Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/28/16
From Press Releases
No. #5 Brown returns to the NCAA National Semifinal for the first time since 1994 and will take on #1 Maryland today at Lincoln Financial Field at 2:30 pm. The Bears (16-2), the nation’s highest scoring team and led by Haverford School and Duke’s LC grads Henry Blynn (attackman) and Will Gural (FOGO) , earned a berth in the Final Four with an 11-10 win over Navy in the Quarterfinals at Brown Stadium. The Terps (16-2), led by La Salle and Dukes grad Matt Rambobo (attackman), defeated Syracuse, 13-7, in the quarters.
The Matchup At a glance:
Get your 2016 NCAA Men’s Championship tickets for Philly’s Lincoln Financial Field here – http://on.ncaa.com/1O7kTFJ
NCAA Semifinals On ESPN2: Saturday’s NCAA Semifinal matchup against Maryland is being televised on ESPN2 at 2:30 pm, with Eamon McAnaney calling the play, Quint Kessenich providing the analysis and Paul Carcaterra on the sideline.
The Bears: Brown (16-2, 6-0 Ivy), the fifth seed in the NCAA Tournament, posted a school record 16 wins, eclipsing the previous record of 13 wins by Brown teams from 1966 (13-3), 1991 (13-1) and 1994 (13-5). The Bears lead the nation in scoring with 16.44 goals per game and have set a school record with 296 goals, breaking the previous mark of 263 by Brown’s 1990 team. The Bears will be looking for their first win over the Terps, trailing 13-0 in the all-time series that dates back to 1978.
Bears’ Final Four History: Brown has made one previous NCAA Semifinal appearance, in 1994, falling to eventual National Champion Princeton, 10-7, at Maryland’s Byrd Stadium.
Ivy League Champions: Brown earned its 10th Ivy League Championship in 2016, having previously won Ivy titles in 1969, 1973, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1995, 2008, 2010 and 2015. The Bears have posted unbeaten Ivy League marks (6-0) in 1973, 1985, 1991, 1994 and 2016.
Did You Know?: Brown’s starting attack of junior Dylan Molloy, senior Kylor Bellistri and senior Henry Blynn have combined for 565 career points – Molloy: 245 points; Bellistri: 170 points; and Blynn: 150 points. The trio has combined for 172 goals in 2016.
Molloy Named Tewaaraton Award Finalist: Bears’ junior attackman Dylan Molloy (Setauket, NY) was named a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award along with Denver’s Connor Cannizzaro, Duke’s Myles Jones, Notre Dame’s Matt Landis and Yale’s Ben Reeves. The five finalists are invited to Washington, D.C., for the 16th Annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony on June 2. Molloy is not expected to play due to a broken foot.
Saturday’s meeting marks the third postseason matchup in history between Maryland and Brown. The Terps hold an unblemished 15-0 record all-time against the Bears dating back to the inaugural meeting in 1964. Maryland is 3-0 against Brown in the NCAA Tournament (1973, 1976, 1991).
Maryland won its 16th game of the season against Syracuse, breaking the program single-season record for victories which was set last season. The Terps have also won a single-season program record 15 straight games, scoring 12 goals per game during the streak and allowing just 7.5 goals per game.
Philly players in the game today:
#1, Matt Rambo, A, Jr., Glenside, Pa./LaSalle – Honorable Mention All-Big Ten – 39 goals, 24 assists, 63 pts.
#10, Tyler Brooks, A, Sr., Berwyn Pa./Conestoga
#12, Jon Garino, Jr, FO, Jr.,Newtown Square, Pa./Episcopal
#13, Ryan Lehman, D, Sr., Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Valley
#42, Curtis Corley, D, Fr., Medford Lakes, N.J./Shawnee
Brown
#2, Stephen Hudak, M, So.,Rydal, Pa./La Salle- 7 goals, 1 assist, 8 pts.
#6, Henry Blynn, A, Sr., Villanova, Pa./The Haverford School – Honorable Mention All-Ivy – 50 goals, 13 assists, 63 pts.
#36, Will Gural, M/FO, So., Haverford, Pa./The Haverford School – First Team All-Ivy – 2nd in nation in FO % at .704
Junior Matt Rambo is one of the hottest players in college lacrosse, totaling 22 points over his last four games. He has posted 13 goals and nine assists during that span. Rambo also has 19 goals in nine total NCAA appearances, tied for the fifth-most in Maryland history with Joe Walters (2003-06).
Maryland is making its 24th appearance in the NCAA Semifinals, compiling a 12-11 all-time record in the round. The Terps have won three of their last four semifinal appearances, including last season’s 12-11 triumph over rival Johns Hopkins.
Junior Matt Rambo recorded six points against Syracuse to reach 63 points for the season – the most for a Maryland player since Joe Walters posted 60 in 2006. Walters, who twice hit the 60-point mark, and Rambo are the only Terps in the 2000’s to achieve the milestone.
Blynn – Eighth Nationally In Goals: Bears’ senior attackman Henry Blynn (Villanova, PA) is Brown’s third leading scorer with 63 points (50 goals, 13 assists) and his 150 career points (115 goals, 35 assists) are 14th in the Brown record book. Blynn is 10th nationally with 2.78 goals per game. He had two goals and an assist in Brown’s NCAA Quarterfinal win over Navy. Blynn played a key role in Brown’s NCAA First Round win over Johns Hopkins with four goals, including a SportsCenter Top 10 play against the Blue Jays. He had two goals and an assist in Brown’s NCAA Quarterfinal win over Navy. An Honorable Mention All-Ivy selection, Blynn tossed in four goals in Brown’s win over Virginia and scored four goals in Brown’s win over Dartmouth. He scored three goals and handed out two assists vs. Cornell to help Brown clinch the Ivy Championship. Blynn scored two goals against cross-town rival Providence and added two goals in Brown’s win over #1 Yale. Blynn recorded a hat-trick vs. Penn after scoring two goals vs. Bryant. He scored three goals and handed out one assist in Brown’s win over Princeton, and stepped up in the Bears’ victory over #5 Villanova with three goals and two assists. Blynn had two goals and an assist vs. #14 Harvard and tossed in four goals, while adding two assists vs. Holy Cross. He netted two goals and handed out two assists vs. Michigan, and scored three goals and handed out an assist vs. UMass. Blynn opened the 2016 season with two goals against Quinnipiac, and registered a hat-trick against #19 Stony Brook with three goals. Last year, Blynn was eighth in the Ivy League with 2.24 goals per game and netted a career-high six goals against Providence. He returned to the Brown lineup last year after missing the entire 2014 season due to injury and responded in 2015 with 38 goals and 14 assists.
Blynn’s Career Scoring: 115 goals 35 assists 150 points
Gural Second Nationally In Face-Off Pct./ Scores Hat-Trick vs. Virginia: Brown features one of the top face-off specialists in the country with senior First Team All-Ivy and All-New England selection Will Gural (Haverford, PA), who currently ranks second in the nation in face-off percentage, winning 250-of-355 (.704) face-offs, and is fifth nationally in ground balls (7.59 per game). He captured 18-of-24 face-offs in Brown’s NCAA Quarterfinal win over Navy, while picking up 11 ground balls. Gural dominated the field against Johns Hopkins in Brown’s First Round win over the Blue Jays, winning 16-of-20 face-offs, while scoring two goals from the face-off x. He proved his value in Brown’s win over Virginia by winning 18-of-26 face-offs and scoring a career-high three goals, all directly off face-offs. Gural captured 17-of-18 face-offs vs. Dartmouth, while picking up 10 ground balls. He was named the Ivy League and Baltimore Sun National Player of the Week after scoring two goals and handing out two assists in Brown’s win over #1 Yale, while picking up 11 ground balls and winning 19-of 27 face-offs, including 11-of-13 face-offs in the second half. Gural turned in a yeoman’s performance vs. Providence, wining 16-of-19 face-offs, while picking up nine ground balls. He won 13-of-20 face-offs with eight ground balls vs. Princeton and captured 10-of-17 face-offs and picked up seven ground balls vs. #5 Villanova. Gural “pitched” a perfect game against Holy Cross, winning 17-of-17 face-offs to help ignite Brown’s offense. He opened the season by winning 11-of-14 face-offs vs. Quinnipiac, and came back by winning 20-of-30 face-off against #19 Stony Brook. Against UMass, Gural won 12-of-15 face-offs. Last year, Gural captured 233-of-391 face-offs (.596), 12th best in the nation. Gural was also an offensive threat, with six goals last season. He won 16-of-20 face-offs in Brown’s Ivy League Playoff game vs. Yale, and registered a 12-9 advantage vs. Princeton. His 5.17 ground balls per game ranked 25th nationally. He also turned in an outstanding performance vs. eventual national champion Denver in the NCAA First Round, winning 15-of-25 face-offs against the nation’s #1 face-off man, Trevor Baptiste.
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