COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's lacrosse team will make its NCAA Division II Championship debut next Sunday, as the 18-team field was revealed on Sunday night. The Purple Knights have drawn the No. 7 seed in the eight-team North Region and head to Northeast 10 Conference foe Saint Anselm College, the No. 2 seed, for a 1 p.m. first-round affair.
 
Saint Michael's, which stands 9-5 overall, was among five NE10 squads to qualify, earning one of the league's four at-large bids. It opposes a Hawk team that makes its sixth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. The squads squared off on April 1 in Manchester, N.H., where then No. 2-ranked Saint Anselm eked out a 13-11 win. The Purple Knights won in Grappone Stadium as recently as April 17, 2024, with a 15-13 victory.
 
In the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) national poll, the Purple and Gold sat 20th, while Saint Anselm was third. At 11-2, the Hawks had lost only to No. 1 Adelphi University, 15-14 in overtime, on April 4 before suffering an 8-7 NE10 semifinal loss to 10th-ranked Pace University last Wednesday. Saint Michael's and Saint Anselm have split four all-time postseason meetings, all in NE10 Championship play in Colchester. They last met in a 2012 quarterfinal, won 8-4 by the homestanding Purple Knights.
 
For the first time, five NE10 teams have qualified for an NCAA Championship. The winner of the Saint Michael's-Saint Anselm game takes on the winner of No. 3 Molloy University-No. 6 Assumption University on Wednesday, May 13 in a quarterfinal at the higher seed. On the other side of the North bracket, two-time defending national champion No. 1 Adelphi hosts No. 8 Wilmington (Del.) University, and No. 4 Pace welcomes No. 5 Seton Hill University. All first-round games occur next Sunday at 1 p.m. at the home of the higher seeds.
 
The remaining 10 teams hail from the South Region. Except for the championship game, all games will be played on host campuses. The winners of the quarterfinals will advance to the semifinals on Sunday, May 17. This year's finalists will advance to Charlottesville, Va., for the championship game at Scott Stadium, which will be played at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 24, and broadcast on NCAA.com. The Division I and Division III Men's Lacrosse Championships will also host their final games in Charlottesville over Memorial Day weekend. 
 
The Purple Knights have already defeated multiple nationally-ranked teams this year for the first time on record, downing No. 17 Southern New Hampshire University, 11-10, on March 21 and No. 20 Bentley University, 13-9, on April 18. Saint Michael's suffered losses to three more ranked foes in succession by a combined four goals, versus No. 6 Pace, 6-5, on March 28, at No. 2 Saint Anselm, 13-11, on April 1, and at No. 19 Assumption, 11-10, on April 4. Saint Michael's won two of three to close the regular season before suffering a 10-9 overtime setback at No. 16 Assumption on April 25 in an NE10 Championship first-round contest.
 
Under ninth-year head coach Alex Smith, the NE10 Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons, the Purple Knights have relied upon a strong defense and faceoff unit. They stand fifth in NCAA Division II in ground balls per game (40.7), seventh in caused turnovers average (12.1), 10th in scoring defense (8.5), and 14th in faceoff winning percentage (61.5%). Smith takes a second team to the national stage after guiding Colorado State University to Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) national championships in 2012 and 2013.
 
Sophomore Noah Poirier (Dalton, Mass./Wahconah Regional) has keyed the Purple Knights' success at the faceoff X, standing tied for ninth in the nation in ground balls per game (7.7) and 16th in winning percentage (64.3%), placing second in program history in both victories (178) and ground balls (108). Junior long-stick midfielder Taylor Wiercinski (Groton, Mass./Lawrence Academy) scooped 53 ground balls with 18 caused turnovers while scoring 10 goals, and sophomore short-stick defensive midfielder Matt O'Donnell (Marshfield, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) adds 41 ground ball, with both contributing on the faceoff crew. O'Donnell was named to the NE10 All-Conference third team.
 
Senior Mike Nelson (Worcester, Mass./Auburn) is 5-0 between the pipes with an 8.44 goals-against average and a .545 save percentage, while sophomore Nate Gulachenski (Southboro, Mass./Algonquin Regional) owns an 8.50 GAA and .592 save percentage with a 4-5 record. Both have seen their first extensive time in net, with Gulachenski landing on the NE10 All-Conference third team.
 
Junior Paul Mannke (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) recorded 36 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers, standing 24th nationally in caused turnovers per game (2.1), while senior Gavin Proutt (Baltimore, Md./Boys' Latin School of Maryland) and junior Travis Keel (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) join him as part of the regular starting defense. Keel has caused 21 turnovers and Proutt 11 while standing sixth in program history with 59 for a career. Senior short-stick defensive midfielder Benjamin Riggs (Plainville, Mass./King Philip Regional) adds 18 ground balls.
 
First-year Chris Davis (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park), the NE10 Co-Rookie of the Year, leads the attack with 28 goals and 14 assists, and senior Sean Murphy (Medway, Mass./Medway) has turned in 24 goals, 34 points and 13 caused turnovers despite missing three games. He had five goals and an assist during the Purple Knights' NE10 first-round contest at Assumption. Classmate Owen Balfour (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee) adds 16 goals, while first-year Zeke Peraza (Los Angeles, Calif./Saint Francis) and sophomore Noah Veroneau (South Portland, Maine/Thornton Academy) own 25 points and 14 goals, respectively, from the midfield. First-year midfielder Braeden Murphy (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) has 11 helpers and 20 points.
 
Men's lacrosse continues a banner school year for Saint Michael's Athletics, which saw men's and women's basketball, two Nordic skiers, and an Alpine skier also qualify for NCAA Championships.