THE FACTS
No. 5 Gettysburg (9-2, 3-1 CC), Swarthmore (9-1, 3-0 CC)
What: Centennial Conference (CC) men's lacrosse game
When: Saturday, April 8
Where: Gettysburg, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
A back-and-forth first half resulted in a 6-all deadlock, but Gettysburg, ranked fifth in the latest USILA poll, scored six straight in the third to take an 11-6 lead. Swarthmore responded with five consecutive goals of their own to force overtime, and scored the golden goal only 34 seconds into the extra period for a 12-11 win.
THE LEADERS
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Ethan Kessler (Ridgefield, Conn./Millbrook School) led the Bullets' offense, with three goals and two assists. He also picked up three ground balls.
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Kyle Howard (Skillman, N.J./Montgomery) was the other Bullet on the day with a hat trick
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Frank Barbera (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) fought hard on defense, racking up a career-high seven ground balls and causing four turnovers.
FOR THE FOES
• Ryan Pretzer made 14 saves in goal for the Garnet.
• Von Mabbs scored three goals and tallied one assist.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• Swarthmore was the first to get on the board with goals by Von Mabbs and Clay Almgren within 90 seconds of eachother. Gettysburg responded less than a minute later when
Ethan Kessler dished to
Jack Dunleavy (New Providence, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) for the Bullets' first goal. The teams traded tallies back and forth for the rest of the first quarter, each scoring two goals. Kessler and
Kyle Howard scored in the stretch for the Bullets, and Owen Hoffman and Mabbs responded for Swarthmore to etch a 4-3 Garnet lead after one.
• Both teams attempted several shots in the first seven minutes of the second quarter, but neither team found the net until an
Aidan Wykoff (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) game-tying goal made it in with 7:42 left in the half. Gettysburg was issued a delay of game penalty, and while Swarthmore couldn't convert on the extra-man opportunity, they scored just as soon as it expired for a 5-4 lead. A Jackson Brosgol tally 2:06 later made it a two-goal margin, but back-to-back goals by Wykoff and Howard within a 54-second span made it a tie ballgame going into halftime.
• Gettysburg came out of the break hot, and scored five straight over a 7 minute, 40 second timespan. Kessler tallied two in the stretch, while Howard, Dunleavy, and
Quinton Mather (Avon, Conn./Avon Old Farms) each had one. Swarthmore attempted three shots, but none of them were on target throughout the span. With 2:48 showing in the third, Mabbs dished to Clay Almgren to get the Garnet their first goal of the second half. With one second remaining in the quarter, Mabbs scored again to bring Swarthmore within three going into the fourth quarter.
• Several turnovers by both teams started the fourth quarter, before a Gettysburg penalty allowed Swarthmore to score the first man-up goal of the game, bringing them within two goals, 11-9. Each team took a couple shots after the opening goal, but it was the Garnet again who found the back of the net with 6:45 remaining in regulation as they closed within one goal. A crucial turnover and ground ball pickup by Barbera in the final two minutes of play caused Gettysburg to take a timeout to set up their offense, but out of the strategy session the Garnet got the ball right back and took their own timeout. Rex Mabbs scored the final goal of regulation with 24 seconds remaining to make it an 11-11 game and force overtime.
• In the overtime period, Swarthmore won the first faceoff and went to cage. Carter Strauch scored the golden goal only 34 seconds into overtime to give Swarthmore the win, 12-11.
THE INSIDE STORY
• Gettysburg outshot Swarthmore by a one-shot margin of 34-33.
• Swarthmore won 14 faceoffs, while Gettysburg was victorious in 10.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action at Franklin & Marshall on Wednesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
