Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/13/17
From Press Release
The Cabrini men’s lacrosse team made its reservation for the NCAA Tournament national quarterfinal round with today’s wire to wire 17-9 victory at No. 10 Franklin & Marshall.
The No. 9 Cavaliers will face No. 1 and defending NCAA champion Salisbury on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to next weekend’s national semifinal round.
Today’s victory extended the Blue and White’s current win streak to 12 games and improved the club to 17-3, tying the program record for wins in a season. This also marks the second time that the Cavaliers have scored two NCAA Tournament victories in a campaign.
Eight Cavaliers marked the scoring column in today’s win, led by freshman Tyler Kostack (Marple Newtown), who paired four goals and two assists. Sophomore Timmy Brooks (Haverford School) matched the rookie with four goals, while freshman Jake Klein (Wilson) recorded four assists.
Sophomore Jordan Krug (Cherokee-NJ) and senior Evan Downey added three points each, combining for five goals and an assist.
Once again, the Cabrini attack was sparked by control at the faceoff spot, as junior Riley Michaels (Pottsgrove) went 20-30 at the X and matched Downey with six ground balls. Kostack and Brooks also secured five ground balls, one more than freshman Matt Nestler.
Nestler posted seven saves to record the victory, while fellow rookie Tommy DeLuca posted two of the Blue and White’s nine caused turnovers.
Kostack’s unassisted goal put the Cavaliers on the board 73 seconds into the action, but the Diplomats evened the score three minutes later. Michaels won the ensuing faceoff, as Downey scooped the loose ball and put Cabrini ahead eight seconds later.
The goal was the first of four consecutive Blue and White goals in a 4:23 span, a run that gave Cabrini a cushion it would not relinquish. Kostack. Brooks and Krug scored as the Cavaliers built a 5-1 lead. F&M regained some momentum with two goals late in the first period.
Cabrini pushed its lead to 8-3 in the opening minutes of the second, as senior Steve Halko (Springfield-Delco), Kostack and freshman Drew Hanna (Penncrest) scored in the first four minutes of the second quarter. Once again, the Diplomats scored twice, as the Blue and White went scoreless for more than 11 minutes.
Krug ended the scoring drought with two ticks left on the clock, as Cabrini took a 9-5 lead into the half.
The teams exchanged goals early in the third quarter, but a 5-0 spurt for the Cavaliers put the game away. Krug and Kostack tallied two points each during the eight minute frenzy, as Cabrini built an insurmountable 15-6 lead after three quarters.
Cabrini outshot F&M 50-31 on the day, including 29-15 in the first and third quarters. The Cavaliers also secured 44 ground balls to just 24 for the Diplomats.
Sean Rogers led F&M (16-3) with four goals and an assist, as the Diplomats saw their 16 games in streak come to an end. Harry Rice added three goals, while goaltender Scott Hatch recorded eight saves. Anthony Dougherty (Archbishop Wood) and Tommy O’Connor both caused two turnovers. Defender Nick Zenobio paced the tram with five ground balls, while goalkeeper Scott Hatch and Dougherty had three each.
Salisbury (19-1) advanced to Wednesday’s quarterfinal with a 25-12 win over No. 18 Hampden-Sydney today. The Sea Gulls outscored H-SC 15-2 in the second and third quarters to establish a 22-5 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Cabrini handed Salisbury its only loss over the last two seasons, as Klein’s overtime goal gave the Blue and White an 11-10 win at Edith Robb Dixon Field on April 14.