HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- No. 4 seed Hampden-Sydney College will play host to No. 5 seed Randolph-Macon College in the 2024 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal on Tuesday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m. at Lewis C. Everett Stadium. This will be the second game between the two sides, with the last matchup coming on Saturday, March 23, in Ashland.

In the meeting on March 23, it was the Tigers who came out of Ashland victorious by an 11-7 score. The Tigers trailed 7-6 at the half but held the Yellow Jackets scoreless in the second half with senior goalie Peter Smith (Warrenton) making six saves in the half. Overall in the series, H-SC is 36-3 over Randolph-Macon and have won the last three games. The last loss came during the 2022 regular season which H-SC avenged by defeating the Yellow Jackets in the ODAC tournament that same year.

Randolph-Macon has a 13-4 record and has won its last two games. The Yellow Jackets score 16 goals per game while giving up just over eight against. They win 56.4 percent of their face-offs going 263-466. Randolph-Macon is a team that shares the ball well with 169 assists compared to only 59 for their opponents. Another strong area is their man-down defense, only allowing a goal 12.7 percent of the time (7-55).

Hampden-Sydney comes into the matchup having won its last game against Virginia Wesleyan and boasts a 12-5 record. H-SC is averaging just under 14 goals per game (13.94) while allowing 8.94 goals against for a +5 margin. The Tigers also spread the ball around well with 147 assists against 92 for their opponents. Defense has been a strong point for H-SC causing 203 turnovers, 70 more than their opponents at 133.

The Tigers come in with a three-headed attack of seniors Ray O'Brien (Scituate, MA), Ford Burke (Richmond), and Michael Leone (Vienna). O'Brien has 39 goals and 20 assists on the season with Burke scoring 39 as well with 17 assists. Leone has 35 goals but leads the Tigers with 23 assists.

Additionally, the Tigers are getting strong offensive contributions from the starting midfield, as junior Campion White (Apex, NC) is the leading scorer from the midfield with 20 goals and 10 assists. Senior Patrick Saunders (Alexandria) has 16 goals and assists from the midfield and sophomore Patrick Hanes (Raleigh, NC) has scored 15 goals and added 10 assists.

Face-offs with be a key in determining who will win the quarterfinal match-up. The Tigers will see most of the face-off duties handled by sophomores Evan Yntema (Summerfield, NC) and Luke Popow (Holly Springs, NC). Yntema is 121-231 on the season and Popow is 70-137 on the year. Junior Conor Kilfeather (Wyndmoor, PA) could also get some run on face-offs if needed.

The Tigers' defense is spearheaded by Kilfeather, senior Thomas Harry (Troy), and junior Gaines Weis (Richmond). Kilfeather leads the Tigers in both caused turnovers with 37 and ground balls with 80, ranking in the top 10 in the ODAC in both stats. Harry is second on the team with 30 caused turnovers and has grabbed 44 ground balls to lead the back line of the defense. Weis joins Kilfeather in the defensive midfield causing problems for opposition attackmen, as he has 28 caused turnovers and 46 ground balls. Both Weis and Kilfeather can also start and run the break, with Weis having four goals and five assists, while Kilfeather has five goals and two assists. Sophomores Tyler Steele (Pinehurst, NC) and Cameron Young (Chantilly) along with freshmen Jack Duffy (Ambler, PA) and Cameron Van Lunen (Southern Shores, NC) help round out a defense that ranks 34th in the nation.

In goal will be Smith, who has started all 17 games this season and put up a 12-5 record with 158 saves and a 53.6 save percentage in his first season as the starter. In the previous meeting with Randolph-Macon, he posted a 61.1 save percentage and made 11 saves while giving up only seven goals.

Live stats and video links for the quarterfinal can be found at hscathletics.com. Admission for the quarterfinal contest is free.