That ticket the Rivier men's lacrosse team punched for the NCAA tourney Satuday is good for a first round home game Wednesday vs. Rhodes College of Memphis, Tenn. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The Rivier University men’s lacrosse players and coaches will be Rhodes scholars the next couple of days.

That’s because the Raiders found out on the NCAA Selection Show they’ll be playing Rhodes College of Memphis, Tenn.at Joanne Merrill Field on Wednesday in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

It’s the second year in a row the Raiders, 18-0, will host an NCAA game, the only sport in school history to play an NCAA tourney game at home. Last year the Raiders beat Maine Maritime here in the first round.

Should they advance with a win over the Southern Athletic Association champion Lynx (12-6), Rivier will then have to take on Tufts University on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Medford, Mass.

But first thing’s first.The two-time Great Northeast Athletic Conference champions, who won the title with a nail-biting 8-7 win over Saint Joseph’s of Maine, will have to tangle with the Lynx.

Like the Raiders, Rhodes has won back-to-back conference titles, beating top seed Sewanee, 13-11, in Danville, Ky.for the crown. They outscored Sewanee 6-1 in the second quarter to grab an 8-4 halftime lead and held on. John Mori led the Lynx with five goals.

In any event, the Raiders, led by the likes of Aiden Conley and goalie Jake Lydon will be prepared.

“Last year, all the leadership of older guys pulled us up to the level we’re at,” Rivier coach Jay Delanoy said. “This year, it’s a vocal group of juniors and seniors that are a minority, led and pulled all the sophomores and freshmen up to the level they got to play this year.”