IMMACULATA, Pa. – Final preparations have been made as the No. 5 Immaculata men's lacrosse team is set to travel to No. 4 Neumann on Saturday to open up the Atlantic East Quarterfinals. Immaculata enters the postseason with a 5-8 overall record on the season while posting a 2-4 record in conference play.
 
The Mighty Macs and Knights are quite familiar with one another after having battled in the regular season finale on Wednesday at Immaculata. The Knights claimed the victory 22-7, securing the four-seed and home field advantage in the Quarterfinals. David Azzarano, Branden Smith, and Bailey Manion scored two goals apiece on the contest.
 
"I think on Wednesday we did not play to our fullest potential in all aspects of the game, so we are going into Saturday with something to prove," said head coach Matt Justice. "We have some things that we have to tweak and luckily we get another opportunity on a quick turnaround."
 
The Mighty Macs' offense consists of a strong balance of freshman talent and experienced veterans. Freshman Bailey Manion leads the Macs with 37 goals and 23 assists on the season, currently ranking second in-conference in goals per game at 2.64. Junior Anthony Inserra, meanwhile, currently ranks third in-conference with 1.79 assists per game, leading the Macs with 25 on the season while adding 17 goals. Graduate student Steve Long is also a constant presence offensively for the Macs, scoring 31 goals and eight assists on the season.
 
Senior Jimmy Cooper and Jacob Rhoads, meanwhile, captain the Immaculata defense. Cooper has caused 10 turnovers this season while Rhoads has recorded 13 ground balls in his freshman season. Freshman Tyler Plantarich has also led the Macs' defense with 11 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls overall. In goal, senior Cole Metzger has registered an impressive season, leading the conference with 15.79 saves per game. Overall, he's recorded 221 saves on the season along with 45 ground balls.
 
"Cole Metzger has been stellar in the cage seeing the ball and making big saves every game this season," described Justice.
 
Neumann concludes the regular season with a 10-7 record, going 3-3 in conference play. Seniors Drew Conlon and Rich Marshall have been the two driving forces behind the Knights' offense, combining to score 133 points overall. Jake Machiafava has started every game for the Knights in goal, recording 166 saves on the season.
 
"Going into this weekend, we feel prepared," continued Justice. "The nice part about playing Neumann again so quickly after Wednesday is that our deficits are still fresh on our minds. We know what we have to do differently in order to be successful, and now it's time to execute."
 
The victor of Saturday's contest will move on to the Atlantic East Semifinals scheduled for Wednesday, May 4th. The lowest remaining seed between the victors of Immaculata-Neumann and Marywood-Gwynedd Mercy will move on to face No. 1 Cabrini while the other victor will face No. 2 Marymount.
 
"My message to the team this weekend is simple: 'Love each other. Love the process. Overachieve,'" concluded Justice.