St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Lacrosse Hosts Drexel On Senior Day
4/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 28, 2011
- Game Notes
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- Herits StormTracker All-Access Video
- Sherry Senior Video
- Berry Senior Video
- Kalata Senior Video
- Leach Senior Video
- Cremens Senior Video
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's concludes its 2011 home slate with a Senior Day contest against non-conference opponent Drexel on Saturday, April 30, at 1 p.m.
On Saturday, St. John's will recognize the contributions and playing careers of the 2011 senior class in a special pregame ceremony. O'Brien Berry, Dan Cremens, Ryan Herits, Dan Kalata, Terence Leach and Mike Sherry will be honored before the game.
St. John's enters the game after a tough loss to then-No. 11/11 Villanova, 11-9. Drexel captured an important conference win over Towson last Saturday, 13-9.
Saturday's game is the seventh meeting all-time between the Red Storm and Drexel. The Dragons hold a 5-1 advantage, including an 11-4 victory in sloppy conditions at Vidas Field last season.
Last Time Out
St. John's opened up with three straight goals and led then-no. 11 Villanova 7-4 at halftime, but a four-goal fourth quarter gave the Wildcats an 11-9 win on Saturday. The teams were tagged for 15 combined penalties and St. John's scored five goals in six extra-man opportunities.
Freshman Keith Switzer led St. John's with a career-high four goals, including three man-up goals, while classmate Kieran McArdle tied a career-high with four assists. Sophomore Jeff Lowman stopped 16 shots for his tenth double-digit save game of the season. Lowman and Switzer were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for their efforts.
Cernuto, McArdle Move Up The Ranks
Freshmen scoring machines Kevin Cernuto and Kieran McArdle have blown away several Red Storm records and have each placed highly in the conference and national rankings. The two attackers have teamed with junior Charlie Holenstein and freshman Colin Keegan to make up for the loss of injured junior Harry Kutner, last year's leading scorer.
A native of Neshanic Station, N.J., Cernuto set a conference high in points in his first career outing, scoring four goals and collecting three assists. Cernuto is currently tied for third in the BIG EAST in points scored per game (3.0). Cernuto is second among NCAA freshmen in goals and points and was picked no. 12 in Terry Foy's Top 25 freshmen on April 20 on InsideLacrosse.com.
McArdle put together a seven-point week against Hofstra and Sacred Heart, earning the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll nod. McArdle's career-high five goals against Vermont ties for the most in one game in the conference this year. He has tallied 14 goals and 14 assists to lead the team through the last seven games, including a career-high four assists against Rutgers in the Big City Classic and against Villanova. McArdle is third in the league in points per game (3.0) and second among NCAA freshmen.
Cernuto and McArdle have combined for 72 points this season, averaging a combined 6 points per game to lead the country among freshmen scoring duos.
Lowman Making The Saves
Sophomore goalkeeper Jeff Lowman has tallied 153 saves (12.75 per game) in his first season as the Red Storm's full-time goalkeeper, currently ranking second in the country and tops in the BIG EAST. His save percentage of .580 puts him second in the BIG EAST and ninth in the NCAA.
Lowman was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for his 16-save, seven-goals-allowed effort in the team's win over Holy Cross (Feb. 19). He made the Weekly Honor Roll the next week for his 15-save performance against Yale (Feb. 26). Lowman broke through with a career-high 18 saves against Georgetown (March 5). He earned the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll nod three weeks in a row after holding Providence to just six goals (April 9), making 13 stops at Notre Dame (April 16), and tallying 16 saves against Villanova (April 23). Lowman has tied Syracuse's John Galloway with his fifth nod to the weekly honors, the most among any one player.
Taking Advantage of Extra-Man Opportunities
The Red Storm used six man-up opportunities to score five goals against Villanova for a program-best conversion percent of .833. Switzer has led the team with seven extra-man goals this year, including three against Villanova. St. John's man-up scoring percentage of .368 ranks first in the conference and 14th in the NCAA.
The St. John's man-down defense has been very effective over the team's last four games. The Red Storm have allowed only six extra-man goals in 23 opportunities for a penalty killing percentage of .740. St. John's currently ranks 21st in the country with man-down killing percentage of .724 on the season.
Scouting the Drexel Dragons
Drexel has been on the edge of the Top 20 polls for most of the 2011 season with wins over Towson and Penn State.
The Dragons have averaged 11.08 goals per game and have been led by Scott Perri's team-high 60 points. Perri is currently tied for second in the country with 4.62 points per game. Perri is tops in the country with a .500 shooting percentage.
Drexel is dangerous in extra-man opportunities, ranking fourth in the nation with a man-up conversion percentage of .462. The Dragons have also been effective in killing off penalties, shutting down 78.4 percent of their opponents' man-up chances.
Goaltender Mark Manos has averaged 11.92 saves per game, good for fourth in the country, while registering a save percentage of .560.
Follow The Game Live
Subscription live video is available on StormTracker All-Access at RedStormSports.com. Fans can also access free live stats from the team scoreboard and schedule page. In-game updates will also be posted on the official St. John's lacrosse twitter feed at www.twitter.com/STJ_Lacrosse.
