(Photo Courtesy of Jacksonville Athletics)

The 2022 SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Tournament will get underway on Thursday, May 5th with the semifinals. The championship game will be played on Saturday.

High Point will play host for the tournament.

The Bracket

The Teams

No. 1 Jacksonville (13-2, 5-0 SoCon)

The darlings of the college lacrosse world this season, John Galloway and the Jacksonville Dolphins have run through the SoCon unscathed and earned multiple big non-conference wins over Duke and Denver. Can they take that next step and win their conference for the first time?

Star Player: Max Waldbaum, Attack

A DIII transfer from Tufts, Waldbaum has been the highlight of this Dolphins squad all season as a leader on the offensive end. A big, physical attackman, Waldbaum has tallied 67 points off 45 goals and 22 assists this season.

X-Factor: Luke Millican, Goalie

The Dolphins defense has been very strong this season, ranking second nationally as they have allowed just 8.73 goals per game. Anchoring that unit, Millican has been a big part of that defensive success as he has made 131 saves with a 57% save percentage.

Player to Watch: Tucker Garrity, SSDM

Midfield depth has been a crucial piece of this Dolphins squad, and especially so in recent weeks. That includes guys who can make plays on both ends of the field, such as Garrity. He had caused 17 turnovers, picked up 26 ground balls, netted five goals, and dished out seven assists.

No. 2 Richmond (9-4, 4-1 SoCon)

Richmond has taken care of business against every team in the SoCon, except for Jacksonville with the Dolphins being the only blemish on their conference record. They will be looking to get a second shot at the Dolphins in the postseason.

Star Player: Ryan Lanchbury, Attack

A fifth-year player, Lanchbury has been an impact player for this Richmond team for multiple years now. He has continued producing at a high-level in 2022, tallying 72 points off 37 goals and 35 assists as a threat from nearly all over the field.

X-Factor: Jared Chenoy, Faceoff

The Fort Lauderdale native has come onto the scene strong as a freshman and made a massive impact for this Spiders squad. Chenoy has gone 144-for-268 (53%) at the dot this season, getting that offense those extra possessions and at times helping Richmond win that possession battle.

Player to Watch: Griffin Kology, Defense

A number of new faces took over the Richmond defense this season, but the steady play has remainder as the Spiders have only allowed 10 goals per game as the ninth-best scoring defense in college lacrosse. The freshman Kology is one of those new faces and top performers, leading Richmond with 18 caused turnovers and 18 ground balls.

No. 3 High Point (7-7, 2-3 SoCon)

Taking third place in the SoCon, the Panthers fell to Mercer in upset fashion last week and have fallen to both Jacksonville and Richmond. The Panthers will be looking to regroup and make a run here in the postseason.

Star Player: Asher Nolting, Attack

Nolting has been the most high-profile player in the SoCon, practically, since his freshman season as he has put gaudy numbers year after year. Nolting will, as always, draw a ton of attention from defenses as he has put up 31 goals and 47 assists for 78 points this season.

X-Factor: Trey Smith, SSDM

High Point has seen some improvement on their rope unit, and in transition, this season. Smith is part of that improvement, causing 15 caused turnovers, grabbing 32 ground balls. He has started one game at offensive midfield and scored two goals this season.

Player to Watch: Jack Vanoverbeke, Attack

Nolting and Mayea suck a lot of oxygen out of the room as far as the High Point offense goes, but Vanoverkeke is one of multiple players who can absolutely make an impact and step up when needed. A shooting threat, has has put home 17 this season while also assisting on nine others.

No. 4 VMI (4-10, 2-3 SoCon)

For the first time in program history, VMI has reached the SoCon Tournament. Now that they are here, what will they do?

Star Player: Hartley Jordan, Midfield

The headliner of this squad all season, Jordan has put up 40 points off 23 goals and 13 assists as the leader of the Keydets’ offense.

X-Factor: Jack Liselli, Goalie

Anchoring the Keydets’ defense, Liselli has been a strong asset as a first year starter in cage for VMI this season. He has made 152 stops with a 48% save percentage, helping to keep the Keydets in a number of games and offset their faceoff struggles.

Player to Watch: Trejan Cannon, SSDM

An electric playmaker, Cannon has been one of the most exciting players on this Keydets squad all season with 19 caused turnovers, 27 ground balls. He has also scored one goals, as well.

Tanner’s Picks

Semifinals

Jacksonville vs VMI: Jacksonville

Richmond vs High Point: Richmond

Championship

Jacksonville vs Richmond: Jacksonville