MLAX Game Day Central: Onondaga

Batavia N.Y. – No. 2 Harford will be in search of its first national championship in program history when it faces No. 3 Onondaga in the semifinals of the 2019 NJCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship May 18-19.

Opening faceoff between the Fighting Owls (12-1) and Lazers (10-2) is set for Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in Batavia, N.Y. The winner will move on to the championship game on Sunday, May 19 at 4:00 p.m.

Saturday's other semifinal features the No. 4 Howard Dragons and No. 1 Nassau Lions. The Dragons earned their spot by taking down host Genesee in overtime during last weekend's play-in game, while Nassau has sat atop the NJCAA weekly poll since Harford knocked off Onondaga back in early March.

No. 2 Harford vs. No. 3 Onondaga – NJCAA National Championship Semifinal
Game Date: Saturday, May 18
Game Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Batavia, N.Y. (Genesee Community College)

Game Day Central Links
Championship Central
Live Video
Live Stats
NJCAA Men's Lacrosse Homepage

Series History

The Fighting Owls and Lazers have only met three times in Harford's modern history, with Harford posting a 1-2 record against Onondaga.
Harford, then ranked No. 5, upset No. 1 Onondaga 12-8 back on March 2. Prior to that, Onondaga had not lost a regular season game since 2016.

Fighting Owls News and Notes

In his fifth season at Harford, head coach Aaron Verardi has put together the winningest team in program history. The No. 2 ranked Fighting Owls head into the tournament as the hottest team in the nation, having won their last 13 games.
Harford's offense ranks among the best in the nation, producing an NJCAA best 21.57 goals per game. Flanking NJCAA leading scorer Chandler Schmidt (55 goals) are the likes of Owen Consoletti (50 goals), Eli Doyle (32 goals), and Tyler Wagoner (32 goals).
Led by sophomore defender Shaun Vines (32 caused turnovers), the Fighting Owls have held teams to under eight goals per game. Only fellow final four members Onondaga and Nassau have held their opponents to less.
Freshman goalkeeper Barret Casto and has been a stalwart in front of goal for Harford. Casto was recently named Maryland Juco Conference Defensive Player of the Year and is on pace to set the single season and career record for Harford in goals against average.
Redshirt freshman Moriah Yousefi asserted himself as one of the top faceoff specialists in the nation this season and recently claimed Maryland Juco First Team All-Conference honors.