MEN'S LACROSSE GAME CENTRAL

HAMILTON, N.Y. (4/12/12) – The No. 12/14 Colgate men's lacrosse team will continue its two-game homestand with a matchup against Patriot League opponent Lafayette on Saturday, April 14 at 1 p.m.

This will be the Raiders' fifth league matchup of the season and will help determine where they stand going into the final week of regular-season play before the 2012 Patriot League Tournament at the end of the month.

Colgate (9-2, 3-1 PL) is coming off an 11-10 overtime win over then-No. 7 Lehigh on Saturday. The team snapped the Mountain Hawks' nine-game winning streak and 3-0 undefeated league mark after coming back from a two-goal deficit in the closing minutes of the game to send it into additional time and secure a win in their first overtime game of the season.

The Raiders were lead by senior co-captain Jeff Ledwick who had four points from three goals and one assist while sophomore Brendon McCann also tallied four points from one goal and three helpers. Freshman Ryan Walsh two goals and one assist while junior Peter Baum had one goal and one assist for two points. Junior Robert Grabher also had an incredible performance, going 20-for-25 at the faceoff X while also picking up 11 groundballs and an assist in the game.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAY
There are two guarantees about Patriot League lacrosse. It's never easy, and usually it's unexpected. There was a double dose of drama last Saturday with two games going to overtime. Army went into Lewisburg, Pa., and snapped Bucknell's 11-game home win streak against Patriot League opponents and came away with a 6-5 double-overtime victory on Devin Lynch's game-winner. Up in Hamilton, N.Y., Colgate's top-rated offense went toe-to-toe with Lehigh's No. 1-ranked defense, and again overtime was needed before the Raiders emerged with an 11-10 win. Suddenly there was a three-way tie for first between Bucknell, Colgate and Lehigh, while Army climbed back into a very tight race. Meanwhile in Worcester, Mass., Lafayette's 8-4 win at Holy Cross meant the Leopards have a pulse for the postseason entering the last two weekends before the Patriot League Tournament.

RAIDERS' POINT LEADERS
Peter Baum leads the team with a career-high 57 points from 43 goals and 14 assists. Baum leads the nation in goals and points per game. He is followed by rookie Ryan Walsh who has 40 points from 26 goals and 14 assists. Walsh, who is the leading freshman goal scorer in the country, is three goals away from the freshman goal scoring record of 29 goals that was set by Baum in 2010. In third place is senior co-captain Jeff Ledwick with 20 goals, seven of which are man-up, and eight assists for 28 points.

ROAD RAGE
The Raiders continue to hold an undefeated 4-0 record on the road this season. The team first defeated Robert Morris on the road 24-14 on March 3, before going on to beat Holy Cross 13-9, and Binghamton 17-8 on March 10 and 13 respectively. Colgate's most recent road win was on March 31, when it defeated Army 15-13 for its second Patriot League win of the season.

LAFAYETTE SERIES
Colgate leads the all-time series against Leopards with a 26-5 record since the teams first met in 1938. The Raiders have a near-perfect 12-2 record in Hamilton, N.Y., winning all but two home matchups 1992 and 1998. They have won the last six matchups in the series most recently in 2011 when Colgate defeated Lafayette 11-10 on the road.

SCOUTING LAFAYETTE
The Leopards (3-8, 1-3 PL), who just broke a seven-game losing streak, are coming off an 8-4 win over Holy Cross on Saturday. Their only other wins this season were a 10-5 victory over Providence in its season-opener on Feb. 18 and a 19-2 win over Wagner on Feb 28. The team is 1-3 in league play with losses to Navy, Bucknell and Army. It also has losses to Binghamton, Rutgers, Fairfield, Georgetown and Marist.

Lafayette, which was picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll, is led by freshman Brian Bock as well as seniors Colin Serling, Will Heffernan and Greg Allis. Bock has a team-high 27 points from 12 goals and 15 assists. He is followed by Serling who has 22 points from 13 goals and nine assists, while Heffernan and Allis are third with 16 points apiece. Heffernan has 11 goals and five helpers while Allis has 12 goals and four assists. Defending the net is sophomore Jake Hyatt who has started in seven games, a 9.26 goals against average and a total of 79 saves for a .545 save percentage.

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).