The Battle Between the Spartans and the Argonauts
March 7, 2017

The Battle Between the Spartans and the Argonauts

The University of Tampa men's lacrosse team is set to host the Notre Dame De Namur on Wednesday at 8:00 PM.

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 9 University of Tampa men's lacrosse team will host the Notre Dame De Namur University Argonauts on Wednesday, at 8 p.m. The meeting marks the second matchup between the schools, with Tampa having won the first. 

The Matchup: No. 9 University of Tampa (4-2) vs. Notre Dame de Namur (2-4)

  • In the last meeting, on March 1, 2014, the University of Tampa Spartans beat the Notre Dame de Namur Argonauts 22-3. Of the returners, senior Conor Whipple led UT to victory with three goals and two assists, while defender Marty Heyn blocked the Argonauts from scoring on three different occasions. Additionally, returning goal keeper A.J. Arnold recorded two of the nine total saves for the Spartans, holding the Argonauts to just 3 goals on the day. 

Date/Time: Wednesday, March 8 at 8 p.m. 

Last Time Out: Tampa defeated the Chestnut Hill Griffins 11-4. On offense, the Spartans were led by Andrew Kew, Conor Whipple, and Chris Vetter. Kew recoded three goals on eight shots, Whipple recorded two goals on thirteen shots, and Vetter recorded two goals on two shots. Additionally, Whipple led the team with two assists, followed by Vetter with one. Defensively, the Spartans were led by Sam Watts and Marty Heyn. Watts held the Griffins from scoring on five different occasions and won nine of his fourteen face-offs. Heyn had four blocked goals against the Griffins.  

About the Spartans: The Spartans finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 15-3. After falling short in the semifinal, UT is hungry for another national championship title run. 

This season the Spartans are led offensively by attackers Kew and Whipple with 25 and 12 goals respectively. Whipple, a 2016 USILA second team All-American and 2016 Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, is also second in team assists with 8 this season. The University of Tampa Spartans also return seniors Jake Schmidt and Heyn. Schmidt was a 2016 USILA third team All-American, and Heyn was a 2016 USILA honorable mention. 

About the Argonauts: The Argonauts are currently 2-4 overall in the 2017 season. They return four of their top five leading point scores from the 2016 season. These players include, Andrew Kofoed who had 14 goals in the 2016 season, Alex Campbell who had 11 goals, Curtis Yokoyama and Griffin Van Baush who each had 7 goals in the 2016 season. On defense the team returns Adrian Hollifield and Nicholas Wameling who had 27 and 26 goals blocked respectively. The Argonauts also return two of their goal keekpers, Michael Hardenstein and Xavier Guerrero. 

Rankings: The University of Tampa men's lacrosse team was selected as the No. 4 squad in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/Nike Preseason Coaches Poll. The Spartans hauled in 297 points after reaching the 2016 NCAA Division II Semifinals just a season ago. Taking the top spot is reigning national champions LeMoyne, as the Dolphins received all 18 first place votes. Runner up Limestone sits No. 2 while Merrimack garnered 322 points to pick up the No. 3 ranking. However, after losing on February 18, to the No. 17 Lindenwood Lions, and on February 25, to the No. 2 Limestone Saints, the Spartans have dropped to No. 9. 

Entering this match, the Spartans have been ranked in the top ten for 42 consecutive weeks. This dates back to their 2014 season.  

Series History: Tampa takes the sweep, with a 1-0 record against the Argonauts in the all-time series. The first time the teams met (March of 2014), the game was played in Tampa, Fla.

Tickets: Tickets for are $5 for adults, senior citizens and coaches. Children under 12 will be admitted free. UT students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

Live Stats | Watch Live

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Vimeo.

Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.

Photos Video Live stats Recap Box Score

Team Stats