Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Jake Van Nostrand (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) scored a game-high five goals, including the go-ahead tally with 8:24 remaining to lead top-ranked Gettysburg over No. 5 Washington 12-10 in the Centennial Conference (CC) men's lacrosse championship game on Sunday.

 Pete Milliman (Rochester, NY/Brighton) added two goals and tied a career high with five assists as the Bullets (14-1) won their fifth consecutive CC title and earned their 12th trip to the NCAA tournament in the last 13 seasons.

 Tim McGinnis (Ellicott City, MD/Loyola-Blakefield) made 10 saves while face-off specialist John Czerapowicz (Wayland, MA/Wayland) won 16 of 24 draws to help Gettysburg post its seventh straight win over the Shoremen (11-3) and take an 11-10 lead in the all-time series between the programs.

 Craig Rentch connected on four of a game-high 12 shots for Washington while Jon Fellows scored twice and added two assists.

 In contrast to last season's inaugural CC championship when the Bullets built a 10-4 halftime lead and cruised to a 15-7 victory, Sunday's game featured all the drama befitting a title contest.

 Although trailing for a grand total of 82 seconds the entire afternoon, Gettysburg couldn't shake the Shoremen until the game's final minutes.

 Down 7-5 early in the second half, Washington rallied to tie on goals from Rentch and Chris Edwards, then took its only lead of the game when Fellows struck with 14:36 remaining to make it 8-7.

 A Gettysburg personal foul following the goal gave the Shoremen a golden opportunity to build on the momentum, but the Bullets killed the extra-man situation, then knotted the game on a rip by Sean McTernan (Cordlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) with 13:14 left.

 Washington goalie Alex Pirani, who finished with nine saves, temporarily kept the game tied with a great stop on Ric Bremer (Ridgefield, CT/John Jay [NY]), but Van Nostrand circled the goal and scored moments later to put the Bullets ahead to stay.

 Fifty-five seconds after the tiebreaker, Milliman rocketed a highlight-reel jump shot under the crossbar to make it 10-8 with 7:29 left.

 Rentch finished a great fake on the doorstep to pull the Shoremen within one at 6:17, but Van Nostrand one-timed a pass from Bremer 44 seconds later and Milliman ripped a drive past Pirani with 3:28 left to seal the championship.

 The Bullets threatened to run away in the early going, taking a 3-0 lead on goals from John O'Bannon (Marshall, VA/Highland School), Bremer and Van Nostrand in the game's first 6 minutes, 34 seconds.

 Rentch capped a 3-1 burst to the end of the quarter that pulled Washington within 4-3, but Wes Cadman (Yorktown Heights, NY/Yorktown) and Van Nostrand answered midway through the second to give Gettysburg a 6-4 edge at the break.

 The Shoremen pulled even for the first time when Edwards scored off an Eric Kuehn feed with 4:39 left in the third quarter.

 Pirani stopped Van Nostrand on the Bullets' next possession and Washington went ahead 8-7 when Fellows took a feed from Rentch and beat McGinnis with 14:36 left in the game.

 The Shoremen converted 2 of 3 extra-man opportunities on the day while the Bullets went 1-for-2 in man-up situations. Both teams took 32 shots and picked up 27 ground balls.

 Gettysburg returns to the NCAA tournament one season after making its first-ever appearance in the championship game, a 15-10 loss to Middlebury. The NCAA field will be announced on Sunday, May 5.
 

Goals:

Washington: Craig Rentch 4, Eric Kuehn 2, Jon Fellows 2, Steve Berger, Chris Edwards.

Gettysburg: Jake Van Nostrand 5, Pete Milliman 2, John O'Bannon, Ric Bremer, Nick Purkat, Wes Cadman, Sean McTernan.

Assists:

Washington: Fellows 2, Kuehn, Rentch, Randy Vane.

Gettysburg: Milliman 5, Bremer, Van Nostrand, Peter Politi.

Shots: Washington 32, Gettysburg 32.

Ground Balls: Washington 27, Gettysburg 27.

Extra-Man: Washington 2 of 3, Gettysburg 1 of 2.

Faceoffs: Washington 10, Gettysburg 16.

Goalies: Washington (Alex Pirani – 60:00, 9 saves, 12 GA), Gettysburg (Tim McGinnis – 60:00, 10 saves, 10 GA).

Clearing: Washington 15 of 18, Gettysburg 13 of 15.

Penalties: Washington 3 for 3:00, Gettysburg 4 for 4:00.