Men's Lacrosse | 5/11/2024 6:14:00 PM
MIDDLETOWN, CT. – In what head coach Dave Dobbins calls the most historic win in program history, the St. John Fisher University men's lacrosse team (13-7) upset No. 5 nationally ranked Wesleyan University (15-4) on Wesleyan's home turf, 15-13, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament Saturday.
Falling behind early to a 4-0 Wesleyan run, the Cardinals got on the board with 5:53 left in the first with a goal from senior midfielder Jordan Leuze, assisted by senior attacker Timmy Salit. That started a four-goal run that brought Fisher into a 4-4 tie with Wesleyan, but Wesleyan responded with two more goals to move to 6-4.
And then came the big run, as the Cardinals scored six unanswered goals, including two more from Leuze, to catapult into a 10-6 lead. The two squads traded goals the rest of the way, and Wesleyan narrowed the lead to as little as one in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals would never trail again on the way to the 15-13 victory.
Leuze led the team with five goals and an assist, while senior Matthew Kemmis scored three goals and three assists. Freshman Sean Donaldson scored twice, including the go-ahead goal that gave Fisher the 7-6 lead in the second that put them ahead for good. Junior Brady Mason led the team in assists, with five, and also scored a goal.
Joe Urlacher and Andrew Corbin led defensemen with two caused turnovers each, while senior Ben Hammond had an excellent day in net against one of the top teams in the country making 13 saves.
Fisher now faces a familiar foe in St. Lawrence University in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday. A win would send the Cardinals to their first "Elite Eight" in program history. Game time is 3 p.m.
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