Men's Lacrosse: Knights Prep for Syracuse

On Saturday, May 3 the No.3 CCBC Essex Knights faced off against Union County College in an NJCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship Quarterfinal match up that served as a tune up for the Knights, as they went on to beat the Owls 15-5.

Freshman Matt LeCompte (Stephen Decatur) finished the game scoring four goals and assisting on one of three goals scored by fellow freshman Raphael Vargas (Desert Vista).  Vargas also finished with two assists on the evening.

Sophomores Dylan Riley (Windsor) and Derek Taylor (Perry Hall) both scored two goals. Taylor also assisted on a goal scored by LeCompte in the third quarter.

Fallston High School graduates freshman Wes Rumple and sophomore Brendan Nolan both finished the game scoring one goal and assisting on goals scored by LeCompte and Vargas, respectively.

Towson University bound long-stick middie sophomore James Case (Great Valley) and freshman Nick Esser (Fallston) had one goal each.

The Knights (16-2) will now turn their focus to the semifinal round where they will meet No. 2 Onondaga C.C. this Saturday.

The game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at David W. Murphy Field & SRC Arena and Events Center in Syracuse, N.Y.

The Lazers (12-1) gave the Knights one of its two losses this season.

It is also a rematch of last year's national championship game that saw Onondaga crowned champions at CCBC Essex Stadium.

But the Knights have a lot of fire power to contend with in a lineup that boasts seven goal scorers with 20 or more goals.

Nolan and Vargas lead the way with 40 goals.

Taylor (39) and LeCompte (34) are over thirty and Brandyn O'Connell (27), Riley (22) and DeAngelo Watkins (21) all have at least twenty. 

The Knights have tallied 314 goals (17.4/game) this season, which is third in the nation.

The Knights defense is anchored by 2015 NJCAA All American and soon to be Towson Tiger Sid Ewell, and features Case, freshman Matt Sallade (Manheim Township), and sophomore 2017 Florida Tech commit Tyler Oblong (Loveland).

They have allowed just 92 goals (5.1/game), which is also third in the country. 

Freshman goalie Brody Bartell (Hereford) is sporting a 5.78 goals against average and 61.7 save percentage. 

George Evans contributed to this article.