 points apiece. Gross paces the squad with four game-winning goals and sits third in scores (19), while Doyle has 16 tallies and 12 assists with three player-up markers.
• Lawson Laverty and Thompson Lau lead the Mammoth's defensive unit. Laverty has caused a team-high 20 turnovers, while his 40 groundballs are third on the squad. Lau ranks second on Amherst with 47 rollers and 14 caused turnovers while scoring twice and adding an assist. Luciano Chadha (20GB, 13CT) and Ben Bruno (34GB, 9CT) are also key defensive contributors.
• A pair of goalies have split time this season with Mitch Likins logging most of the playing time over the last month. He ranks fifth in the NESCAC with a 10.04 GAA and is second with a .560 save percentage. Brooks Catlin has also seen significant minutes with nine starts this spring, sporting a NESCAC-best 7.77 GAA and also has a .544 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Amherst battle for the 74th time, with the Panthers holding a decisive 45-27-1 advantage in the all-time series.
• The programs met in the opening game this season with the Mammoths earning a 16-7 triumph.
• The sides meet in the tournament for the second-consecutive year with the Panthers owning an unblemished 8-0 record against Amherst in NESCAC postseason play, including five wins in the quarterfinal round. Middlebury posted a 9-6 decision last year on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• The top-eight programs qualify for the NESCAC Men's Lacrosse Championship. Quarterfinal games will occur on Saturday, April 26. The winners of the four contests will move on to the semifinal and final rounds scheduled for Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 at the highest remaining seed. The victor will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship.
• Championship Central
• NESCAC Championship Records  

The winner of this quarterfinal contest will play in semifinal action on Saturday, May 3 at the highest remaining seed.