Nov. 17, 2003

Lafayette's men's soccer team will open NCAA Tournament play with a first-round match at Rutgers on Saturday. The Patriot League-champion Leopards will face the Scarlet Knights at 4 p.m. at Yurcak Field.

The Leopards (11-5-3 overall), under third-year head coach Dennis Bohn, will be making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998 and third overall.

Lafayette enters the tournament on a roll, having won its final four matches and posting a 5-1-1 record over the final month of the season. Lafayette defeated Holy Cross, 5-1, and archrival Lehigh, 2-0, en route to the Patriot League Tournament championship over the weekend. Lafayette has won the Patriot League Tournament five times since 1994.

A pair of senior forwards lead the Lafayette offensive attack. Jamie Mullarkey (Cramlington, England/Cramlington) leads the Leopards in points (24), goals (8) and assists (8), while Ralph Rapuano (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) is second in each category with 16 points on six goals and four assists.

In goal, senior keeper Jay Freedman (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow East) boasts a 0.79 goals-against average. He is 9-2-2 in 13 starts and has posted four shutouts.

Lafayette will be making its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1995 and has a 1-2 record. The 'Pards hosted a four-team regional tournament in 1995, beating Cornell in overtime (2-0) in the first round, but losing to Brown in the second round by the same score. In 1998, LC traveled to Clemson for a first-round challenge and suffered a 5-0 setback.

Since 1995, eight PL teams have competed in the NCAA Tournament, compiling a 4-8 overall record.