Cobras' High-Powered Offense Poised to Knock Off Nationally Ranked Penguins

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker men's lacrosse will play host to the Penguins of Dominican University of California on Thursday (Mar. 13) in a non-conference tilt.

The Cobras are looking to notch their fourth win of the season after picking up a 15-9 win over Ohio Valley University in their last contest. The Navy and Yellow boast one of the deadliest offenses in the South Atlantic Conference, as well as the nation. With 78 goals and 47 assists on the season, the Cobras rank second in NCAA Division II and first in the SAC statistical standings in each respective category.

Leading the offense are sophomores Mike Martiello and Shane Wilson. Martiello has 28 points on 14 goals and 14 assists, which ranks him first in the SAC in points and assists and fifth in goals. Martiello's 28 points is also good enough for second best in all of NCAA Division II, while his 4.67 points per game and 2.33 assists per game rank him 12^th and ninth, respectively in all of the land. Wilson's 16 goals on the season are good for second in the SAC.

Not to be outdone, the Coker defense ranks fourth nationally in total saves (80) and 13^th in saves per game (13.33). Heading the stout defense is goalie Tim Ryan and his 78 saves. His save total is good for third in the SAC, while his 13 saves per game is tied for ninth in the nation.

Dominican enters the game with a 2-1 overall record and ranked 13^th in the nation. The Penguins are led offensively by Cody and Jake Bernstein. Cody leads the team with eight goals and has added three assists for a total of 11 points, while Jake has seven goals and a team-leading four assists for his 11 points. In goal for the Penguins, Sean Donohue has registered 32 saves on 119 shots faced in 180 minutes of action.

The game will start at 12 p.m. at Byerly Park in Hartsville. Live coverage of the game will be available at www.cokercobras.com

Release written by sports information graduate assistant Sharod Williams