NCAA Tournament Preview: Men's Lacrosse Prepared for War with Diplomats

5/14/2021 5:16:00 PM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

The Blue Streaks will appear in the NCAA Tournament for a fifth time.

LANCASTER, Pa. -- A thrilling fourth-quarter against archrival Baldwin Wallace and a resulting Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament has propelled John Carroll University Men's Lacrosse to the big dance.

On Saturday, the Blue Streaks will appear in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships for the fifth time in program history. This time, the foe will be Franklin & Marshall College.

The Diplomats will be the hosts for the affair. The First Round contest is set for a tentative 4 p.m. start.

Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Video

Last Saturday's exciting conquest of the Yellow Jackets, 12-6, led to a fun week for the Blue Streaks. In the midst of final exams, the men of Joe Rautenstrauch prepared for another NCAA appearance. The Blue Streaks have no lack of momentum, carrying a 13-game winning streak into the weekend.

Stats-wise, the Blue Streaks are outscoring foes, 306-64. The Blue and Gold rank in the top 10 in 12 statistical categories, including first in Division III in scoring margin (16.13) and assists (179), along with second in clearing percentage (.949).

Folks around the country are starting to take notice. The Blue Streaks garnered the program's first Top 20 ranking via USA Lacrosse Magazine. Locally, people are noticing, too, as 10 Blue Streaks got a spot on the All-OAC squad.

The Blue Streaks are used to the postseason spotlight, though perhaps not to this degree, led by the NCAA's leading scorer, Skyler Blake. The Blue and Gold have a 2-4 record in the NCAA Tournament in four trips.

Franklin & Marshall will pose a stout challenge for the men of University Heights. The Diplomats carry a perfect 7-0 record into the game with a Centennial Conference Championship. Todd Cavallaro leads the Diplomats into his 14th season as head coach of a program with a storied history dating all the way back to 1950. All-time, the Diplomats have played 71 seasons of lacrosse, with a 465-399 (.538) record. Like John Carroll, Franklin & Marshall placed 10 players on its all-conference squad.

The two teams have never met in JCU's 7-year program history. (Click here for the Diplomats' preview)

The Diplomats will be making their seventh fore into the tournament, which includes making it in three of the last four seasons in which the NCAA conducted championship events. The Diplomats have won NCAA Tournament games in 1988, 2003, and 2017.

Franklin & Marshall's Shadek Stadium will host Saturday's games, and the Sunday contest between the winner of this affair and the winner of York (PA) and Lasell (MA).

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