THE FACTS
No. 6 Gettysburg (2-1) 11, No. 17 Stevenson (2-2) 9
What: Non-conference men's lacrosse game
When: Saturday, March 2
Where: Gettysburg, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
Gettysburg, ranked sixth in the latest USILA poll, used a five-goal second quarter and strong goalie play to escape from 17th-ranked Stevenson, 11-9.
THE LEADERS
•
Chase Morgan (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) saved a career-high 20 shots and picked up two ground balls.
•
Charlie Johnson (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) led the team offensively with four goals and one assist, along with four ground balls.
FOR THE FOES
• Max Racich led all players with five goals for the Mustangs.
THE REST OF THE STORY
•
Charlie Johnson dished to
Quinton Mather (Avon, Conn./Avon Old Farms) just over three minutes in for the first goal of the day, but Stevenson quickly evened the score with a goal by Darrell Curtis. A man-up opportunity allowed Racich to get his first of the day and give the Mustangs the early lead. Multiple turnovers by each team filled the next seven minutes of play, with
Jack Dunleavy (New Providence, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) sneaking a goal in the final seven seconds of the first to tie it up again, 2-all.
• Neither team found the back of the next in the opening five minutes, leading to Gettysburg calling a timeout. Almost immediately out of the break, Johnson scored his first goal of the day for a 3-2 Bullets lead. Two Morgan saves gave Gettysburg possession with 6:46 left in the half, and
Colin Johnston (Northport, N.Y./St. Anthony's) got the ball to Dunleavy for a two-goal Gettysburg advantage. However, Stevenson countered quickly with two won faceoffs and two goals, all in under a minute, to tie the game for the third time, 4-all. Dunleavy had the assist on a
Patrick Maroney (Hingham, Mass./Boston College H.S.) goal before
Charlie Johnson (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) finished one off on his own to give Gettysburg back their two-goal lead. Stevenson used the faceoff to their advantage, with Conor Halpin winning the ball at the X and immediately dishing to Curtis for Stevenson's fifth goal. Dunleavy got another goal from
Ethan Kessler (Ridgefield, Conn./Millbrook School) for a 7-5 Gettysburg lead at half.
• Racich scored just 54 seconds into the third quarter to once again trim the Gettysburg lead to just one goal, but a
Will Hedley (Charlotte, N.C./The Hotchkiss School) faceoff win allowed Kessler to collect the pass and get the margin back out to two goals. Racich and Johnson traded goals to make it a 9-7 game, and Johnson took a second-chance shot in the final three seconds of the period to give the Bullets their largest lead of the game, 10-7.
• Stevenson opened the final quarter of play by again taking advantage of the faceoff X. Halpin won the faceoff and went straight to cage to score Stevenson's eighth goal. With 12:53 left to play, Kessler got the ball to Mather for Gettysburg's final tally, and just 41 seconds later Racich scored his fifth goal of the day and the Mustangs' last tally. Each team shot several times in the final 12 minutes, but neither could find the back of the net for an 11-9 final.
THE INSIDE STORY
• Both teams took 38 shots. Stevenson had the narrow 27-26 advantage in ground balls.
• Dunleavy finished with three goals and two assists as the other Bullet with five points on the day.
• Kessler totaled three points on one goal and two assists.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action against Washington and Lee on Saturday. Game time is 1:00 p.m.
