Goalie Sawyer Gagnon hopes today isn't his final day in a Rivier uniform as the Raiders are at Bowdoin in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. (Photo courtesy of Rivier Athletics)

BRUNSWICK, Me. – Riding the momentum of its first-ever NCAA postseason victory, the Rivier men’s lacrosse team is in Vacationland for the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Championship at No. 8 Bowdoin today at 12 p.m. at 12 p.m. at Whittier Field.

But the Raiders certainly aren’t ready to go on vacation.

“It just means the world to play more lacrosse and earn more days, like we’ve been preaching,” Raider senior attack Michael Zapatka said.

“We’re going to look at film, try to see their tendencies, try to see what sets they run, what slides they have on defense, and try to do what we can do to get the ball in their net and keep it out of our net,” Raiders coach Jay Delanoy said of the preparation for today.

The winner of today’s contest will face the winner of the Endicott and No. 17 Amherst contest on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Raiders opened NCAA play in dominant fashion, defeating Maine Maritime 20-10 on Wednesday at Joanne Merrill Field to secure the program’s first national tournament win. Rivier stormed out to a 9-0 lead early in the second quarter and never trailed, improving to 17-1 and extending its win streak to 15 games. Graduate student Michael Ference led all scorers with nine points in the win, while senior Michael Zapatka followed with four goals and an assist.

Just days earlier, Rivier captured its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship with a 9-7 win over Lasell on May 3. The Raiders never trailed in the contest, and Zapatka earned GNAC Tournament MVP honors. Graduate student goalie Sawyer Gagnon made 13 saves, while five Raiders were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Nationally, Rivier ranks among Division III’s elite in multiple categories. The Raiders are 2nd in scoring defense (6.61 goals-allowed per game), 4th in winning percentage (.944), 13th in assists per game (10.28), 17th in scoring margin (+7.22), 28th in points per game (24.11), and 37th in caused turnovers per game (11.5).

Ference leads the Raiders with 90 points (35 goals, 55 assists), ranking 11th in assists per game (3.06) and 33rd in points per game (5.00) nationally. Senior Chris Heitmiller has added 64 points (39 goals, 25 assists), followed by Zapatka with 63 (35 goals, 28 assists), graduate student Coby Mercier with 62 (26 goals, 36 assists), and graduate student Connor Eck with 58 points, including a team-best 46 goals.

On defense, graduate student Adam Hailey anchors the unit with 40 caused turnovers and 51 ground balls, ranking 40th nationally in caused turnovers per game (2.22). Seniors Parker Williams (22 caused turnovers), Joseph O’Reilly (22 caused turnovers), and junior Scott Miller (16 caused turnovers) add depth and experience to a group allowing just 6.61 goals per game.

Between the pipes, Gagnon has started in 15 games and holds the nation’s second lowest goals-against average (7.18) and the eighth-best save percentage (.608). With a 15-1 record to his credit, he has recorded 174 saves over 935 minutes played thus far.

The graduate trio of Ference, Hailey, and Gagnon secured three major GNAC awards, as selected by the head coaches in the league, being named the Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively. They were three of eight Rivier student-athletes recording All-Conference accolades, with Ference, Hailey, Gagnon, and Mercier leading the way with First Team nods. Heitmiller and O’Reilly made the Second Team while Miller and junior Owen McDuffie rounded out the list as Third Team selections.

Bowdoin (13-3) enters Saturday’s matchup after earning an at-large bid from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). The Polar Bears, ranked No. 8 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III Coaches Poll, dropped a tightly contested 9-8 contest to No. 8 Wesleyan in the NESCAC semifinals on May 4. Bowdoin has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four years, reaching the semifinals of last year’s championship.

Bowdoin has been a powerhouse offensively, with senior Patrick Fitzgerald leading the way with 78 points (65 goals, 13 assists), ranking 5th in Division III in goals per game (4.06) and 42nd in points per game (4.88). Junior Casey Ryan is another key offensive contributor, ranking 10th nationally in assists per game (3.06) with 71 points (22 goals, 49 assists). Senior Jason Lach has also made an impact, contributing 47 points (34 goals, 13 assists), and sophomore Jed Hoggard, the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, has provided stability in the midfield with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) and 30 caused turnovers.

In goal, junior Robert Hobbs has been a constant, starting all 16 games, boasting a NESCAC best 8.64 goals-against average and a .553 save percentage. He has made 163 saves on 525 shots faced.

Bowdoin ranks among the top teams in several key statistical categories. The Polar Bears are 37th nationally in points per game (23.00) and their defense, anchored by Hobbs, allows just 8.88 goals per game (33rd nationally). Additionally, Bowdoin leads all of NCAA Division III with a 92.5% clearing percentage.

(Telegraph Staff Writer Tom King contributed to this report.)