The Agenda
The Westminster men's lacrosse team will open the 2016 season on Saturday when they face Notre Dame de Namur at Koret Field in Belmont, Calif. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. MT / 2 p.m. PT. The Griffins join the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this season as they are in the NCAA Division II membership process.
 
3 Things
>The 2016 season will mark the 10th season of men's lacrosse at Westminster and the first in the RMAC
>Westminster is 6-3 all-time in season opener and they have won four straight
>The Griffins are 8-1 in road openers
 
Covering the Griffins
Saturday's game will not feature any live video or stats. NDNU will provide updates on Twitter by following @ndnuathletics
 
All Westminster home games will be broadcast live on Griffins TV in the new Game Central portal at portal.stretchinternet.com/Westminster. Griffins TV is available online and is optimized for mobile devices.
 
Following the Griffins
Make sure to like Westminster Griffins on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and You Tube for the latest news about the Griffins. For updates of the game action, make sure to follow @wc_griffins on Twitter.
 
Fans can stay connected with Westminster men's lacrosse team by following @griffinlax on Twitter.
 
About the Griffins
Westminster starts the 2016 season – the 10th season in team history – after finishing 2015 with a 9-6 overall record. They won the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference regular season title and qualified for the 2015 MCLA National Championships. This year's team returns 21 players from that squad including four of the top five scorers. The Griffins will welcome 18 newcomers to the roster this season.
 
On Offense
Leading that group of returners is the 2015 goal scoring leader, Josh Holland. Holland scored 37 goals last season and won the Godekeraw Award given to the top player in the MCLA according to US Lacrosse. Thomas Sarjeant is also back after leading the team with 29 assists and 56 points as a freshman. Troy Vance is back after a 22 goal and 35 point season in 2015. Elias Fairman and his 97 career goals also return after scoring 26 goals last season.
 
On Defense
The Griffins defense will be anchored by seniors Taylor Atchison and Chris Fuoco. Atchison started all 14 games in 2015 and recorded seven caused turnovers and 16 ground balls. Fuoco appeared in 12 games with six caused turns and 13 ground balls. Tanner Duryea also returns after playing in all 14 games with eight starts. He was second on the team with eight caused turnovers.
 
In Cage
Of the three players that saw time on goal for the Griffins last season, only Conner McFarlane is back in 2016. McFarlane appeared in seven games with one start as a freshman. He made 16 saves with a .615 save percentage while posting a 5.12 goals-against-average and one victory. The other two goalies on the roster, Philip Cannell and Ian Sime, are both freshmen.
 
Faceoff Facts
Westminster's primary faceoff duo of Jake Berard and Ryan Coffelt are each back for the 2016 season. The pair helped the team win 53.0 percent at X last season and they were 1-2 in ground balls on the team. Berard won 97 faceoffs and 54.4 percent of his attempts while Coffelt won 51.0 percent with 106 total wins. Coffelt also led the team with 73 ground balls and Berard picked up 55.
 
Special Teams
The 2015 Griffins scored on 41.5 percent of their man-up opportunities. Josh Holland tied for team honors with four man-up goals. Thomas Sarjent scored three times with the extra attacker. Westminster opponents converted their man-up chances 31.9 percent of the time and the Griffins didn't score any goals shorthanded.
 
Leading After 3
Westminster begins the season having never lost a game when leading after three quarters, a streak of 109 straight wins. They have also claimed 21 straight road games when leading at halftime.
 
Climbing the Charts
The duo of Elias Fairman and Josh Holland start the new season ranked in the top-10 in school history in both points and goals. Fairman is sixth all-time with 97 goals and ninth with 134 points. Holland is close behind with 84 goals – ninth in team history – and his 113 points are 10th-most. Jake Berard is fourth in team history with 154 ground balls and second with his .590 faceoff percentage.
 
Looking Ahead
The Griffins return to action on February 20 when they begin RMAC play at No. 16 Colorado Mesa. The action from Walker Field in Grand Junction, Colo. will begin at 2 p.m. MT and the game is the first RMAC game in conference history.