via Saint Leo press release   SAINT LEO, Fla. – No. 2 seed Saint Leo prepares to face No. 1 seed Lenior-Rhyne in the NCAA Division II Men’s Lacrosse Championship Semifinal, NCAA South Region Championship on Sunday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m. in Hickory, N.C. The contest marks the first NCAA Semifinal postseason appearance by both programs. THE BASICS Sunday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m. in Hickory, N.C. Saint Leo Lions (15-2) at Lenior-Rhyne (17-2) ENTERING THE GAME Saint Leo

• 13-year veteran Head Coach Brad Jorgensen just led Saint Leo to its first-ever NCAA Division II postseason win. The NCAA South Region No. 2 seed Saint Leo Lions defeated the No. 3 seed Tampa Spartans 12-11 in overtime on Saturday during the NCAA Division II Championship quarterfinals.
• Jake Gilmour leads the Lions’ attack with 73 points (35g, 38a), shooting .427 percent while placing .707 percent of his shots on frame. He tallied 36 ground balls and eight caused turnovers this year.
• With two goals in the quarterfinal game, Kyle Pauwels became the single season goal leader now at 52 this season. Pauwels’ two goals marked his 100^th and 101^st goals of his two-year Green and Gold career. He enters the game with a season point count of 68 points (52g, 16a) scoring .619 percent of the time, placing .786 percent of his shots on frame. He has earned 35 ground balls.
• Charlie Kurtenbach has also found success for the Lions’ offense with 66 points (39g, 27a). Kurtenbach enters the game holding a .433 shooting percentage, placing .689 percent of his shots on goal. He has picked up 41 ground balls while also causing 10 turnovers.
• Jordan Williams has taken on the title of faceoff specialist. He has won 147-of-318 faceoffs, entering the game with a .462 winning percentage.
• Thomas Tatarian has been spectacular protecting the Green and Gold net. Tatarian has snagged 233 saves posting a .607 save percentage after facing 641 shots. He enters the game with a 9.12 goals against average.

  Lenoir-Rhyne

• The NCAA South Region No. 1 seed Lenoir-Rhyne Bears defeated No. 4 seed Colorado Mesa Mavericks 14-12 on Saturday in NCAA Division II Championship quarterfinals.
• Head Coach Greg Paradine led Lenoir-Rhyne to the program’s first-ever NCAA South Region Championship, NCAA National Semifinal game in 2018. Last year, Paradine helped the Bears make program history by winning the South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program’s seventh year of existence.
• Joe Buduo leads the Bears’ attack with 88 points (60g, 28a), shooting .448 percent while placing .649 percent of his shots on frame. He collected 33 ground balls and forced 13 turnovers.
• Ben Corrigan is the second highest scorer for the number one seed squad. Corrigan enters the game with 74 points (42g, 32a), shooting .311 percent while placing .644 percent of his shots on goal. In addition, he has earned 32 ground balls and caused eight turnovers.
• Collin Lett, a midi, has caused 39 turnovers for the Bears this season.
• Shane Gottberg primarily handles Lenior-Rhyne’s faceoff responsibilities. Gottberg has won 248-of-406 faceoffs, compiling a .611 winning percentage at the ‘X.’
• Ryan Crompton has started in net for the Bears in all 18 games. Cromption has tallied 206 saves while posting a .567 save percentage. He enters the game with a 9.55 goals allowed average.