IMMACULATA, Pa.- For the first time since the end of the 2011 season, the Immaculata men's lacrosse team is currently finishing its preparations for its Atlantic East quarterfinal matchup at Marymount on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m.

Immaculata enters the postseason following a strong regular season, which saw the Macs play to a record of 3-5 overall and 2-4 in league play in head coach Matt Justice's first full season at the helm of the Mighty Macs. Immaculata opened the year with a 1-1 record through non-league play following an 11-6 non-conference win over Wesley to conclude its non-league schedule. In Conference play, Immaculata opened with three setbacks at the hands of Cabrini, Neumann, and Marywood before bouncing back with a pair of victories over Gwynedd Mercy and Wesley by 9-5 and 10-7 finals to improve to 2-3 in Atlantic East play. Immaculata concluded its regular season with a battle against quarterfinal opponent Marymount, which Immaculata dropped by a final of 16-6 to finish the regular season.

In the month of April, Immaculata began the month on a defensive hot streak as the Macs held their first three opponents off the month to seven goals or less, playing to a 2-1 record over the course of these games to go 2-1 on the month. Junior Cole Metzger was outstanding between the pipes this month and throughout the season, playing to a record of 2-2 on the month and 3-5 on the season with 144 saves and a 12.45 goals-against average on the year. Earlier in the month of April, Metzger earned a Defensive Player of the Week nod from the Atlantic East following a pair of 20 plus-save efforts in the Macs contests against Marywood and Gwynedd Mercy. Metzger also concluded the regular season with a school-record 29-save outing against Marymount on Wednesday afternoon to conclude the regular season. Alongside Metzger, senior Bobby Bausman was a consistent weapon for Immaculata on the defensive end as he posted a conference-best 89 ground balls (11.13/G) on the year while ranking third on the year with 23 caused turnovers (2.88/G) on the year. In addition to his defensive contributions, Bausman also won 92 of 162 faceoffs on the year for a 56.8 % win percentage. This impressive percentage ranks the senior 11^th in the Atlantic East Conference in win percentage from the faceoff X.

Offensively, Immaculata has been led by sophomore Anthony Inserra who enters the postseason with a team-high 24 points scoring 10 goals and adding 14 assists on the season. Sean Evans and Steve Long tied for the team lead in goals with 16 goals each, while Evans added four assists, and Long chipped in three of his own for 20 and 19 points, respectively. Inserra concluded his regular season ranked in the top-10 in the conference in points on the year, while Long and Evans ended the year in a tie for ninth in the league in goals with their 16 markers on the season.

Immaculata and Marymount are no strangers to one another, having just faced off against one another on Wednesday afternoon inside Draper Walsh Stadium in what was the final game of the regular season for the Mighty Macs. The contest was tight throughout, and Immaculata did manage to hold a slim 4-3 lead heading into the second quarter of play. With Immaculata trailing by just one (6-5) heading into the halftime break, Marymount countered with a 7-1 run in the third quarter to claim a commanding 13-6 lead heading to the fourth. In the fourth and final quarter of play, Marymount tacked on three more goals to earn the 16-6 victory over Immaculata. Inserra led the way for the Macs on the offensive end with a team-high five points on three goals and two assists, while Metzger worked hard between the pipes making a program-record 29 saves in the setback. For Marymount, Clark Akers, and Jack Williams each had strong afternoons combining for 15 points as Akers scored seven goals with one assist while Williams scored one goal and contributed six assists in the victory. In goal for Marymount was Brandon Hall, who played well throughout the afternoon, making 14 big saves to slow the potent Immaculata offense.

For the Saints on the year, Williams has had a breakout freshman season posting a team-high 38 points on 20 goals and 18 assists, which also allows him to rank fourth in the league in points, fifth in goals, and third in assists on the year. Akers has also had a strong year for the Saints as he currently ranks sixth in the loop in points on the year with 28 points thanks in large part to 21 goals on the season, which ranks him fourth in the loop in goal scoring. Between the pipes, Hall has emerged as a consistent presence for the Saints as of late, playing to a record of 3-1 with all four appearances coming in league play. Hall has made 60 saves in league play while playing to an 11.42 goals-against average on the year. Joseph Sciortino has had a strong presence for the Saints throughout the year at the faceoff X, winning 102-of-173 faceoffs on the year for the Saints, while Troy Tangolics has been a defensive weapon throughout the year with a team-high nine caused turnovers and 25 ground balls on the year.

With a victory on Saturday afternoon, Immaculata will advance to its first Conference semifinal in program history against reigning Conference and National Champion Cabrini.