FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Johnson & Wales University men's lacrosse team is known for its offense, but it was the defense that delivered the first GNAC Championship in program history. The Wildcats went on the road to defeat the top seed Norwich, 9-5, on Saturday.

Records:
Norwich: 13-6
Johnson & Wales: 9-11

Statistical Leaders:
Max Stone: 2 goals
Brad Kretz: 2 goals
Bradley Morris: 16 saves, 5 Goals

Of Note:
Johnson & Wales now waits to find out who it will play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is Sunday at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com.

The Wildcats won their first conference title in only the program's fifth year of existence. Head coach Nick Coppola started the program in 2014 with a team that went 4-13.

JWU outscored the Cadets, 4-2, in the second half. Goalkeeper Bradley Morris – who was named Tournament MVP – made 12 of his 16 saves in the final 30 minutes.

Morris was joined on the GNAC all-tournament team by Eric Russo, Sam Sears, Owen Macca and Ben Farrell.

Max Stone scored a pair of goals and Maxwell Morris added another as the Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the 5:55 mark of the first quarter.

Norwich responded with three goals of its own, but Bred Kretz and Thomas Lyons tallied goals to send JWU into the half up 5-3.

Kretz scored the only goal of the third quarter to give the Wildcats a 6-3 advantage. Farrell, Russo and Sears all found the back of the net in the fourth quarter to push the JWU lead to 9-3 with 5:08 to play.

2018 GNAC All-Tournament Team
Ryan Madden - Lasell College
Austin Tomasetti - Lasell College
Matt Donnell - Saint Joseph's College (Maine)
Tom Lisiecki - Saint Joseph's College (Maine)
Michael Cashman - Norwich University
Zach Adler - Norwich University 
Ian Kennedy - Norwich University
Eric Russo - Johnson & Wales
Sam Sears - Johnson & Wales
Ben Farrell - Johnson & Wales
Owen Macca - Johnson & Wales
Bradley Morris - Johnson & Wales (Tournament MVP) 

2018 GNAC Men's Lacrosse Championship

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

– #TheGNAC –