GRANVILLE- Fourth-ranked Denison will open the 2017 NCAA Division III Tournament against Carthage on Wednesday (May 10) at Piper Stadium in Granville. This is a rematch of last year's opening round game.
Denison is 15-1 and winners of 15-straight. This is the 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and the ninth bid since 2005. The winner of the Denison-Carthage second round matchup will face the winner of Aurora-Illinois Wesleyan in the third-round.
This is the second-straight year DU has entered the NCAA postseason on a 15-game winning streak. On April 29 the Big Red defeated Ohio Wesleyan in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament to wrap up the conference's automatic bid.
The Big Red boasts the nation's No. 2 ranked scoring offense and the No. 7 ranked defense. Senior Liam Rooney leads all of collegiate lacrosse with 68 assists. His 99 points rank fourth, nationally. He needs only two points to become Denison's career leader.
Fellow senior, Will Donohue is the squad's leading goal scorer. He has a career-high 52 goals this season and recently surpassed 100 goals for his career.
Junior Ben Duhoski spearheads a Denison defense that has limited opponents to just 6.28 goals per game. He has 27 caused turnovers and 41 ground balls in 16 starts. NCAC Tournament MVP, Henry DeCamp is winning 63.4 percent of his faceoffs taken this season. He is also the team leader in ground balls with 99.
Carthage is 16-4 and was the recipient of one of three Pool B bids to the tournament. They are coming off a 12-8 loss to Illinois Wesleyan in the CCIW Tournament Championship. Carthage is led in scoring by Andy Szun who has 51 goals and 28 assists in 20 starts. Andy Myers is winning 74 percent of faceoffs this season for the Red Men.
This will be Denison's 35th NCAA Tournament game in program history. The Big Red is 13-21 all-time in the Division III playoffs. They have advanced to quarterfinals 13 times and have advanced to the semifinal round, twice.
The Denison Sports Network will provide live video of Wednesday's tournament game. Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $3 for students (ages 13-21) and $2 for children (ages 3-12). The first 100 Denison students, faculty or staff members with a valid ID will be admitted free of charge.
Series History: This is the second meeting all-time between Carthage and Denison and the second-straight year the two teams are meeting in the NCAA Tournament. Denison defeated Carthage 19-2 in last year's first round matchup.
Coaching Matchup: Denison is coached by Mike Caravana who is in his 24th season at Denison. He is the program's all-time leader in wins, boasting a 271-88 record which is good for a .755 winning percentage. Carthage is coached by David Neff who is in his ninth season leading the Red Men. He has a career record of 105-52 (.669).
NCAA Tournament History: Denison is playing in their 22nd NCAA Tournament and their 35th game. They are 13-21 in 34 previous games but since 2008, the Big Red has gone 8-6, qualifying for the quarterfinals on three occasions. Carthage is making their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They are 0-2 with losses to Ohio Wesleyan, 14-6 in 2015 and Denison, 19-2 in 2016.
In the Polls: Denison is ranked fourth in the latest US Lacrosse Magazine Top-20 and seventh in the USILA Top-20 Coaches' Poll. Carthage is currently unranked.
Offensive Rankings: Denison is currently ranked third in scoring offense (17.9 gpg), second in shot percentage (.374) and second in fewest turnovers (13.6). Clearing has been a strength and their .900 clearing percentage ranks third in D-III. The man-up offense is No. 1 in the nation, converting at a .661 clip.
Where there is a 'Will' there is a way: Senior attackman Will Donohue has scored 52 goals this season which is tied for third-most in a single-season at Denison. Brady Burton scored 53 goals in 2009 and Andy John owns the record with 63 goals in 1984.
Carthage's Road to the Tournament: Carthage received one of three Pool B berths into this year's NCAA Tournament. Their only losses this season have come to Rhodes (9-8), Aurora (16-4), Williams (19-8) and Illinois Wesleyan (12-8).
