STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The 2014 America East Men's Lacrosse Championship kicks off with semifinal action on Thursday at Stony Brook's LaValle Stadium.
No. 2 Binghamton takes on No. 3 UMBC at 5:00 p.m. in the first semifinal, followed by No. 1 Albany battling No. 4 Stony Brook at 7:30 p.m. in the nightcap. The two winners will face off for the league title on Saturday, May 3 at 10 a.m. with the winner earning a trip the NCAA Tournament, where America East teams have won three games since 2007.
Free, live video of the semifinals will air for free on AmericaEast.TV Thursday. Mike Solano (play-by-play) and 2013 Tewaraaton Award winner Rob Pannell (analyst) will have the call for the Pack Network production.
Tickets for the two semifinal contests can be purchased in advance through the Stony Brook ticket offices or at the gate tonight. Prices are $10 for adults, $5 for youth and $2 for students of America East institutions with proper ID. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 631-632-WOLF (9653).
Fans who can not attend the games, visit Championship Central for live coverage links, including free live video streaming and live stats. Fans can also join the conversation on Twitter all weekend long by using the hashtag #LaxIsland.
Semifinal Primer
- One of the four teams in this year’s championship field (Albany, Binghamton, UMBC and Stony Brook) have been the top seed in every America East Men’s Lacrosse Championship since 2002.
- Albany, the 18th-ranked team in the country, is the tournament’s top seed for the fifth time and seeks its second-straight league crown and fifth overall.
- The Great Danes are the highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 16.0 goals per game.
- Binghamton, which is making its first championship appearance since 2011, has its highest seed since it was the top seed in 2004.
- The Bearcats lead the league, allowing just 10.2 goals per game.
- UMBC, which is making its 11th straight tournament appearance, have never lost consecutive America East games, a streak that spans 67 contests.
- Stony Brook is making its 13th consecutive championship appearance in many seasons in America East and is seeking its third league title since 2010.
- Albany’s Lyle and Miles Thompson are two of 28 candidates for the Tewaraaton Award, given to the nation’s top player.
- Lyle Thompson has 98 points this season, the third-most in a season in conference history, and leads the nation in scoring, averaging 7.0 points per game.
- Miles Thompson ranks second to his brother in points per game (6.4) has 60 goals this season, the most in conference history.
- UMBC's Matt Gregoire ranks second only to Miles Thompson nationally in goals per game (3.2 gpg).