Cobras Host No. 20 Tusculum in Vs. Cancer Game

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College men's lacrosse team will host No. 20 Tusculum on Sunday (Apr. 9) afternoon in South Atlantic Conference play at the Coker Athletic Field. Opening face off is set for 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at www.cokercobras.com.

The Navy and Gold enter tomorrow's game with a 3-7 overall record that includes a 1-4 mark in conference play. Throughout the 2017 season, Coker has recorded victories over Chowan (16-7), Brevard (5-3), and Shorter (11-7).  Leading the charge offensively for the Cobras this season has been Vinny Magro who has a team leading 25 points. Magro's points have come by way of 15 goals and 10 assists. Other Cobras who have made significant contributions of the offensive end are Rylee Marsh (12g, 6a), Garrett Kilgore (15g, 1a), and Denton Wilks (8g, 5a).

Defensively, the Cobras have received stout play from Austin Holgate. The long stick midfielder has a team-best 11 caused turnovers and is fourth on the team in groundballs with 21. Ryan Powell has been a groundball machine from the faceoff by collecting a team-leading 48. In addition, defensive midfielder Charles Stafford has collected his fair share of groundballs with 30, good for second on the team. In between the pipes, Anthony Malik recorded 101 saves, good for fourth in the South Atlantic Conference.

No. 20 Tusculum heads into tomorrow's game sporting an 8-2 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the conference. Conference foes that the Pioneers have defeated include Brevard (12-11 OT), Catawba (14-8), Lincoln Memorial (13-12 OT), and Queens (12-9). Offensively, the Pioneers boast three scorers with over 30 points. Those scorers include Chris Ryan (25g, 9a), Nate Wade (24g, 9a), and Ben Boyd (24g, 8a). Chris Ryan's 25 goals is good for fifth in the conference and Dallas Wade's 15 assists is good for third in the conference. Defensively, goalkeeper Kevin Haggerty is in the top five of the conference in save percentage (55%), goals against (81), and goals against average (9.05).

The Coker College men's lacrosse team has been partnering with the Vs. Cancer Foundation this season to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer. The fundraiser has lasted throughout the season, but the team will celebrate their efforts and announce the amount of money they have raised tomorrow (Apr. 9) afternoon. In partnership with Vs. Cancer, fifty percent of the money raised will fund national brain tumor research efforts through the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, while the other half will go directly to the pediatric oncology unit at Palmetto Health.

Tickets for the game are $5 for adults, $3 for students and free to all Coker faculty, staff and students.