KENOSHA, WIS.—The Carthage College men's lacrosse team (16-4, 6-0 CCIW) will begin their quest toward an NCAA Division III National Championship at #7 Denison University in the second round of the 34-team NCAA Division III Tournament on Wednesday, May 10 at 2:00 p.m. (ET). The Red Men, who are making their third-consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament, are in pursuit of their first national tournament victory in program history.
 
Carthage will enter their bout with the Big Red ranked third in NCAA Division III in scoring defense (6.00). That defensive unit is anchored by CCIW Co-Defensive Player of the Year Andy Meyers and goalkeeper Ryan Smith. Meyers sits third in the country with a .740 (208-281) face-off winning percentage through 20 games this season.
 
Smith's 6.39 goals against average this season ranks fourth in the country. Smith accumulated 32 saves over the past two games, which includes a season-high 18 in Carthage's 12-8 loss to Illinois Wesleyan University on May 6.
 
Andy Szun paces the Red Men in scoring with 51 goals and 28 assists for 79 points.
 
Carthage is one victory shy a of program-record for wins in a season.
 
ABOUT #7 DENISION UNIVERSITY (15-1, 8-0 NCAC)
 
The Big Red won both the North Coast Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships. Their lone blemish on the 2017 campaign occurred in a 15-11 loss to Washington & Lee University.
 
Denison leads NCAA Division III in man-up offense (.661) and scoring margin (11.63). Liam Rooney ranks third in the country in scoring with 6.19 points per game (31g, 68a, 99p). Rooney's 4.25 assists per game leads all NCAA Division III men's lacrosse players.
 
Will Donohue (64 points) and Spencer Butler (62 points) make up the 60+ point scorers on Denison's lineup.
 
Goalkeeper Stephen Paras, who has started 15-of-16 games for the Big Red, ranks second in the country with a 5.93 goals against average. He also carries a .551 save percentage, 87 saves and a 15-0 win-loss record.
 
Denison won their lone meeting with Carthage 19-2 in the 2016 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament First Round on May 11, 2016. Mike Caravana (256-87, .746) is in his 24^th season as Denison head men's lacrosse coach.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
 
The winning team will face either Aurora University or Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday, May 13.