Griffins Visit Mesa on Saturday
The Westminster men's lacrosse team will close the regular season on Saturday when they play at No. 17 Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, Colo. The contest is set to begin at 1 p.m. from Walker Field on the CMU campus.
 
The game will be broadcast live on the RMAC Network with Colorado Mesa producing the content. The RMAC Network is available online, or by downloading the app for your Roku device. Live stats will also be available during the game.
 
About the Griffins
Westminster will enter the final game of the regular season with a 7-5 overall record and winners of four straight. The Griffins are 6-3 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action and have clinched a spot in next week's RMAC Tournament that will be played on May 5-6 in Grand Junction. They are currently third in the standings and could move to second with a win on Saturday.
 
The Griffins are now second in the conference by averaging 13.08 goals per game and they are third by getting 7.42 assists per game. If they were eligible for NCAA rankings, the team would be 10th in goals and 12th in assists. They are averaging 39.58 shots per game and are second in the RMAC by scoring on 33.1 percent of those attempts.
 
Troy Vance leads the team with 25 goals this season and he is third in the RMAC by scoring 2.08 goals per game. Thomas Sarjeant has added 24 goals and 17 assists to lead the team with 41 points. Sarjeant is fifth in the conference by getting 3.42 points per game. Nick Marcy leads the team with 19 assists and is third in the league at 1.73 assists per game.
 
Westminster is up to 46.5 percent on faceoffs this season – third in the RMAC – and they pick up 29.75 ground balls per game. The Griffins commit just 17.50 turnovers per game and have a .859 clearing percentage. They have scored on 25.8 percent of man-up chances while killing 65.3 percent of man-down chances.
 
Dalton Tuor leads the team with 85 faceoff wins and Cole Spooner has a team best .650 faceoff percentage. Kolton Atkinson is tops in the team with 34 ground balls. Grant Phillips had 13 caused turnovers while Braeden Pelly has 12.
 
Conner McFarlane has started all 12 games in goal for the Griffins with an 11.30 goals-against-average and .529 save percentage. He is fourth in the RMAC by making 10.58 saves per game and 32nd nationally. Kyler Banks has played in seven games with a .457 save percentage.
 
Battle Tested
Westminster has posted its 7-5 record against the 10th-toughest schedule in the country. Using the NCAA formula, Westminster's opponent winning percentage to date is .571. That is the hardest schedule of any team in the RMAC.
 
Sarjeant Sets the Tone
Thomas Sarjeant has 24 goals and 17 assists this season to rank second on the team in each category. His 41 points lead the squad and he is fifth in the RMAC at 3.42 points per game. Sarjeant has scored a goal in 10 straight games with multiple goals eight times. He was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for the second straight week and third time this season. He currently sits ninth in team history with 149 career points and ranks 11th in goals (72) and fourth in assists (77).
 
Vance on the Attack
Troy Vance has scored a goal in all but one game this season with multiple goals in seven games. He leads the team with 25 goals overall and is third in the conference by scoring 2.08 goals per game. Vance has attempted 61 shots – scoring on 41.0 percent – and has three assists for 28 points. The junior ranks 13th in team history with 57 career goals and 11th with 134 career shot attempts.
 
Marcy's Debut
Nick Marcy leads the Griffins with 19 assists and he has scored 15 goals to place second on the squad with 34 points. Marcy has scored at least one point in 10 of the 11 games  he has played this season and he has seven games with at least three points. He currently ranks third in the RMAC with an average of 1.73 assists per game while his 3.09 points per game is seventh best in the conference.
 
McFarlane Wall
Conner McFarlane has started all 12 games in goal this season and ranks fourth in the RMAC by making 10.58 saves per game. He is fourth in the league with a .529 save percentage and his 11.30 goals-against-average is seventh. McFarlane has made double-digit saves in six games this year, including a span of four straight through the win at Colorado College. He has posted a .600 save percentage in five games and been above .500 in seven of the last nine outings.
 
Opponent Info: Colorado Mesa
• Colorado Mesa enters Saturday at 13-2 overall and winners of five straight.
• The Mavericks are 8-1 in conference play and have clinched the regular season title.
• Steve Brandenburg leads the team with 48 goals and 68 points.
• Mesa is 6-1 all-time (3-1 in NCAA games) against the Griffins and won 14-13 in overtime on April 8 at Dumke Field.
 
Looking Ahead
The Griffins will return to Grand Junction next weekend for the 2017 RMAC men's Lacrosse Tournament. They will face Rockhurst in the semifinals on May 5 at a time to be determined. The championship game will be played on May 6.