ECC Men's Lacrosse Semifinal Preview: #2 Frostburg State vs #3 Roberts Wesleyan

FROSTBURG, Md. – For the second consecutive year, Frostburg State will host Roberts Wesleyan in the Semifinals of the ECC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, with a chance to go to the conference championship on the line. 
 
How They Got Here
Frostburg enters the matchup as the No. 2 seed in the ECC, spotting a 12-3 overall record, with a 5-1 record in conference play.  All three of FSU's losses came against ranked opponents in Mercyhurst, Bentley, and Mercy, with the Mavericks being their lone loss in conference competition.  The Bobcats defeated Roberts Wesleyan 20-13 earlier in the season on the road, before ending the regular season on a three-game win streak, as Frostburg captured its first-ever victory over ranked Seton Hill, putting FSU at No. 15 in the latest USILA rankings.
 
RWU sits with an overall record of 10-5, with an ECC record of 4-2, holding the No. 3 seed in the tournament.  The Redhawks fell to four ranked opponents this year, two being in conference with Frostburg and Mercy, while also losing to common opponent, Seton Hill.  Roberts Wesleyan also ended their regular season with a three-game win streak, capturing three huge conference wins heading into tournament play. 
 
The Matchup
In the handful of contests between the two teams, the Bobcats hold the 4-1 advantage, having won the last three meetings.  As mentioned, FSU took the regular season matchup by a 20-13 margin, with Frostburg taking both meetings last year by a close score of 18-16 during the regular season, and a 21-13 final in last year's semifinals.  The very first two meetings between the two teams were split, with FSU taking the first ever match up 11-10 in 2021, while RWU came out on top 12-11 in 2022. 
 
The Players
Frostburg is led offensively by the ECC Offensive Player of the Year and All-ECC First Team honoree, graduate Bubba Love, who rounds out his Bobcat career with a 43 goal, 35 assist, and 78 point season so far, having set FSU's all-time career points record.  Behind Love is graduate Chase Buckwalter, another All-ECC First Team selection, who put up a team-high 45 goals during the regular season, while also dishing out 16 assists for 61 total points.  Second Team All-ECC selections senior Austin Sipes and graduate Owen McCallum round out of the offense for the Bobcats, with the former sitting at 41 points and 31 assists for 72 points, and the latter providing 36 goals and 14 assists for a solid 50 points.  On the defensive side, All-ECC First Team honorees senior Luke McCullough (15 caused turnovers, 37 ground balls) and junior Seamus Kearney (28 caused turnovers, 41 ground balls) stand in the way of opponents, while All-ECC Second Team selection junior Alex Walstrum leads Frostburg in the X with 107-for-160 attempts in the regular season, while picking up a team-high 67 ground balls. 
 
Roberts Wesleyan is led by midfielder Gunner MacMillan, who was named to the All-ECC First Team, leading the team and the ECC in goals with 62, while dishing out 16 assists for 78 total points, tying Love for the most in the conference.  Attack Jordan Deats, an All-ECC Second Team selection, scored 36 goals on the season, along with 35 assists for the most on the team and second most in the conference.  All-ECC First Team honoree Brady Kustra leads RWU's defensive effort with a team-high 30 caused turnovers, while being credited with 39 ground balls and six assists as well.  All-ECC Second Team selection Luke Delavak plays as a long-stick midfielder, being second on the team in ground balls with 68, while providing 12 caused turnovers, four goals, and three assists. 
 
The Rest of the Field
The top ECC seed and fifth-ranked Mercy hosts the fourth seed Molloy in the other semifinal matchup, with the winners of each contest set to compete at the highest seed's home field. 
 
2024 ECC Men's Lacrosse Tournament
Wednesday, May 1 – Semifinals
#1 Mercy vs #4 Molloy – 3 p.m.
#2 Frostburg State vs #3 Roberts Wesleyan – 4 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 4 – Championship
Winners at highest remaining seed