Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Ric Bremer (Ridgefield, CT/John Jay [NY]) tied a Gettysburg postseason record with six goals and Tim McGinnis (Ellicott City, MD/Loyola-Blakefield) made 15 saves to lead the top-ranked Bullets over Stevens Tech 16-5 in the first round of the 2002 NCAA Division III men's lacrosse championship on Wednesday.

 Bremer found the net three times in each half to match his own single-game career high and put Gettysburg (15-1) into the national quarterfinals for the 12th straight season. McGinnis, named the 2002 Centennial Conference Player of the Year on Tuesday, set the tone with six first-quarter saves en route to his ninth double-digit save performance of the season.

The Bullets will battle seventh-ranked Salisbury at home on Saturday or Sunday. Date and game time are to be determined. The Sea Gulls, who fell at Gettysburg 12-8 in the regular season, knocked off No. 6 Hampden-Sydney 15-8 on Wednesday to earn a rematch.

Bremer's attackman teammates Pete Milliman (Rochester, NY/Brighton) and Jake Van Nostrand (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) each netted a hat trick on the day to key the win. The trio also helped the defensive effort by forcing 13 failed clears after halftime.

Despite falling in the NCAA first round for the second straight season, Stevens Tech (10-5) got outstanding performances from leading scorer Brian Lalli and goaltender Matt Cannon. Lalli scored four of the Ducks' five goals on the afternoon while Cannon made 19 saves to keep his squad in the game until Gettysburg struck five times in the final 6:27 of the third quarter to break it open.

The Bullets never trailed en route to the program's eighth NCAA victory, jumping to a 4-0 lead after the first quarter thanks to a pair of Bremer goals.

Matt Kuppe put Stevens Tech on the board with 12:17 left in the first half and Lallli scored twice in a span of less than two minutes to pull the Ducks within 5-3.

Nick Purkat (Annandale, VA/W.T. Woodson) restored the Bullets' three-goal lead by netting a bounce shot with 8:25 remaining and Bremer capped the half by putting back a rebound with 25.4 left before the break.

Lalli opened the second half by completing his hat trick to cut the deficit to 7-4, but Bremer scored twice in a span of 2 minutes, 15 seconds late in the third, touching off a 5-0 run to the end of the quarter that sealed the Gettysburg victory.

Bremer became the fifth player in program history to score six goals in an NCAA game on an unassisted wrap-around with 9:55 left. Milliman was the last Bullet to turn the trick, scoring six times in last season's national quarterfinals against Springfield.

Wes Cadman (Yorktown Heights, NY/Yorktown) opened the day's scoring for Gettysburg, his seventh consecutive game with exactly one goal. Face-off specialist John Czerapowicz (Wayland, MA/Wayland) won 16 of 25 draws on the day and also netted his first goal in 10 games.

The Bullets, who reached the national championship game in 2001, are 4-10 all-time against Salisbury, including the 12-8 victory on Apr. 13 at Musselman Stadium. In that game, McGinnis recorded a career-high 22 saves while Van Nostrand scored a team-high four goals.
 

Goals:

Stevens Tech: Brian Lalli 4, Matt Kuppe.

Gettysburg: Ric Bremer 6, Jake Van Nostrand 3, Pete Milliman 3, Nick Purkat, Rich Sharp, Wes Cadman, John Czerapowicz.

Assists:

Stevens Tech: Mike Baumbach, Eliot Dahood, Kuppe.

Gettysburg: Purkat 2, Sharp, Van Nostrand, Milliman.

Shots: Stevens Tech 25, Gettysburg 51.

Ground Balls: Stevens Tech 25, Gettysburg 44.

Extra-Man: Stevens Tech 1 of 2, Gettysburg 2 of 5.

Faceoffs: Stevens Tech 9, Gettysburg 16.

Goalies: Stevens Tech (Matt Cannon – 60:00, 19 saves, 16 GA), Gettysburg (Tim McGinnis – 59:06, 15 saves, 5 GA; Byron Banghart – 0:54, 0 saves, 0 GA).

Clearing: Stevens Tech 16 of 32, Gettysburg 20 of 22.

Penalties: Stevens Tech 5 for 4:00, Gettysburg 2 for 1:30.

Attendance: 361.