Press Release Written by Nathan Foltz

NEWARK, Del. - - For the third season in a row, the Wilmington University men's lacrosse team had a perfect 8-0 regular season record against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opponents to earn the top seed in the postseason. The Wildcats enter the CACC Tournament on a five-game winning streak, seeking the first conference championship in program history.

After sitting through the first round on a bye, Wilmington will play fifth-seeded Holy Family in the semifinals at home on Wednesday, April 29. The winner will play in the championship game on Saturday, May 2, at the WU Athletics Complex at 11:00 a.m.

Ways to Follow:

• Live stats vs. Holy Family: https://wildcats.athletics.wilmu.edu/sports/mlax/2025-26/boxscores/20260429_gupm.xml
• Live stream: https://caccnetwork.com/athleticswilmu/?B=3988404
• CACC Tournament Central: https://caccathletics.org/tournaments/?id=33

Admission to WU Athletics Complex:

• CASH ONLY on Wednesday!
• Adults- $10
• Seniors/Children/Students w/ School ID- $5
• WilmU Students and Faculty with ID – Free
• NO PETS ALLOWED AT THE WU ATHLETICS COMPLEX… YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE

Scouting the No. 1 Wilmington University Wildcats:

For the fourth time in five years and third year in a row, the Wildcats went undefeated in CACC play to win the CACC Regular Season and earn the top seed for the CACC Tournament. The Wildcats have made the postseason in all nine seasons of existence, but are still searching for their first CACC Tournament Championship.

The 2026 Wildcats are led by 2025 CACC Player of the Year Andrew Dzubak, who racked up a CACC 2nd-best 48 goals on the year. His 4.57 points per game are 3rd in the conference and 17th in NCAA Division II, while his 3.43 goals per game are 10th in DII. He's joined on the attack by freshman Ian Betts, who finished the regular season third on the team in points and tied for second in goals with 32 and 24, respectively. Betts is tied in goals with 2024 CACC Rookie of the Year Josh Weston, while junior Carter Earl rounds out the top four in points at 34.

The Wildcats have been more of a defensive team in 2026 than in years past, though their offensive unit still scored the second-most goals in the conference, and at 14.50 goals per game, it qualifies as the country's 15th-ranked scoring offense. It starts with the faceoffs, where Connor Widmer, Brian McGarvey, and Aidan Vicidomini have combined to post a .681 faceoff win percentage, good for second in Division II and best in the conference. At .674, Widmer is second in the CACC and sixth in Division II in winning percentage.

When the Wildcats do have to go on defense, they bring relentless pressure, causing the fourth-most turnovers per game (12.86, 2nd in CACC), picking up the 10th-most ground balls per game (39.79, 2nd in CACC), and holding opponents to the fifth-lowest clear percentage (.741, 2nd in CACC) in DII. Julian Businsky and Quinn Tracy top the team leaderboard in caused turnovers, with 22 apiece. Widmer, meanwhile, has picked up 62 ground balls, and Tyler Quinn has scooped up 39 to lead non-faceoff men.

Behind that defensive group sits Daniel Flynn, the Wildcat goalkeeper who has had another solid season between the pipes. While his .541 save percentage is fifth in the CACC, he boasts the conference's lowest goals against average at 7.57 (4th in Division II), making 8.00 saves per game.

Put it all together, and the Wildcats have the fourth-best scoring defense in DII at 7.14 goals against per game and are outscoring opponents by 7.36 goals on average, good for 8th in the nation.

Wildcats First Matchup Against Holy Family:

The Wildcats and Tigers didn't have to wait long to see each other again, after the two ended the regular seasons against each other just a week prior to their semifinal showdown. Wilmington won that game 26-11 in Philadelphia, scoring seven goals in three of the four periods to down the Tigers.

Andrew Dzubak led all scorers with six goals and a pair of assists. Josh Lovely was right behind him, using a first-quarter hat trick to propel him to five goals on the day, while also dishing out three assists. Ian Betts had four goals and three assists, and Carter Earl, Josh Weston, and Patrick Craig each had a pair of goals. Kyle Parker tied with Betts and Lovely for the team lead in assists with three.

Connor Widmer and Brian McGarvey dominated the faceoff game, going a combined 33-41. Among non-faceoff men, Josh Weston led the team with six ground balls. Julian Businsky was busy defensively as well, causing a team-high four turnovers.

In goal, Daniel Flynn made eight saves against 17 shots before ceding to Caleb Secrist in the closing minutes of the game.

Holy Family was led by Noah Simpson, who was involved with seven of the team's 12 goals. The CACC's leading scorer posted five goals and two assists on the day, as he closed out his regular season with an even 4.00 goals per game. Coming into the semifinal matchup in Newark, he's scored 55 goals on the year, averaging an NCAA Division II 5th-best 3.93 in 14 games.

Wilmington All-Time in the CACC Tournament:

2018 - #1 Georgian Court def. #4 Wilmington, 17-4
 2019 - #2 Georgian Court def. #3 Wilmington, 15-6
 2020 – DNP (COVID-19)
 2021 - #2 Wilmington def. #3 Georgian Court, 12-11; #1 Chestnut Hill def. #2 Wilmington, 17-9
 2022 - #1 Wilmington def. #4 Dominican, 24-8; #2 Chestnut Hill def. #1 Wilmington, 13-12
 2023 - #2 Chestnut Hill def. #3 Wilmington, 12-8
 2024 - #1 Wilmington def. #4 Post, 15-11; #2 Chestnut Hill def. #1 Wilmington, 17-8
 2025 - #1 Wilmington def. #4 Post, 25-10; #2 Georgian Court def. #1 Wilmington, 9-8

Total: 4-7

Wildcats vs. 2026 CACC Tournament Participants:

1. Wilmington University Wildcats (10-4, 8-0 CACC)
2. Chestnut Hill College Griffins (8-4, 7-1 CACC) – vs. W 11-8 ( all-time, 0-4 CACC Tourn.)
3. University of Bridgeport Purple Knights (9-6, 5-3 CACC) – vs. W 17-6 ( all-time, 0-0 CACC Tourn.)
4. Post University Eagles (9-7, 5-3 CACC) – at W 10-7 ( all-time, 2-0 CACC Tourn.)
5. Holy Family University Tigers (8-6, 4-4 CACC) – at W 26-11 ( all-time, 0-0 CACC Tourn.)

2026 CACC Tournament Schedule:
First Round and Semifinals Played at Higher Seed
Saturday, April 25 – First Round:
#5 Holy Family def. #4 Post – 18-17 (OT)

Wednesday, May 1 – Semifinals:
#1 Wilmington vs. #5 Holy Family – 3:30 p.m.
#2 Chestnut Hill vs. #3 Bridgeport – 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 5 – Championship (at Wilmington University):
Semifinal Winner 1 vs. Semifinal Winner 2 – 11:00 a.m.