Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Freshman goalie Tim Brady (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) made 15 saves and was named the Centennial Conference (CC) Tournament MVP, leading the second-ranked and top-seeded Gettysburg College men's lacrosse team to a thrilling 11-10 victory over 13th-ranked and second-seeded Ursinus College in the CC championship game Saturday afternoon at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
 
The Bullets (17-0) held off a determined Ursinus rally to remain undefeated, tie the school record for victories, capture their conference-leading 14th CC title, and earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III Championship. Tournament pairings will be announced Sunday evening at 9:00 on NCAA.com.
 
The Bears (13-3) trailed 8-3 late in the second quarter but pulled to within one on three occasions in the second half. Ursinus had possession coming out of a timeout with 44 seconds left, but turned the ball over in front of the goal just before the horn, with senior defenseman Ben Armellini (New Canaan, Conn./Kent School) securing the win with a ground ball.
 
Brady made six of his saves in the second quarter, when Ursinus outshot the Bullets 14-5. He also registered two big stops in the final 3:19, when it was a one-goal game. It was his second 15-save performance in three games, as he also turned aside a season-high 16 shots in an 11-9 victory over Washington College in the team's regular-season finale last Saturday.
 
Sophomore Sean Fumai (Weston, Conn./Weston) led the offense for the Bullets, tying his career-high for the second game in a row with four goals while handing out one assist. He finished the tournament with eight goals and one helper.
 
Senior Robby Maddux (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's) added two goals and one assist for the Bullets while becoming just the seventh player in school history to score 50 goals in a season, upping his current total to 51. Junior Jameson Smith (Glen Ridge, N.J./Glen Ridge) added a pair of goals while senior Brendan Morris (Waccabuc, N.Y./John Jay) posted one goal and three assists. Sophomore long-stick midfielder Chris Palladino (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) contributed with four ground balls and three caused turnovers.
 
Logan Panaccione scored two goals for the Bears while Mark Stratton handed out three assists. Brian Neff made 11 saves in goal.
 
It was a back-and-forth affair in the early going, as the two sides traded goals three times over the opening 8:38. However, Gettysburg never trailed after senior Jimmy Morris (Waccabuc, N.Y./John Jay) struck 1:39 into the contest.
 
Tucker Noel tied it with a man-up tally for Ursinus before Fumai got hot, scoring the Bullets' three goals – each of which gave his team the lead after the Bears pulled even. His last goal was the start of a 5-0 Gettysburg run, and he also assisted Maddux on a man-up goal at the 3:38 mark of the opening quarter as the Bullets led 5-3 after 15 minutes of play.
 
Smith scored Gettysburg's first two goals of the second quarter before Brendan Morris continued the run, striking with 4:50 on the first-half clock to hand the Bullets their 8-3 advantage. But Ursinus climbed back into it, scoring the final two goals of the half to kick off a 5-0 run of their own and make it an 8-5 game at the break.
 
Panaccione and Weber scored just under a minute apart to pull the Bears to within 8-7 with 12:56 left in the third quarter. But senior Bijan Firouzan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) answered with a big goal for the Bullets, cashing in off a Brendan Morris feed to make it 9-7 with 4:47 remaining in the period. Ian Desenberg pulled Ursinus to within one, however, when he scored with 2:47 on the third-quarter clock to make it 9-8 heading into the final stanza.
 
The two sides went scoreless for the opening seven minutes of the fourth quarter before the Bullets netted a pair of clutch goals. Fumai scored off a Firouzan dish with 7:58 left before Maddux converted a pass from junior Paul Werner (Westfield, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) with 5:38 left. However, Ursinus refused to go quietly, as Steve Smyrl and Panaccione scored 1:08 apart to make it 11-10 with 4:18 still remaining.
 
The Bears used both of their timeouts inside the final 2:30, but Stratton hit the post with 1:37 on the clock and after a Gettysburg clear, the Bullets called timeout with 1:14 remaining. However, Ursinus quickly regained possession on a Gettysburg turnover, and after their final timeout, Smyrl sent a shot high of the cage. Gerard Brown then drove inside before turning the ball over to Armellini, clinching Gettysburg's first conference title since 2009.
 
In an incredibly even-played game, Ursinus edged the Bullets in shots (37-35) while Gettysburg held a slight 35-33 advantage in ground balls.