Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – David Seeley and Greg Carroll scored goals 13 seconds apart late in the fourth quarter to snap an 8-all tie and lift top-ranked Middlebury over No. 2 Gettysburg 10-8 in non-conference men's lacrosse action on Wednesday.

 Seeley scored on a breakaway with 3:15 remaining and Carroll followed with a key insurance marker off the ensuing face-off to help the Panthers (4-0) win a rematch of last season's NCAA championship game. Zach Herbert set up both goals to finish with four assists among his game-high six points.

 Carroll collected three goals and an assist in the win while goalie Eric Krieger made nine saves for the two-time defending NCAA champions.

 Rich Sharp (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxborough Reg.) netted his first career hat trick for the Bullets (6-1), who overcame an early 5-1 deficit to take leads of 7-6 and 8-7 before falling down the stretch. Tim McGinnis (Ellicott City, MD/Loyola-Blakefield) collected a season-high 17 saves, including 13 stops in the first half, to key the Gettysburg rally.

 After scoring five times in the game's opening quarter, the Panthers went nearly 39 minutes with only one goal before coming alive when it mattered most.

 With his team trailing 7-6, Seeley cashed in a Bullet turnover by beating McGinnis 1-on-1 to tie the game with 6:56 remaining.

 Sean McTernan (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) restored Gettysburg's one-goal lead just 41 seconds later, but Matt Dunn answered with a blast from the left side of the cage to tie the game at eight with 5:14 left.

 Minutes later, Herbert picked off a failed Bullet clearing attempt and zipped a pass to Seeley, who finished the breakaway to give Middlebury a 9-8 lead with 3:15 to play.

 On the ensuing faceoff, Herbert again came up with the loose ball off a Gettysburg giveaway, this time feeding Carroll for the backbreaker just 13 seconds later.

 Krieger stopped Chris Baran (Newington, CT/Newington) in the game's final minute to stifle the Bullets' final comeback attempt.

 After being nearly run off the field in the game's first 15 minutes, Gettysburg shored up the defense to make it a game worthy of the two top-ranked teams in Division III.

 With the Bullets trailing 5-1, Jake Van Nostrand (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) scored his only goal of the game with 26 seconds left in the first quarter and Baran found the net in the opening minute of the second quarter to cut the deficit to two.

 Bremer scored off a great set-up from Vinny Merlino (Rye, NY/Rye) with 2:01 left in the half and Sharp brought Gettysburg back to even with the first of three spectacular solo-effort goals 1:09 into the third.

 Carroll made it 6-5 off a feed from Herbert, but Sharp finished a run from the left side of the attacking zone just 40 seconds later to knot the game at six. The senior completed his first career hat trick and made it 7-6 on another unassisted goal with 13:04 remaining.

 Dunn and Seeley finished with two goals and one assist apiece to help the Panthers win their 17th straight game.

 Van Nostrand tallied one goal and two assists for the Bullets, who lost at home for the first time in 13 games.  Gettysburg committed 25 turnovers on the afternoon to Middlebury's 14.

 The Bullets return to action on Saturday at No. 3 Washington. Game time is 1:30 p.m.
 

Goals:

Middlebury: Greg Carroll 3, Zach Herbert 2, Matt Dunn 2, David Seeley 2, Mike Saraceni.

Gettysburg: Rich Sharp 3, Ric Bremer 2, Jake Van Nostrand, Chris Baran, Sean McTernan.

Assists:

Middlebury: Herbert 4, Mike Frissora, Carroll, Seeley, Dunn.

Gettysburg: Van Nostrand 2, Kevin Smith, Vinny Merlino.

Shots: Middlebury 42, Gettysburg 34.

Ground Balls: Middlebury 37, Gettysburg 28.

Extra-Man: Middlebury 2 of 6, Gettysburg 1 of 4.

Faceoffs: Middlebury 7, Gettysburg 15.

Goalies: Middlebury (Eric Kreiger – 60 minutes, 9 saves, 8 GA), Gettysburg (Tim McGinnis – 60 minutes, 17 saves, 10 GA).

Clearing: Middlebury 24 of 30, Gettysburg 20 of 29.

Penalties: Middlebury 4 for 3:00, Gettysburg 6 for 4:30.