Bobcats Play Host to Merrimack Sunday in Hamden

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Quinnipiac (2-1) vs. Merrimack (2-3)
Sunday, March 5 | 12:00 PM
Hamden, Conn. | QU Lacrosse Stadium
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HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse returns to play on Sunday, March 5, playing host to Merrimack in QU’s final non-conference matchup of the 2023 campaign. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: LOSS vs. BRYANT (2/25/23)

• Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse dropped a non-conference matchup vs. Bryant, 19-12, at the snowy QU Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
• Steven Germain and John DeLucia each recorded three goals and an assist to pace the Bobcats – who move to 2-1 so far this season.

WIN at NATIONALLY-RANKED BROWN (2/18/23)

• Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse downed No. 13 Brown on Saturday afternoon, battling to a 11-10 victory on the road to improve to 2-0.
• Nick DiMuccio made 21 saves in the victory for the Bobcats.
• Dylan Donnery (3 goals, 1 assist) and Jake Tellers (2 goals, 2 assists) each recorded four points to pace the Bobcats’ offensive attack.
• Donnery scored with 3:57 remaining to give QU a 10-9 advantage, then Tellers found the back of the cage with 2:55 left to extend the advantage to two goals.
• Demitri George won 14-of-23 faceoff attempts, and scooped up nine ground balls.

SEASON-OPENING VICTORY (2/11/23)

• Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse battled to a 21-12 win over UMass Lowell in the 2023 season opener on Saturday, Feb. 11 in Hamden.
• Steven Germain, Trey Gehen and Justin Robbert paced QU’s offensive attack, as each recorded four goals in the win.
• John DeLucia added three goals and four assists for seven total points, and Dylan Donnery chipped in with two goals and two helpers.
• Demitri George won 23-of-34 battles in the faceoff x, and Nick DiMuccio made nine saves in the Quinnipiac victory.
• 21 goals in a game is the most QU has posted since scoring 24 times in 2002 vs. Binghamton. The Bobcats program record in a single game is 27 goals (4/1/2000 vs. Wagner). 
• The Bobcats outscored the River Hawks 14-4 in the first half of action. QU scored nine times in the second quarter of action.
• QU outshot UML 44-29 in total (27-13 in the first half).

AMONG THE NATION’S BEST

• Graduate Student Nick DiMuccio has 601 career saves with the Bobcats. He is the NCAA Division I active career leader in total stops, and also ranks second in saves per game (13.56).
• Graduate Student Demitri George has won 567 career faceoff battles – which ranks No. 6 nationally among active student-athletes. George has 326 career ground balls, which sets a new Quinnipiac program record.
• The Bobcats have registered 14.67 goals per game so far this year, which ranks 13th nationally. Quinnipiac has assisted on 11.5 goals per game thus far, and 11 total Bobcats have recorded a point through two contests.

MEET THE BOBCATS

• The 2021 & 2022 MAAC Faceoff Special of the Year Demitri George returns for his graduate season with the Bobcats. George won 187-357 faceoff attempts (52.4%) in 2022, and finished 10th nationally in ground balls per game. He also won 115-of-155 faceoff attempts (74.2%) in 2022 – which ranked 2nd in the entire country.
• Goalie Nick DiMuccio also returns for his graduate season at QU after making 13.33 saves per game (9th nationally) in 2022.
• The Bobcats return 7 of their top 9 scorers from a season ago.
• Ryan Donnery (31 points in 2022) and Dylan Donnery (29 points in 2022) are both back for QU to help pace the offense. John DeLucia (27 points last year), Steven Germain (26 points last year) and Jake Tellers (23 points last year) are also returning to QU’s attack unit.
• Nick DiMuccio, Demitri George, Zack Siegel and John DeLucia will serve as captains for QU in 2023.

HEAD COACH MASON POLI

• Mason Poli, a former standout lacrosse player at Bryant University, enters his ninth season with the Quinnipiac coaching staff in 2023 – and his fifth at the helm of the program.
• After serving as an assistant for the Bobcats’ program for four seasons (2015-18), Poli was elevated to Interim Head Coach for the 2019 season. He was then named Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach on May 10, 2019, becoming the Bobcats’ sixth head coach in program history and third at the Division I level.
• In 2019 as Interim Head Coach, Poli led Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse to a 9-7 (5-2 MAAC) record and the program’s third-ever appearance in the MAAC Tournament championship contest. Poli led all first-year Division I head coaches in total wins (9) and winning percentage (.562) in 2019.
• The Bobcats have won 15 games under Poli’s guidance since 2019.

 GERMAIN, GEORGE NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MAAC

• Steven Germain (midfield) and Demitri George (FO Specialist) were both selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
• The Bobcats were tabbed sixth in the league’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll

THE 2023 SCHEDULE

• QU’s 2023 slate begins on Saturday, Feb. 11, as the Bobcats play host to UMass Lowell at 12:00 PM in Hamden.
• The Bobcats have 13 contests in total.
• Conference play for the Bobcats on March 11 vs. Canisius at home in Hamden. LIU, Sacred Heart, Wagner, VMI and Mount St. Mary’s have all joined the MAAC ahead of the 2023 season, raising the total number of men’s lacrosse teams in the league to 10.
• Quinnipiac will host eight home matches in total: two in February, four in March, and two in April. The Bobcats home dates are:

– Feb. 11 vs. UMass Lowell
– Feb. 25 vs. Bryant
– March 4 vs. Merrimack
– March 11 vs. Canisius
– March 25 vs. Marist
– March 29 vs. Manhattan
– April 8 vs. Siena
– April 22 vs. LIU

LAST YEAR (2022)

• Quinnipiac went 2-11 overall (1-5 MAAC) last season. Demitri George returns for the Bobcats after being named MAAC Face-Off Specialist of the Year in each of the last two seasons.
• The Bobcats also placed three midfielders on the All-MAAC Team in 2022. Sophomore Steven Germain earned All-MAAC First Team honors, while junior Jake Tellers and senior Will Abbott were named to the All-MAAC Second Team.

For more information/updates on the Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse program, follow the Bobcats on Twitter/Instagram @QU_MLAX or visit www.gobobcats.com