One upset down, one more to go.
The Saint Leo men’s lacrosse team took down Lenoir-Rhyne behind a 16-save performance from Thomas Tatarian to advance to the NCAA Division II championship game, but the Lions’ biggest challenge is still ahead of them.
Facing off against Merrimack, a team that was in this game a year ago in its own backyard, will test their limits.
“We’re really excited to be here,” Saint Leo coach Brad Jorgensen said. “It’s a big time for our kids and our program. We have a huge challenge ahead of us, and we’re really looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and starting to get to work on it.”
Staring down 59 shots, the Lions were resilient in their win over the top-seeded Bears to emerge from the South Region, but it took a little bit of luck, too, with a potential game-tying shot ringing off the post.
Given that, and several other reasons, Saint Leo is happy to even be in this spot. But that doesn’t mean the Lions are satisfied.
“In the end, it’s a lacrosse game. We’ve played a lot of those,” Jorgensen said. “The experience of the weekend and possible distractions, I was fortunate enough to serve on the national committee for a period of time, so I’ve seen the nuts and bolts operation of this weekend, which has been helpful logistically.
“Our guys are going to have the experience of a lifetime this weekend, but at 4 o’clock on Sunday, it’s just another lacrosse game.”
With 249 saves this season, Tatarian broke the previous school record by 57 stops. Saint Leo’s game plan operates around its goalie, but that doesn’t mean the Lions can’t adjust to any other style, especially against a Merrimack team that constantly makes adjustments.
“There’s a lot of challenges,” Jorgensen said. “They can play various styles. They’re comfortable playing six on six or running and gunning. You mix in a faceoff guy (Blake Boudreau) who’s pushing 70 percent, there’s not an obvious hole to attack.”
Ontario native Jake Gilmour leads Saint Leo with 69 points, but it’s a team more known for its defense that will have to face arguably the top offensive team in the nation.
With the Warriors’ experience and depth behind them, they will stretch the Lions to their max.
Merrimack can score in bunches, including a five-goal run in the semifinal to reach this point. Having a hot goalie can help nip that in the bud for the Lions, but it’s going to be difficult to narrow in on one game plan against the opposing offense.
“You’re talking about a guy with 91 points (Sean Black), a guy with 71 points (Charlie Bertrand), a guy with 70 points (Christian Thomas),” he said. “There is no one guy you’ve got to stop, and you’ll be fine. It really is worrying about all 10 guys they put on the field at any given moment.”
There’s no disguising it’s a new moment for Saint Leo, in its first championship game, and playing essentially a road contest against a defending national runner-up is a huge hurdle to overcome.
The key for the Lions is their preparation, and they’re already on the right track under the leadership of Jorgensen.
“We hope we’re doing it right and concentrating on the things we have to concentrate on,” Jorgensen said. “Usually the first practice after we play a game is a day we don’t talk about who we’re playing next, but we talk about things we wish we did better the previous game.
“We’ve been telling the guys for a month now, we’ve been out of school for a long time. They have the pleasure of being professional lacrosse players. We have nothing else to do, the only reason we’re here is to worry about 4 o’clock on Sunday.”