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TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's lacrosse team hosts area-rival Union College on Saturday night at 7pm at the East Campus Stadium with the winner earning the top seed in the upcoming Liberty League Tournament. The game, which pits the 15th-ranked Engineers (11-2 overall; 5-0 league) and the Dutchmen (11-2; 4-2), is the regular season finale for both teams.

Saturday's game is a matchup of the top two defensive teams in the nation and two of the best goaltenders, statistically speaking, in the country. RPI entered this week's action listed second in Division III in scoring defense, allowing just 5.62 goals per game. Union came in ranked first with a goals against average of 5.17.

Individually, Rensselaer freshman goaltender James Manchester (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) is second in the country in goals against average (5.59) and 11th in save percentage (.632). Union sophomore Sean Aaron (Great Falls, VA/Philips Academy) is first in both categories, allowing 4.89 goals with a save percentage of .737.

Offensively, the Engineers average 10.38 goals per game, which is first in the Liberty League. They have five student-athletes with at least 20 points, led by junior attack Nick Billy (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow), who has a team-high 23 goals with 14 assists for 37 points in 13 games. He is fourth in the league in goals per game (1.77).

Senior Paul Cerone (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield), a midfielder, is second with 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 12 games, followed by fellow senior midfielder Bryant Johnson (Minnetonka, MN/The Blake School), who has 25 points in 13 games. Johnson's 22 goals are second on the team.

Union is led by junior attack Brendan Kinnane (Little Compton, RI/Portsmouth Abbey), who has 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points. He is second in the league in points per game (3.08).

There is no admission charge to Saturday night's game. Those not attending can follow the game via live video and live statistics through www.rpiathletics.com. The game will also be aired live on WRPI, 91.5 FM, and www.wrpi.org.  Perry Laskaris and George Leveille will be on the call.

Regardless of which team wins on Saturday both RPI and Union will host Liberty League Semifinal games next Friday (May 7). Opponents and game times are to be determined. Should the Engineers and Dutchmen both win, they will meet again on Sunday, May 9, with the victor earning the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.