Men's Lacrosse Set to Host First NCAA Lacrosse Tournament Game in Greater Cleveland

5/10/2022 5:26:00 PM | By: JCUSID

Cullen Zarek hopes to lead the Blue Streaks into the first-ever NCAA lacrosse tournament game in Cuyahoga County.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- For the first time, the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament is coming to Greater Cleveland.

John Carroll Men's Lacrosse is set to host the first known NCAA lacrosse tournament game in the Greater Cleveland area. The Blue Streaks will host North Central College on Wednesday in the NCAA Tournament First Round at 4 pm.

The game speaks to the growing respect for lacrosse in Northeast Ohio. The game has taken major leaps forward locally in the last decade. Wednesday marks exactly 3,007 days since the first varsity men's lacrosse game for John Carroll, which took place on February 15, 2014. Cleveland State University founded a program that debuted in 2017, and the sport has enjoyed major growth since then.

For the Blue Streaks, it's been a rapid ascent to the present, as well. The Blue Streaks have won six straight Ohio Athletic Conference Championships and made six consecutive NCAA Tournaments, but the previous five bids came with road games.

Wednesday marks a major milestone for lacrosse in Greater Cleveland, as the game grows and respect for Northeast Ohio lacrosse increases on a national level.

For the Blue Streaks, today's First Round affair is not an unknown stage, as the Blue Streaks are used to big games. This season, the Blue & Gold faced several ranked foes, including two NCAA Tournament teams in Denison and Grove City (JCU lost to Denison in Granville, but beat Grove City on the road). And of course, the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship game vs. Baldwin Wallace, a 10-4 win, is amongst the spotlight games.

The Blue Streaks have many veterans who are used to the limelight, namely fifth-year players Brendan Whitty, Kevin Hack, and Jared Gorenflo. All three have played key roles this year. Whitty and Hack have played critical roles on offense. Whitty led the OAC in assists with 50 this season. Hack is the team's scoring wizard with 46 goals and 22 assists. Gorenflo also has 28 goals on the year.

Matt Berdysiak is the team's finisher. When JCU needs a goal, the team turns to the man from Buffalo. On the year, the junior has a team-high 68 goals, a figure that also leads the conference. And don't forget Morgan Morrell (36 goals) and Ian Flynn (27 goals).

But the John Carroll defense has been perhaps the strength of the team. The Blue Streaks have not allowed double digit goals since March 23, when JCU surrendered 11 goals to NCAA-bound Denison. Brendan Hein, Sam Rodgers, and Conor Ryan deserve much of the credit, providing a lockdown defense.

Cam Cecere has also been critical for JCU this year. The scrappy senior is the team's FOGO, winning 54.5% of his draws this season and leading the team with 103 groundballs.

Jon Gaglio is the team's anchor in net. The McQuaid Jesuit alum has started all 18 games in net, making 135 saves and notching a .570 save percentage. He's got a 7.32 goals against average that's indicative of his athleticism and quickness between the posts.

Other names to mention as critical cogs are Robbie Robinson, Carter Pavain, and Cullen Zarek, three veterans who have helped steer the youngsters on the squad to success this season.

Meanwhile, North Central College is making the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. On Sunday, the Cardinals won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship.

Nick Rubino, Jack Moran, and Scott Allgood all surpassed 100 career points this season for the Cardinals. Zach Kuyava and Dylan Andersen have split the faceoffs and lead the team in ground balls with 61 and 59, respectively. Jake Allgood and Aidan Murphy have split time in net this season, but Murphy got the starting nod in the CCIW Championship, and helped the Cardinals beat Transylvania, 11-10.

Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance (no passes or student IDs accepted). No case sales at the gate.

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