WILKES-BARRE – The six-seeded Wilkes University men's lacrosse team is set to face third-seeded Misericordia University in a Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) quarterfinal matchup this weekend.  First faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. this Saturday at Dallas, Pa.
 
Live video and stats will be available to follow along with and can be found here through the Misericordia website. Per Misericordia's spectator policy, general admission, walk-ups, or guests from opposing schools will not be admitted.
 
The Colonels have won three of their last five games heading into the conference playoffs, with one of their late losses coming against Misericordia at Schmidt Stadium in the regular season finale.  They finished 4-8 on the season with a 3-5 record in conference play.
 
Nico Lorenzo (Howell, NJ/Howell) came on strong in the latter half of the season, earning a MAC Freedom Player of the Week honor on April 19th.  He scored 16 of his team-leading goals in the final four games of the season and finished second on the Navy and Gold with 28 points.  Ethan Weaver (Olney, MD/James Hubert Blake) finished first on the squad in both assists (20) and points (33), while Jamison Shaw (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) finished the season with 52 ground balls.
 
Both Colonels goalkeepers finished with MAC Player of the Week honors this past season.  Ryan Lasher (Warrenton, VA/Liberty) earned the award on March 16th and April 19th, while Daniel Cox (Stratford, CT/Stratford) won on April 12th.   Lasher finished the season with 125 saves and a .587 save percentage as well as all four of the Colonels victories, while Cox finished with 99 saves and a .582 save percentage.
 
The Cougars finished the season having won five of their last six to finish third in the conference with a 5-2 record.  They finished 8-3 overall on the season.
 
Four Cougars finished with 40 or more points on the season.  Patrick Luzzi finished with a team-leading 38 goals and second with 25 assists to lead the team with 63 points.  Robert Wagner finished first in assists with 29 and second in goals with 30.  Nick Torzilli and Kyle Vandenberg finished with 43 and 40 points respectively.  Garrett Heidecker finished with a .560 faceoff percentage, winning 164 of 293 faceoffs taken. 
 
Bryan DeGennaro and Chris Straub both contributed heavily to the Cougars at the goalkeeper position.  DeGennaro finished with 88 saves and a .571 save percentage, while Chris Straub had 38 saves on the season.

The MAC Freedom men's lacrosse tournament runs from April 30 through May 8.  The first quarterfinal matchup takes place later today as top seed Stevens hosts number eight Lycoming.  Second seed Arcadia starts the Saturday matchups by hosting King's, the seven seed, before number four DeSales wraps up the other three quarterfinal games by hosting fifth-seeded Delaware Valley.  The MAC Freedom Champion will earn the conference's NCAA Division III Championship automatic qualifier (AQ)
 
2021 MAC Freedom Championship t-shirts will only be available via online order through May 10. Championship merchandise features a teal moisture wicking short sleeve t-shirt with the championship logo on the front and all-conference team logos on the back for $18 plus additional shipping fees. To order a t-shirt, click here.