Fresh off its first-ever MAC Commonwealth Championship victory, Lebanon Valley will compete in their first-ever NCAA Tournament contest when the Flying Dutchmen take on Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday.
 
Live Video
(WATCH) The game will be streamed live and for free courtesy of Salisbury University.
 
Live Stats
(FOLLOW) Fans can keep up with all the action in real time with live stats.
 
Going to the Game
(DIRECTIONS) Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. For children three-years-old and up, admission will be $2.
 
Last Time Out
(RECAP) Lebanon Valley won its first-ever conference championship thanks to a stout defense and timely offense in a 10-5 win over Stevenson on May 4. In doing so, the Dutchmen earned an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Veronica Venezia, Makenzie Kelley, and Jen Eck all reached milestones in the win. Venezia reached 100 points on the season, Kelley netted her 150th career goal and notched her 200th career point, while Eck corralled her 100th draw of the season.
Early on in the second half, the Dutchmen didn't let Stevenson gain any momentum, as Venezia came up huge with a goal at 27:15, followed by Kelley's unassisted tally at 18:26 that increased the visitor's lead to 7-2. With 16:11 remaining, Stevenson's Dana Stevens scored, followed by Carly Bowes' goal with 11 minutes to go, which brought the Mustangs to within three.
 
It looked like things were destined to come down to the wire, but the Dutchmen had other plans. Kelley was a force on offense for the entire game and scored an unassisted goal with 5:22 to go, followed by Venezia's tally at 2:49 that all-but sealed the deal for the Dutchmen, but just for good measure, All-Conference defender Morgan Ernst wanted to get in on the action and she scored her first of the season with 2:05 to go. The Mustangs scored a goal late, but it wasn't nearly enough, as LVC was able to run the clock out and hold on easily for the 10-5 win.
 
Five Dutchmen Tabbed All-Conference
(STORY) Jen Eck was named the Women's Lacrosse MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year and garnered First-Team honors to lead Lebanon Valley in all-conference selections. Additionally, Veronica Venezia earned First-Team recognition, while Brittany Hathaway, Makenzie Kelley, and Morgan Ernst were named to the Second Team.
 
Franklin Named POTW
(STORY) After guiding her team to its first-ever conference championship in program history, Leah Franklin was been named the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Women's Lacrosse Player of the Week, as well as the Conference Tournament MVP. Franklin allowed just five goals and stopped eight shots, while causing a team-high three turnovers in the Flying Dutchmen's 10-5 win over Stevenson in the title game. The junior made 10 saves in a previous win over Messiah, LVC's first since 2014, in the semifinal round.
 
Scouting Merchant Marine
The Mariners (King's Point, N.Y.) head into NCAA action with a perfect 17-0 record. Merchant Marine won the Skyline Conference for the second consecutive season after defeating Farmingdale State 22-5 in the conference championship game. This is also the Mariners' second straight season that they'll be traveling to Salisbury University for the First/Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Merchant Marine was defeated by Meredith in the opening round in 2018 by a score of 20-9.
 
The Mariners flaunt a high-powered offense and have outscored opponents 290 to 84 this season. Jessie Wohner is the leading scorer with 69 goals, while Meredith Willard has 65 scores and Jessica Reilly has 39. Merchant Marine's starting goalie, Hannah Gizzi, has allowed just 5.14 goals against in 2019 and sports a .556 saves percentage.
 
Scouting the Dutchmen
LVC also sports a high-octane offense. Veronica Venezia has 50 goals and 51 assists in 2019 to go along with 38 draw controls and 19 ground balls. Hathaway has had an impressive freshman campaign, as she ranks third on the squad with 43 goals and second with 32 assists for 75 points. Kelley racked up 44 goals on the seasons and 20 assists, while Jaclyn Little accumulated 35 goals.
 
The Dutchmen's defense has stood tall all season, led by conference defensive player of the year, Eck. The senior paced LVC with 36 caused turnovers and an incredible 101 draw controls while adding 35 ground balls. All-Conference selection Morgan Ernst was also solid, collecting a team-high 54 ground balls. Julia Gabriel provided sparks on both offense and defense, as she scored 12 goals and added five assists on offense and scooped up 40 ground balls and caused 22 turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. Franklin has an 8.97 goals against average in seven starts and has compiled five wins between the pipes, while Hannah Oliveras has racked up six wins this season with 99 saves.
 
Who's Next?
A victory on Saturday would earn the Dutchmen a second-round matchup against No. 7 Salisbury on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Stay Connected
Be sure to follow @lvcathletics on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the most in-depth coverage of LVC athletics.