Men's Lacrosse Set for MAAC Semifinals Clash vs. Detroit Mercy on Thursday

Thursday, May 2

Poughkeepsie, NY

4:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Detroit Mercy

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Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

Men's Lacrosse Set for MAAC Semifinals Clash vs. Detroit Mercy on Thursday

5/1/2019 12:57:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

No. 2 Quinnipiac Takes on No. 3 Detroit Mercy Live on ESPN+ at 4:00 PM

By: QU Athletic Communications

No. 2 Quinnipiac (8-6, 5-2 MAAC) vs. No. 3 Detroit Mercy (8-6, 5-2 MAAC)
Thursday, May 2 | 4:00 p.m.
Tenney Stadium | Poughkeepsie, NY

Stream: ESPN+
Stats: GoRedFoxes.com
Tickets: Click Here
MAAC Men's Lacrosse Championships Program: Click Here

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Quinnipiac men's lacrosse begins its quest for its second-ever MAAC title on Thursday evening, squaring off with Detroit Mercy in the semifinal round of the 2019 MAAC Tournament.

The Bobcats and the Titans recorded identical 8-6 overall records, as both teams went 5-2 in conference play. Quinnipiac won the lone matchup between the two programs on March 16 in Hamden to earn the No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament via tiebreaker.

MAAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Bobcats have won the MAAC Tournament one time in program history, defeating No. 2 Marist, 13-9, in the title contest in 2016. Quinnipiac advanced to its first NCAA Tournament in 2016, topping Hartford in the Preliminary Round before falling to No. 1 Maryland.
Quinnipiac is 3-2 all-time in the MAAC Tournament.

SCOUTING DETROIT MERCY

Detroit Mercy is 8-6 so far this season, droppng their final two contests of the regular season vs. Cleveland State and Utah.
The Titans are 4-6 all-time in the MAAC Championship, winning the title in 2013 and advancing to the championship game in 2011 and 2018.
Matthew Vangalen leads the Titans in scoring with 55 points this season, scoring 19 goals to go along with 36 assists in 14 total games. Seth Mendell has a team-best 33 goals.
Quinnipiac is 9-2 all-time vs. Detroit Mercy, winning the last two matchups between the programs. The Bobcats are 5-0 away from home vs. the Titans.

LAST TIME OUT: vs. MANHATTAN

Quinnipiac men's lacrosse clinched the No. 2 seed in the 2019 MAAC Tournament, topping Manhattan in the regular-season finale, 15-9, on Saturday afternoon at Gaelic Park.
With the win, the Bobcats move to 5-2 in the MAAC.
Five different Quinnipiac players had a multi-goal game in the win. Matt Frost and Mike Fletcher led the way with three goals and two assists each, and Tyler Mackay added a hat trick in the win.
Will Abbott and Foster Cuomo each added two goals and two helpers, and Jake Tomsik chipped in with one goal and one assist.

TERRIFIC TOMSIK

Sophomore Jake Tomsik has paced the Bobcats' offense so far in 2019, recording 30 goals and 20 assists for 50 total points.
The sophomore already has 94 points in just 29 career games, needing just six more points to become the Bobcats' 15^th player in program history to record 100 points.
The attack tied a program record with eight goals to power the Bobcats past NJIT, 16-14, on the road on March 2.
He has recorded six games of 3+ goals, as well as eight multi-goal contests.

CUOMO NAMED PRESEASON POTY

Senior attack Foster Cuomo was selected as the 2019 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, the conference office announced on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Cuomo – who was also tabbed 2017 MAAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year as a sophomore – was a unanimous selection at attack on the Preseason All-MAAC Team. He remains the only student-athlete in program history to earn Preseason MAAC Player of the Year honors. The senior attack led the MAAC in goals per game (2.36) and ranked third in points per contest (3.5), recording three game-winning goals last season. He tallied 33 goals and 16 assists for 49 total points.
Cuomo recorded three goals in his return to the field for the Bobcats on Saturday, March 16 vs. Detroit Mercy, then tied a program record with an impressive 10-point performance (seven goals, three assists) on March 19 vs. Hartford. Cuomo has 26 goals and 12 assists for 38 total points in his first eight games of the season.

FRESHMAN FORCE

Freshman goalkeeper Nick DiMuccio ranks No. 3 in the nation in saves per game, recording 14.43 stops per contest over his first 14 collegiate games.
He's made 15+ stops in seven games, and 10+ saves in 13 of 14 QU contests.
DiMuccio set a career-high in the Bobcats' game vs. Yale on April 23, making 19 total stops.

AWESOME ABBOTT

Freshman Will Abbott has recorded 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 total points over his first 14 collegiate games. He's ranks fourth on the team in scoring so far this year.

FLETCH!

Senior Mike Fletcher has 26 goals and 11 assists in his first nine games, including a nine-point performance vs. Hartford on March 19.
He has one five-goal and three four-goal performances so far in 2019. The senior has a hat trick in five of his nine contests.

MACKAY'S MAGIC

Junior Tyler Mackay has 16 goals and five assists for 21 total points, which is already a career-best total. Mackay has scored a goal in nine of the Bobcats' 14 contests.

MAAC PRESEASON POLL/AWARDS

The Bobcats were selected to finish third in the 2019 MAAC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll, earning 50 total points in the vote to finish just behind Monmouth and Detroit Mercy. Quinnipiac – the 2018 MAAC regular season champion – earned one first-place vote in the poll.
Senior midfielder Matt Frost was also selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team. Frost scored 16 goals to go along with six assists in 2018, playing in 12 total games. He was selected to the All-MAAC Second Team in 2018 for his effort, attempting 54 total shots for the season.

THE 2019 BOBCATS

Quinnipiac has 14 freshman, 10 sophomores, six juniors and 12 seniors in 2019.
The Bobcats return four of their top five scorers from 2018, an offense that finished the season No. 10 in total offense. Senior Foster Cuomo (33 goals, 16 assists), sophomore Jake Tomsik (27 goals, 17 assists), senior Mike Fletcher (26 goals, 16 assists) and senior Matt Frost (15 goals, 6 assists) all return for Quinnipiac.

LAST SEASON

Quinnipiac men's lacrosse went 9-6 last season, going a perfect 6-0 in MAAC regular season play to earn the top seed in the postseason tournament. The Bobcats recorded 11.3 points per game, which ranked No. 1 in the MAAC and No. 10 nationally. The program also led the MAAC in ground balls per game (32.33), ranking No. 7 nationally in the category.

HEAD COACH MASON POLI

Mason Poli, a former standout lacrosse player at Bryant University, enters his fifth season with the Quinnipiac coaching staff in 2018-19 - and his first as Interim Head Coach. Poli served as an assistant coach for the Bobcats' program for four years. He served as the team's defensive coordinator, and was also responsible for scouting, skill development, recruiting and academics.
Poli enjoyed a four-year stint with the Bulldogs which came to a close in 2013, after which, Poli was drafted by the Charlotte Hounds of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) with their fourth round pick. Poli's success on the field continued as he led the MLL in longpole scoring with six goals, three two-point goals, and one assist for 10 points in 2014. In his rookie season, Poli helped the Hounds to a second-place finish in the MLL standings.
While at Bryant, Poli compiled one of the most decorated longpole lacrosse careers in NCAA history. Poli led the nation in longpole scoring in both his junior and senior seasons, leading to a pair of Tewaaraton Semifinalist Awards. Poli was named USILA Honorable Mention All-American in 2011, 2012 and 2013, while being named to the NEILA All-New England and Northeast Conference First Teams those same years.