Lacrosse Game Central
 
HAMILTON, N.Y. (3/15/12) – The No. 17 Colgate men's lacrosse team will compete against its first nationally-ranked opponent this weekend when it hosts No. 13 Fairfield on Saturday, Mar. 17 at 1 p.m. in Hamilton, N.Y.
 
The Raiders are coming off a 17-8 win over Binghamton on Tuesday afternoon, extending their winning streak to four games. Reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week Ryan Walsh led the team once again with a game-high seven points from five goals and two assists. He was followed by junior Peter Baum who had five points from three goals and two assists while junior Robert Grabher added two goals and two helpers for four points. Senior co-captain Jeff Ledwick and junior Matt Baker also added two points from one goal and one assist apiece.
 
RAIDERS' POINT LEADERS
Peter Baum leads Colgate (6-1, 1-0 PL) with 40 points from 29 goals and 11 assists. The junior is tied for eighth nationally for his 34-game point streak and is ranked 12th amongst active players with 92 career goals, which is also eighth in program history for career goals. Baum is followed by Ryan Walsh who is second on the team with 26 points from 17 goals and nine assists, and by Jeff Ledwick who has 14 goals, seven of which are man-up, and six helpers for 20 points.
 
SERIES
The all-time series between Colgate and Fairfield is tied at 3-3 since the teams first met in 1997. This will be the third meeting in Hamilton, N.Y. with the Stags holding a 2-0 advantage, having won both meetings in 1998 and 2010. The Raiders have won two of the last three meetings, most recently in the 2011 season when they defeated Fairfield 11-9 on the road. Colgate has won all three of the meetings in Fairfield, Conn., also securing a 13-12 win in 2009 and a 23-10 win in 1997. The only neutral matchup in the series was in 2004 in Vero Beach, Fla., which the Stags won 9-8.
 
SCOUTING NO. 13 FAIRFIELD
The Stags (7-0) are on a program best, undefeated, seven-game winning streak, securing a 15-9 win over Lafayette in their most recent matchup on Tuesday. The team, which was picked to finish third in the ECAC Lacrosse Preseason Poll, also has wins over Stony Brook, Bryant, Hofstra, UMBC, Quinnipiac and Vermont. This will be its final non-conference game of the season.
 
Fairfield is led by seniors John Snellman and Brent Adams as well as junior Sam Snow and sophomore Eric Warden. The seniors are tied for first on the team with 21 points each. Snellman has a team-best 19 goals and two assists while Adams has 15 goals, three of which are game-winners, and six helpers. Snow and Warden are tied for third on the team with 16 points apiece. Snow has 14 goals and two assists while Warden has 11 goals and five assists. Leading the way in net is senior Charlie Cipriano who has started in all seven games and has a perfect 7-0 record. He has a 7.86 goals against average and a total of 76 saves for a .571 save percentage. Cipriano is ranked 13th in the country in both save percentage and saves per game (10.83).
 
COLGATE RETURNS TO NATIONAL POLLS
The Colgate men's lacrosse team reclaimed its place in the national rankings this week, securing the No. 17 spots in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and the USILA Coaches' Poll. The Raiders, which are now on a three-game winning streak, found their way back into the national rankings, after securing a 18-8 win over Hobart on Tuesday and a 13-9 win over Holy Cross last week. Colgate began the season ranked No. 19 in the Nike/Inside Preseason Poll that was released in January. The team also received votes in the USILA Preseason Poll but was unable to break into the top 20. The Raiders also landed the No. 18 and 20 spots in the Inside Lacrosse 2012 Face-Off Yearbook Rankings.
 
WALSH EARNS WEEKLY AWARDS
Rookie Ryan Walsh was recently named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the second straight week after his performance in the team's wins over Hobart and Holy Cross last week. Most recently, the freshman was also named the Cascade Rookie of the Week by Inside Lacrosse as well. The attackman collected a total of 15 points in the last three games to help propel the Raiders back into the national polls.

Walsh first tallied his second career hat trick for three points in the team's win over Hobart before leading his team to its first league win over Holy Cross with five points from four goals and one assist. Most recently, he added a game-high seven points from five goals and two assists against Binghamton on Tuesday. The attackman, who is now on a seven-game point streak, has played and started in all seven games this season and is second on the team with 26 points from 17 goals and nine helpers.

PL PRESEASON POLL
The Colgate men's lacrosse team was picked to finish third in the 2012 Patriot League Preseason, while junior Peter Baum was selected as the PL Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
 
The Raiders landed the third spot behind defending champion Bucknell and Army. The Bison were picked to win the title once again with 72 points, the maximum point tally possible, and 12 first-place votes while Army received 54 points and two first-place votes. Following Colgate, which had 52 points, were Lehigh (44), Navy (38), Lafayette (19) and Holy Cross (15).