NASHUA, N.H. - The reigning Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse champions are set to host for the second straight year. After defeating No. 5 Norwich 13–11 on Wednesday night, the Rivier men's lacrosse team will welcome No. 6 Saint Joseph's College of Maine to Joanne Merrill Field on Saturday, with an opening faceoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Norwich opened the game with two unanswered goals before the Raiders caught fire, burying five straight, three from sophomore Aiden Conley and two from first-year Henri Brochu. The Cadets added one more before the first-quarter break, making it 5-3. In the second, each team scored once, with Conley striking again to maintain Rivier's two-goal advantage heading into halftime.
Sophomore James DelPrete tallied twice in the third, while first-year Mason Schultz, Andrew Nee, and Brochu each added one. The Raiders held Norwich to two goals in the frame, extending their lead to 11-6 entering the final quarter. Junior Cole Ronalter opened the fourth with a goal, but Norwich responded with a furious push, scoring four straight to pull within one at 12-11. With 1:39 remaining, Conley delivered a crucial insurance goal, his fourth of the night, to secure the 13-11 victory. Sophomore goaltender Jake Lydon made 11 saves in the win.
The Monks' path to the title game began with a 7-6 overtime victory over No. 3 Lasell, followed by an 8-6 upset of No. 2 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.). In the regular-season matchup between Rivier and SJC, the Raiders earned an 11–5 win, extending their streak to two straight victories over the Monks.
Key Monks to watch include junior attackers Nicolas Michaud (54-15–69) and Brandon Cavicchi (45-24–69), along with junior midfielder Joseph Kiedaisch (27-25–52). At the faceoff X, junior Zander Kirk leads the team with a 63.4% win rate, followed by sophomore Cody Southwick at 58.9%. Defensively, senior Kevin Wood anchors the unit with 31 caused turnovers and 43 ground balls. In net, junior Reed Wescott holds a 15–13 record with a 46.3% save percentage and a 9.87 goals-against average.
The winner of Saturday's contest will hoist the GNAC trophy and will earn the GNAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
