Five Philly players will look to help Jacksonville make its program debut Saturday against No. 4 UNC

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/5/10
From Press Releases and Staff Reports

With five Philly players on the roster, the Jacksonville men’s lacrosse team opens play in its first season of action Saturday when it hosts No. 4 North Carolina at 2:30 p.m. at D.B. Milne Field.

The Dolphins found success in their two scrimmages last weekend, besting both St. Leo’s and Florida Southern on a chilly day in Jacksonville.

The opening game will be streamed live on A-Sun.TV for the fans not in attendance, while the first 1,000 fans will receive a commemorative game program and a commemorative ball.

“It’s been several years in the making and our guys are ready to get out there,” said JU head coach Matt Kerwick. “We played well at times last weekend and it’s time to put all our hard work into action against North Carolina.”

Jacksonville features attackmen Jimmy Trentini (Upper Dublin) and Joe O’Rourke (Haverford School) midfielders Dan Jones (Penncrest) and Phil Ventresca (Salesianum, DE) and defenseman Jack Morrison (Lower Merion). Trentini led Upper Dublin to the Suburban One American Conference title last year, scoring 39 goals. Jones had 32 goals for Penncrest, O;Rourke helped the Fords tie for the Inter-Ac League title and Morrison helped the Aces reach the PIAA tournament, while Ventraesa was a key member of a Sals team won the Delaware state crown and went undefeated,

UNC features sophomore midfielder Chris Layne (Malvern Prep) and Matt Conte (Malvern Prep) and freshman attackman Conor Steidle (Malvern Prep).

The Dolphins face a challenging first-year schedule, travelling to national powerhouse No. 2 Duke as well as trips to No. 10 Hofstra and No. 19 Bucknell. JU will also welcome Denver and Rutgers to D.B. Milne Field this year.

The men’s opener is the second half of a doubleheader with the women’s team playing UMBC at noon.