Championship Recap:
Denison (17-0) captured its first NCAC Tournament title and improved to 17-0 overall on the year with a 14-5 victory over arch-rival Ohio Wesleyan (12-4) in the championship game on Saturday afternoon in Granville, Ohio. The Big Red used a balanced scoring attack in the contest with six different players finding the back of the net, led by a five-goal, one-assist performance from freshman Luke Walsh (Buffalo, NY/Deerfield Acad.). With the victory, DU has secured the NCAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Div. III Men’s Lacrosse Tournament.
The first eight minutes of the contest were tightly contested on both ends of the field with neither team tallying a goal, but Big Red senior Eddie Vita (Coronado, CA/Coronado) broke the scoring draught with 7:10 on the first half clock on an unassisted goal. Vita shook the back of the net again with 4:20 left in the first quarter to put DU up 3-0, while Ohio Wesleyan junior John Umbach (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) put OWU on the board on an unassisted goal in the final second of the first stanza. Vita put DU ahead, 4-1, with another unassisted goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter, and the Big Red added two late quarter goals to build a 6-2 lead at halftime.
Walsh went to work in the second half as he scored three goals in the third and one more in the fourth to help Denison secure the nine-goal victory. Denison sophomore Eric Baumgardner (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga College) led the Big Red with six groundballs and was also 13-of-22 on face-off attempts, while sophomore Clark Bullington (Houston, TX/Strake Jesuit Prep) made 13 saves in goal. Umbach and junior Tommy Minkler (Oakton, VA/Landon School) both finished the game with two goals for OWU, while junior Sam Gioseffi (Harrison, NY/Harrison) scooped up seven groundballs and was 9-of-21 on face-offs. In goal, junior Ryan McMahon (Springfield, VA/The Bullis School) corralled 11 saves in 60 minutes between the pipes for the Bishops.
The 2014 NCAC Men’s Lacrosse All-Tournament Team will be announced following the spring coaches meeting on Sunday, April 27th.
Semifinal Recaps
Top-seeded Denison (16-0) got two first quarter goals from Brain Farinholt (Richmond, VA/St Christopher's School) as the Big Red jumped out to a 5-0 lead en route to an 18-3 victory over fourth-seeded Wittenberg (10-5) in the semifinal round of the 2014 NCAC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. Farniholt would add one more goal in the third quarter for a game-high three on the night. Wittenberg got on the scoreboard with 3:33 left in the first quarter as Jordan Shoger (Cleveland Heights, OH/Cleveland Heights) found the back the net off an assist from Andrew Fuss (New Albany, OH/Gahanna Lincoln). Denison, who led 9-2 at the half, outshot Wittenberg 60-16 and won 22-of-24 faceoffs. Big Red senior Eddie Vita (Coronado, CA/Coronado) led all players registering four points on one goal and three assists. Tiger junior Jay Dolan (Andover, MA/Phillips Andover) racked up 21 saves in net for Wittenberg, while Clark Bullington (Houston, TX/Strake Jesuit College Prep) combined with Chris Thomas (Cockeysville, MD/Loyola Blakefield) to make five saves for Denison. With the win Denison will host Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday in a re-match of last years NCAC Championship that saw the Battling Bishops capture the inaugural title, 10-9.
Second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (12-3) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 13-4 victory over third-seeded Kenyon (9-7) in the semifinal round of the 2014 NCAC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. OWU junior John Umbach (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) powered the Bishops to the early lead with two first-quarter goals and then added four more tallies in the second quarter to give OWU a 9-1 lead at halftime. KC got on the scoreboard with 5:55 showing on the first quarter clock on an unassisted goal from junior midfielder Justin Coleman (Saunderstown, RI/Portsmouth Abbey). OWU drained two more goals in the third quarter to build its lead to 11-1, and added two more score in the fourth quarter to post the nine-goal victory. Umbach led all scorers in the game with six goals on seven shots, while Coleman accounted for all three KC goals. In goal, OWU junior Ryan McMahon (Springfield, VA/The Bullis School) finished the game with six saves in 50 minutes between the pipes, while sophomore Patrick Shevelson (Pleasanton, CA/Foothill) went the distance in the cage for the Lords and racked up eight total saves.
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Denison (7-0, 15-0) earned its third-straight North Coast championship with a pair of wins last week. The Big Red defeated Ohio Wesleyan, 10-9, and Hiram, 27-2, to collect their 15th conference title. Ohio Wesleyan has won the most conference crowns with 18, Wittenberg has two, while Wooster and Kenyon each boast one championship.
The Big Red enter the NCAC Tournament as the top seed and will host fourth-seeded Wittenberg (4-3, 10-4) on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. in a re-match of the April 12th contest that saw Denison come away with a 14-8 road victory. Second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (6-1, 11-3) will host third-seeded Kenyon (4-3, 9-6) in the other semifinal match at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. OWU has knocked off Kenyon five of the last six times with the Lords' win coming in 2012. The Championship game is set for Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed to emerge from the semifinal round.