Men's Lacrosse Travels To Holy Cross For 5 p.m. Start Tonight

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (5-4) at
College of the Holy Cross (3-9)
Saturday, April 17, 2010 - 5 p.m.
Holy Cross Field - Worcester, Mass.

Bobcats Return To Action At Holy Cross Saturday Evening
The Quinnipiac University men's lacrosse team returns to action Saturday, when it travels to Worcester, Mass., for a non-conference tilt at Holy Cross. The Bobcats split two matches in Colorado last weekend, defeating Air Force before falling at Denver. Holy Cross took a tough 13-12 loss to Lafayette a game after cruising past Vermont, 11-1.

Scouting the Holy Cross Crusaders
Edison Parzanese leads the Crusaders with 26 points, including a team-best 13 assists. James Kennedy is close behind with a team-high 17 goals and 23 points. Kenny Minor and Chris Smirti have both contributed 16 goals, while John Hannan has also pitched in with 11 goals. Connor Sweeney has been solid in net, compiling a .526 save percentage and a 9.74 goals-against average. A.J. Guarente is Holy Cross' primary face-off man, winning .437 this season.

Well-Grounded Man
With 60 ground balls so far this season, Zall Pall ranks tied for seventh all-time on the Quinnipiac single-season ground balls list.

Glad To Have You
Junior transfer Christian Haggerty leads the Bobcats in points (28), with 13 goals and 15 assists. His assist total also leads Quinnipiac, and ranks tied for 12th on the program single-season list.

A-Pall-ing Performance
Zach Pall has won 70-of-116 (.603) face-offs this season, good for the fifth-best face-off winning percentage in the nation. He's also third in NCAA Division I in ground balls per game at 7.5. He won 12-of-18 face-offs at Detroit-Mercy, and picked up a career-high 13 ground balls in the process. Pall also won all seven of his opportunities against Wagner, went 10-of-16 against Providence, 12-of-16 at Air Force, and 12-of-19 against both Hobart and Ohio State.

Benz, But Don't Break
Senior goalie Kevin Benzing has been his typical steady self in net for the Bobcats this season, maintaining an 8.27 goals-against average and a .569 save percentage while posting a 5-4 record. His save percentage ranked 11th nationally to begin the week, while his goals-against average was 14th.

...Kind of a Big Deal
The Bobcats ranked in the top 10 in the nation in four of 14 statistical categories kept by the NCAA at the beginning of the week. They ranked fifth in face-off win percentage (.577), sixth in scoring defense (7.89), seventh in caused turnovers per game (10.33) and ninth in ground balls per game (35.44).

Gettin' After Ground Balls
The Bobcats won a decisive victory in the ground-ball game at Air Force, April 9, scooping up 34 to the Falcons' 15.

Oppenheimer Climbs Quinnipiac Career Goals List
With a goal April 9 at Denver, Jack Oppenheimer pushed his career total to 42 goals, good for 14th in Quinnipiac history.

Oppenheimer Goals: The Right Way To Score
With 17 goals this season, Jack Oppenheimer leads the Bobcats. Oppenheimer led the Bobcats in both points (26) and goals (20) in 2009.

Simply the Best
For his 21-save effort at Hobart on March 20, Kevin Benzing was named the ECAC Lacrosse and Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The 21 saves were the most in the nation in a single game during that week, and a career high for the senior goalie.

Marotto Makes His Mark
Alex Marotto scored three goals, all in the decisive second half, March 20 at Hobart. Marotto tied the game at 4-4, before later adding insurance goals to push the Bobcats' lead to 7-4 and 9-7.

New Addition
Junior transfer Christian Haggerty had a team-high six points (two goals, four assists) in the Bobcats' 12-2 win over Providence, March 13. For his effort, he was named the ECAC Lacrosse Co-Player of the Week.

Three For All
Christian Haggerty, Peter McNichols and Jack Oppenheimer each contributed three goals and an assist in the Bobcats' 13-8 victory, March 7 at Detroit-Mercy.

Saving Face
The Bobcats won 22-of-26 face-off opportunities against Wagner. Zach Pall led the way, going a perfect 7-for-7, while Derek Flynn (8-for-10) and Jay Binkowski (7-for-9) were also extremely efficient.

Kaiser Connects
Todd Kaiser led the Bobcats with a goal and an assist in Quinnipiac's season opener against No. 10 Loyola, Feb. 27.

Benzing Sends Back 16 Shots
Kevin Benzing did all he could to keep the Bobcats in the game, Feb. 27, against nationally-ranked No. 10 Loyola. Benzing stopped 16 of the 27 shots he faced on the day.

30 'Cats Back
The Bobcats returned 30 of 35 letter winners from 2009, including the team's top eight goal scorers. Junior Jack Oppenheimer scored a team-high 20 goals last season, while classmate Kevin Kelly was close behind with 17. Senior Ted Dimond also contributed double-digit goals with 12. Seniors Todd Kaiser (7), Garett Kerr (7), Alex DeAlmeida (5), Mike Gast (5), and Zach Dendas (5) all return for the Bobcats' offense.

On Deck
The Bobcats return to ECAC Lacrosse action next Saturday when they play host to Bellarmine. Opening face-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.