Haverford vs. Gettysburg Box Score
Washington (Md.) vs. Dickinson Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Sophomore attackman Zach Pucci (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) and junior midfielder Ben Sufrin (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) each had five points on three goals and two assists to lead No. 2 Gettysburg to a 12-11 win against Haverford in the Centennial Conference (CC) semifinal at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium on Friday afternoon. The Bullets advance to the conference title game for the seventh time in the tournament's seven-year history, and for the seventh time, they will face No. 16 Washington (Md.), which defeated Dickinson, 9-8, in the second semifinal.

Gettysburg (13-2) will be competing for its fourth straight CC title and record 11th overall in the conference's 14-year existence. Washington (11-5) has won the other three titles, most recently winning in 2003.

Friday's back-and-forth action was unprecedented in the CC semifinals. On three previous occasions, one of the semifinals was decided by one goal, but it had never happened that both games in one tournament were won by that narrowest of margins.

Pucci and Sufrin both matched their career highs with three goals, and the five points are also a career-best for Pucci. None of his points was bigger than his third goal with 2:48 to play in the fourth quarter that gave the Bullets a 12-10 lead. The Fords (8-6) drew it within one goal with 53 seconds showing on the clock, but could never get the equalizer.

Senior midfielder Jimmy Gates (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) took every faceoff for Gettysburg, winning 18-of-27. He came up one ground ball short of his career high with 13 and has reached double digits in scoops in four straight games. Junior defenseman Andrew McGann (Laguna, Calif./Holderness School [N.H.]) also had five ground balls and caused three turnovers. Freshman attackman Joe Brody (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) tallied four points on two goals and a pair of helpers. It is the sixth straight game he has had at least three points. Senior midfielder Greg Montgomery (Asheville, N.C./St. Andrew's School [Del.]) also scored twice.

Haverford was led at the offensive end by senior attackman Max Tcheyan, who had two goals and three assists for five points. Junior attackman Shane Hafer added a hat trick and an assist for four points. Senior defenseman Steve Selsor scooped seven ground balls on the day and caused a pair of turnovers.

The visitors scored three of the first four goals in the game. Hafer converted a back-to-front pass from Tcheyan just 1:24 in, but Gettysburg senior midfielder Kevin Freehill (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) answered 50 seconds later.

Freshman attackman Brian Fleishhacker put the Fords up 2-1 with 8:09 left in the first. Sophomore midfielder Peter Hannapel won the ensuing faceoff, scooped the ground ball and started a breakaway that resulted in a Tcheyan goal seven seconds later. Gettysburg then ran off three goals in a span of 3:37 and would never trail again despite Haverford tying it at 4-4 and pulling within one goal four different times.

After junior midfielder Dean Granoff knotted it at 4-4 with 1:04 to play in the opening quarter, the Bullets ripped off three straight to open up a 7-4 lead. With 12:48 to go in the second quarter, Haverford tried to get the ball out of its end on an extra-man opportunity for Gettysburg. A turnover gave the Bullets a 2-on-1 rush on which Brody fed Pucci for the goal. It was the game's only man-up goal with Gettysburg going 1-for-2 and holding the Fords scoreless in three tries.

Just over three minutes later, junior attackman Trip Dyer (Ocean View, Del./Worcester Prep [Md.]) made a nice swim move to clear his defender and run uncontested on goal for his only marker of the day. Less than a minute later, he set up Montgomery for an assist.

Fifteen seconds after Gettysburg had stretched the lead to three goals, the Fords got one back courtesy of Hafer. It appeared that Haverford was building some momentum when Fleishhacker found the back of the net 43 seconds after that, but the tally was disallowed for illegal procedure. The Fords did score the next goal, which would have evened the contest at 7-7 had the disallowed goal stood. As it was, Sufrin's pass from behind the net two minutes later to Pucci waiting in front for the quick redirect gave Gettysburg an 8-6 lead heading to the locker room.

Sufrin struck again coming out after the break, scoring on a 15-yard shot the he bounced halfway to beat the goalie. The Fords scored three of the next four goals to pull within one at 10-9 with 6:36 to play in regulation.

The Bullets appeared to open up some breathing room at the 3:25 mark on Sufrin's final goal of the day, but Fleishhacker again answered quickly, scoring 18 seconds later. Just 19 seconds after that, Pucci was left all alone to run in from the right side and tally the decisive marker. The final 2:48 was not without drama, though.

Gettysburg was whistled for an unnecessary roughness penalty with 2:00 to go as senior goalie Pat Vaughan (Cockeysville, Md./Loyola Blakefield) was making a save. Vaughan would make three of his six saves in the final two minutes, including two from point-blank range.

In the day's second game, Washington sophomore midfielder Casey O'Connor scored the first of his three goals at the 8:24 mark of the first quarter. Dickinson (9-6) countered with five of the game's next six goals and took a 5-2 halftime lead.

The Red Devils got four points apiece from senior midfielder Brian Mohler and freshman midfielder Chris Dodson. Mohler tallied a hat trick with an assist, and Dodson had a goal and three helpers. Mohler scored three straight goals on assists from Dodson in a 2:05 span early in the second quarter, and it appeared that Dickinson was poised to end the Shoremen's run of championship game appearances at six. Washington was able to regroup, however, and roared out of the locker room in the third quarter.

Junior midfielder Steve Humphries started the comeback when he scored with 2:44 gone in the period. O'Connor then used a pair of goals to bookend scores from sophomore attackman Jimmy Kielek and junior midfielder Kolyn Kirby, giving the Shoremen a 7-5 lead.

Dickinson senior attackman Drew Peace stopped the bleeding with an unassisted goal with 47 seconds left in the third quarter. He assisted on Dodson's marker at the 13:17 mark of the final frame and then struck again 1:27 later to give the Red Devils an 8-7 advantage. That would be the end of the scoring for Dickinson.

With 7:26 to play, Kirby netted his second goal with an assist from sophomore attackman Mike O'Hara. Just less than four minutes later, senior midfielder Anthony Hidell ripped a 15-yard laser beam for the decisive score with junior attackman Chris Read assisting. Read handed out three assists on the day.
The Bullets and Shoremen will square off in the CC title game on Sunday at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.