BearLaxTraxFax 05.06.2024

John Nichols P’09 BLTF 050624

This year it seems that earning the #1 seed has been more of a curse than a blessing. 

D-I Conference Tournaments

Big Ten Tournament

The MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (Hunter Taylor, Graham Hertzberg) captured their second straight Big Ten Tournament title.  Like last year, Big Blue came into the tournament as the four seed and had to win over Ohio State to advance.  Their reward was a game with Johns Hopkins, the first place team in the Big Ten and number two ranked team in the USILA poll.   That semifinal game marked the beginning of Hunter as the starting goalie for the Wolverines.  Hunter and Michigan rose to the challenge and advanced to the championship game where they routed Penn State.  In addition to another year of bragging rights, they earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA D-I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament.

Semifinals

#4 MICHIGAN (Hunter Taylor, Graham Hertzberg) 10

#1 Johns Hopkins 7

Each team scored their first goal of the day then the Blue Jays went on a run, scoring five times in a six-minute span in the middle of the first half.  Undaunted, the Wolverines then put together their own run, scoring seven straight, taking the lead just before halftime then extending their lead to three in the third quarter.  There were no more scoring runs in the third quarter as each team scored once and there was no scoring at all in the fourth quarter.

Taylor made eight saves in the game and scooped up two ground balls.

#3 Penn State 19

#2 Maryland 9

Penn State took control of the game in the first half.   The Nittany Lions had scoring runs of three, four and four goals, each interrupted by single scores for Maryland and led 11-3 at halftime.  After Penn State got the first goal of the second half, Maryland started a comeback attempt by scoring four straight goals.  Penn State rebuffed that effort with five successive scores, taking their lead to double digits.  After Maryland broke that run, Penn State scored twice more.  Maryland recorded that last goal of the game with less than a minute left in the contest.

Championship

#4 MICHIGAN (Hunter Taylor, Graham Hertzberg) 16

#3 Penn State 4

Michigan rode in on the momentum they developed in their semifinal win.  Penn State did not.  Big Blue kicked off the game with four straight scores and then added two more after Penn State’s first goal.  The Nittany Lions then got back-to-back goals, but those were the only strung together scores for Penn State in the game.  Michigan held Penn State scoreless for the next thirty-six minutes of the game and scored ten times during the Penn State drought.  Penn State scored their last goal with just under six minutes left in the game.

Hunter had twelve saves on the day (75%), picked up three ground balls and caused one turnover.

For the second straight year, Michigan has swept through the Big Ten Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament.  Penn State, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins all received at-large slots

Big East Tournament

A tightly contested tournament where all three games were decided by a single goal and two of the games, including the championship game, went into overtime.  In harmony with the Big Ten and Ivy League, the Big East saw their number one seed fall in the semifinals.

Semifinals

#1 DENVER (Ryan Giles) 9

#4 Villanova 10

Villanova seemed to have the game won early on.  The Wildcats scored the game’s first four goals and allowed Denver just one goal in each of the first two quarters.  The Pioneers turned the game around in the third period scoring five times while giving up none to Villanova.  That run gave the Pioneers their first lead of the day.  However, Villanova stopped that run with the first two goals of the fourth quarter and had the lead back, albeit by just a single goal.  With alternating goals, Denver tied the game, then ‘Nova took the lead back.  With the last iteration of that pattern, the Wildcats got the winning goal with just thirty-six minutes left in the game.  The game ended with a mad scramble for possession after the faceoff with neither team able to maintain possession, let alone score, before the final buzzer.\

Ryan had one SOG, one CTO, and one GB

#2 Georgetown 14  OT

#3 Providence13

With a three-goal run in the first quarter and a four-goal run in the second quarter, Georgetown appeared to be heading to an easy win.  The Friars cut the Hoyas’ lead down to two with two late goals wrapping up the second quarter, then ran off five straight in the third to take the lead.  Georgetown tied the game up again in the fourth quarter, but the Friars went back ahead with a single goal.  The Hoyas scored the last goal of regulation to force overtime.  Both teams had scoring chances in overtime and Georgetown found the back of the net on their second turn.

Championship

#2 Georgetown 11 OT

#4 Villanova 10

In much the same fashion as their semifinal game, Georgetown took an early lead only to see Villanova roar back with seven straight scores to tie the game up and halftime, then take the lead with the first two scores of the third quarter.  Georgetown responded with the last two goals of regulation to send the game into overtime.

The Wildcats had the first scoring opportunity in overtime, but their one shot was saved cleanly.  The Hoyas got off one shot, then benefited from a controversial clock reset.  Georgetown turned that opportunity into the game winning goal.  That goal erased any controversy about the validity of the clock reset as the game winner came within the time frame of the prior running of the clock.

Georgetown earned the Big East slot in the NCAA tournament with the win and Denver earned an at-large slot in the field.

Ivy League Tournament

A number one seed goes down again!

Semifinals

# 3 YALE (Jake Cohen) 10

#2 Princeton 14

Yale got a good preview of their semifinal opponent last week, but unfortunately that preview was from a losing perspective.  Princeton scored first, but Yale had the first scoring run to lead 3-1 late in the first period.  The Tigers squeezed in two more goals before the end of the quarter and tied the game at 3-3 heading into the second quarter.  The teams twice traded single scores in the second quarter, making the score 5-5 at halftime.  Princeton scored twice to start the scoring for the second half.  Yale stopped that run with a single goal, but Princeton maintained their lead by matching that with a goal, then after another lone goal for Yale the Tigers extended their lead with three straight scores.  Yale matched that run of three to trail by one, but Princeton won the rest of the game 3-0 to advance to the championship game.

#4 PENN (Stephen Bou) 13

#1 Cornell 9

Penn built a lead in small increments over the first three quarters by preventing Cornell from making any sort of scoring runs while cobbling together a set of small runs.  However, after Cornell got their first back-to-back scores, the Quakers lead was cut to just two goals.  Penn managed to hold off Cornell by matching them score for score until late in the fourth quarter when Penn closed out the scoring with one more set of back-to-back goals.

Championship

#4 Penn (Stephen Bou) 11

#2 Princeton 18

Penn

Princeton started the game with three straight scores, but the Quakers survived and drew within one at the end of the first quarter.  The Tigers pulled ahead again with a 4-1 scoring edge in the second quarter, but three quick goals for Penn just before halftime cut Princeton’s lead to a single score.  Princeton ran their lead out to four goals with three goals in the first four minutes of the second half.  The Quakers were able to pull within two twice late in the third quarter but could not close the gap further as Princeton earned the last five goals of the game.

Princeton earned the Ivy League’s automatic qualifier slot in the tournament and is the only Ivy League team in the field.

Patriot League Tournament

While Army got most of the attention this season as the last team to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten, bubbling beneath the surface in Patriot League action were several evenly matched teams. 

Quarterfinals

#3 NAVY (JT Thomas III, Preston Lugar) 12

#6 Loyola 10

Navy scored the first two goals of the first quarter and the last two, but the Greyhounds scored four straight between.  Navy inched out to a one-goal lead at halftime then, after Loyola tied the game with the first goal of the second half, scored three straight goals to take a lead that would hold up across the balance of the contest. 

Semifinals

#3 NAVY (JT Thomas III, Preston Lugar) 8

#2 Lehigh 12

In the first half both teams enjoyed leads, but neither ever led by more than one.  Navy forced the fifth and final tie of the game with the first score of the second half, then Lehigh surged ahead by scoring six straight goals in a run that lasted into the later moments of the fourth quarter. Navy stopped that run with a single goal and then, after Lehigh matched that, closed out the game with a pair of scores.

#1 Army 10 OT

#4 Boston U. 11

Throughout the game, Army put together short scoring runs, but the Terriers matched them each time, so the game toggled between Army leading and Boston U catching up, but not going ahead.  BU broke that trend in the closing minutes of the game with back-to-back goals to go up by one.  Army was ready to be in chase mode and scored a mere three seconds later to tie the game.  The final minute was a stalemate and the game moved into overtime.  Due to an Army penalty with just ten seconds left in regulation, the Terriers started the overtime period with the ball.  They missed on their first shot but got the game winner just three seconds after their man-up expired.

Championship

#2 Lehigh 11

#4 Boston U. 10

Boston U. ran off three straight scores to start the game, but Lehigh rallied back with a four-goal run.  The Terriers closed out the first half scoring with a pair of goals to earn a one goal lead at halftime.  Lehigh went ahead by one when they scored twice to get the second half rolling.  Boston U. then built their first substantial lead since early in the first quarter by scoring five of the game’s next six goals. That lead, as it turned out, was not substantial enough as Lehigh close out the game with five straight scores.

The win entitles Boston University to the Patriot League’s automatic qualifier slot in the NCAA tournament.

USILA TOP TWENTY (5/6)

1. Notre Dame

2. Duke

3. Johns Hopkins

4. Syracuse

5. Virginia

6. Denver

7. Georgetown

8. Princeton

9. Penn State

10. Maryland

11. Michigan

12. Towson

13. Saint Joseph’s

14. Cornell

15. Penn

16. Yale

17. Army

18. Lehigh

19. Utah

20. Richmond

NCAA D-I TOURNAMENT

Two Bears teams— MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (Hunter Taylor, Graham Hertzberg) and DENVER (Ryan Giles) made the field, but they will face each other in the first round.

Saturday, May 11

Noon #6 Virginia vs. Saint Joseph’s

2:30 PM #2 Duke vs. Utah

5:00 PM #5 Denver vs. Michigan

7:30 PM #7 Maryland vs. Princeton

Sunday, May 12

Noon #3 Johns Hopkins vs. Lehigh

2:30 PM #8 Georgetown vs. Penn State

5:00 PM #1 Notre Dame vs. the winner of Albany/Sacred Heart*

7:30 PM #4 Syracuse vs. Towson

All games are available on ESPNU and ESPN+

*Albany vs. Sacred Heart on May 8 at 7PM on ESPN+

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D-III

DENISON (Anthony Savoy) and DICKINSON (Will Single, Andrew Atkins) win the North Coast and Centennial Conference tournaments, respectively.

NESCAC Tournament

A first round loss by the top seed and seemingly perennial conference champion Tufts set the stage for a free for all.  The lone surviving Bear team, BOWDOIN (Nico Schermer), bowed out in the semis.

Semifinals

#3 BOWDOIN (Nico Schermer) 9

#4 Middlebury 17

Bowdoin made the NESCAC semis by downing Williams 14-4 last weekend.  In regular season play, Bowdoin beat Middlebury 16-10 in early March. 

Bowdoin took an early lead and defended it into the middle of the first quarter when Middlebury used a three-goal run to take the lead at the end of the first quarter.  Bowdoin scored quickly to start the second quarter, then Middlebury went on a run of five straight goals.  Bowdoin trimmed Middlebury’s lead back with the last two scores of the first half and first two of the second half.  Middlebury rebuffed that run with their own set of four straight, running their lead back up to six goals.  Bowdoin stopped that run with a single goal, then Middlebury ran off another four straight to iced the game.

#2 Wesleyan 12

#8 Hamilton 6

Hamilton made the semifinals by upsetting #1 seed Tufts, but their luck ran out against Wesleyan.

Hamilton scored once in each of the first two quarters and twice in the last two quarters.  Wesleyan took over right away, scoring five straight times after Hamilton’s lone first quarter goal.  There were no big scoring runs after that, but Wesleyan was able to extend and defend its lead until the final whistle.

Championship

#2 Wesleyan 9

#4 Middlebury 7

Wesleyan took the early lead by scoring twice each time Middlebury got a goal.  That worked well for the Cardinals until Middlebury scored three quick goals in the middle of the second quarter to take a one-goal lead.  Wesleyan took the lead back with two late goals just before halftime then slow rolled another three to lead by five early in the fourth quarter.  Middlebury scored twice more but their last score came with twenty-eight seconds left in the game.  Wesleyan won the final faceoff and ran out the clock.

Bowdoin received an at-large/Pool C invitation to the D-III tournament.

ODAC Tournament

Randolph-Macon proved to be a Bear slayer with successive wins over HAMPDEN-SYDNEY (Owen Hegadorn) and top seed WASHINGTON & LEE (Will Bou, Will Abramson).  Their luck ran out in the championship match.

Quarterfinals

#4 HAMPDEN-SYDNEY (Owen Hegadorn) 8

#5 Randolph-Macon 9

After Randolph-Macon took an early lead, Hampden-Sydney rallied to take the lead with three straight scores overt a two minute span in the middle of the first half.  Randolph-Macon took the lead back with a pair of goals and held that lead at halftime as each team got one last goal before the break.  Hampden-Sydney scored the only goal of the third quarter and the first two of the final quarter to go ahead by two early in the final period.  The Tigers’ lead would not hold up, though, as Randolph-Macon scored the game’s final three goals to flip the scoreboard in their favor.

Semifinals

#1 WASHINGTON & LEE (Will Bou, Will Abramson) 12

#5 Randolph-Macon 13

The Generals had the early advantage, using a four-goal run in the middle of the first half to take a five-goal lead.  Randolph-Macon ran off three straight goals just before the end of the half, but W&L still led by three.  The teams matched each other score for score to start the third quarter, then Randolph-Macon went on a four-goal run and tied the game early in the fourth quarter.  The Generals got the lead back three minutes later, but Randolph-Macon got the last two goals of the game to take the win and move onto the championship game.

#2 Lynchburg 12

#3 Roanoke 6

In the other semifinal contest, Lynchburg used scoring runs of four goals in the first half and six straight goals across the second and third quarters to move on to the championship game.  Roanoke had a significant shooting advantage which was effectively neutralized by the strong play of the Lynchburg goalie.

Championship

#2 Lynchburg 13

#5 Randolph-Macon 8

Randolph-Macon magic ran out in the ODAC championship game.  Lynchburg took an early 5-1 lead in the first quarter, but Randolph-Macon rallied to run off four straight scores early in the second quarter to tie the game a 6 apiece.  Lynchburg wrapped up the first half scoring with a pair of goals then extended their lead further with the first three goals of the second half.  Randolph-Macon stopped that run with a single goal and the teams traded single goals until the end. 

Washington & Lee received an at-large/Pool C invitation to the D-III tournament.

NCAC Tournament

A win by the top seed is a rare and wonderful thing this year.

Semifinals

#1 DENISON (Anthony Savoy) 14

#4 Wooster 4

Denison netted four goals in the first five minutes of the game and never looked back.  Wooster followed up Denison’s opening salvo with a pair of goals.  The rest of the game consisted of an extended scoring run for Denison with a couple single score swaps between the teams.

#2 OHIO WESLEYAN (Quinn Coughlan) 12

#3 Kenyon 13

Ohio Wesleyan’s three-goal run in the middle of the first quarter gave the Battlin’ Bishops a lead that endured into the fourth quarter.  The game then flipped in Kenyon’s favor but it took nearly the entirety of the quarter to flip the scoreboard in their favor.  Kenyon got the game winner with a mere ten seconds left in the game.  The Bishops had one last scoring chance, but their shot went wide of the mark.

Championship

#1 DENISON (Anthony Savoy) 15

#3 Kenyon 11

In the first half of this championship game, Kenyon held an early lead before Denison’s four-goal run put them ahead in the second quarter.  Kenyon regathered and then incrementally took the lead by halftime.  Kenyon went up by two to start the second half, then Denison went on a four-goal scoring run to flip the score board in their favor.  Kenyon stopped the run with a single goal, but Denison did all the scoring after that to take the tournament title.

Centennial Tournament

The title game featured long standing rivals DICKINSON (Will Single, Andrew Atkins) and Gettysburg, both of which have or have had numerous Bears on their rosters.  As with the regular season game between these two, Dickinson got the win.

Semifinals

#2 DICKINSON (Will Single, Andrew Atkins) 11

#3 Muhlenberg 10

Dickerson took an early three-goal lead and Muhlenberg battled over the balance of the first half to draw back even.  By the middle of the second quarter, Muhlenberg drew even, only to see the Red Devils go back up by two in response.  That two-goal lead proved insurmountable in the second half as each time Muhlenberg cut their deficit to one, Dickinson scored to take it out back to two.  Muhlenberg was unable to get off any shots in their two final possessions.

Will played in this game.

#1 Swarthmore 12

#5 Gettysburg 13

Swarthmore’s 8-0 record earned them the top seed in the conference tournament.  Gettysburg downed fourth seed Washington College, taking revenge for a regular season loss to make it to the conference semifinals. 

The Bullets rose to the challenge right away, scoring the game’s first four goals.  After swapping single goals for a while, Swarthmore finished the half with a string of three straight goals to trail Gettysburg by one at the halftime break.  Gettysburg ran their lead to four goals with three straight scores to start the scoring in the second half.  Swarthmore trimmed the Bullets’ lead back with a pair of goals scores then Gettysburg responded with another set of three and now led by five.  The final five minutes saw a furious comeback attempt by Swarthmore including two goals in the final minute.  Swarthmore had two more scoring chances in the waning seconds, but one was saved and the other blocked.

Championship

#2 DICKINSON (Will Single, Andrew Atkins) 13

#5 Gettysburg 8

A closely contested first half saw the game tied five times with each team able to match the others’ scoring runs.  The second half tilted strongly in favor of Dickinson.  The Red Devils picked up right where they left off at the end of the first half and scored five unanswered goals over the first twenty minutes of the second half.  Gettysburg got their first and only goal of the half with nine minutes left in the game.  Dickinson got one last score four minutes later to set the final score.

Will picked up two ground balls for Dickinson.

D-III USILA  (5/6)

1. Salisbury

2. RIT

3. RPI

4. Dickinson

5. Saint Lawrence

6. Christopher Newport

7. Wesleyan

8. Tufts

9. Swarthmore

10. Babson

11. Middlebury

12. Union

13. Lynchburg

14. Bowdoin

15. Stevens

16. Washington & Lee

17. Endicott

18. Hamilton

19. Amherst

20. Gettysburg

NCAA D-III TOURNAMENT

Denison, Friday, May 10 @ 3:00PM versus Babson

Dickinson, Saturday, May 11@ Noon versus winner of Scranton vs. John Carroll

Washington & Lee, Saturday, May 11 @ 3:00PM versus winner of Lake Forest vs. Transylvania

Bowdoin, Saturday, May 11 @ 3:00PM versus Grove City

Winners of these games will play their next game on Sunday, May 12

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