GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Bullets outscored Elizabethtown 6-0 in the first half and never looked back, as the third-ranked Gettysburg College men's lacrosse team topped the Blue Jays 15-3 in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament Wednesday afternoon at Shirk Field at Mussselman Stadium.
 
The Bullets (17-2) advance to the third round and will host Rhodes College in the third round on Saturday at a time to be announced. Rhodes defeated Huntingdon 14-1 in its NCAA opener on Wednesday.
 
Senior defenseman Nick Hill (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) helped lead a stellar defensive effort for Gettysburg, which allowed a season-low goal total by opponent this season. Hill registered career-highs of nine ground balls and five caused turnovers for the Bullets, who outscored E-town 13-1 through the first three quarters, when it yielded just 12 shots.
 
Sophomores Brian Kolen (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) and Michael McCormick (Lorton, Va./Paul VI Catholic) paced the Bullet offense with four goals apiece, marking a career-high for McCormick, while junior Will DeMartin (Summit, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) contributed a career-high three tallies. Sophomore Mike Risser (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) pitched in with two goals and one assist.
 
Senior Tim Brady (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) collected nine saves through 56 minutes for the Bullets while sophomore defensive midfielder Eric Carr (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Academy of the New Church) added five ground balls. Junior defensive middie Ryan Kelly (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) contributed a career-high three caused turnovers.
 
Tom Mahoney made five saves for the Blue Jays (10-10), the champions of the Landmark Conference who advanced to the NCAA second round after defeating John Carroll University 9-6 in the opening round on Tuesday.
 
Gettysburg received a balanced offensive effort in the opening half, when six players accounted for Gettysburg's six goals. DeMartin struck a minute into the contest before junior Andrew Garstka (Springfield, Va./Paul VI Catholic) followed up three minutes later. Risser and Kolen would cap the first-quarter scoring for the Bullets, who led 4-0 after 15 minutes of play.
 
McCormick and freshman Kadin Kighlinger (Purcellville, Va./Bishop O'Connell) each got into the scoring act in the second quarter, handing the Bullets their six-goal halftime advantage.
 
Gettysburg turned up the heat in the third quarter, when it outscored the Blue Jays 6-1 on the strength of an 11-2 shot advantage. After Elizabethtown broke up the shutout two minutes into the half, the Bullets reeled off a 7-0 run to break the game open. Kolen, DeMartin, and McCormimck scored twice each in the third quarter, with McCormick scoring the last two as the Orange and Blue assumed their 13-1 surplus heading into the final stanza.
 
McCormick made it three in a row when he struck three minutes into fourth quarter to cap the Gettysburg surge. The Blue Jays stopped the bleeding with a man-up goal before Risser and Kolen tossed in one goal apiece, completing Gettysburg's scoring for the day. E-town set the final score midway through the quarter.
 
The Bullets outshot the Blue Jays 30-25 despite E-town holding a 13-5 advantage in the fourth quarter. Gettysburg also finished with a 34-26 edge in ground balls. The two sides split their 22 face-offs, with senior Geoff Fulgione (North Andover, Mass./Brooks School) going 9-for-18 for the Orange and Blue.