Hickory, N.C. – The No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Lacrosse Team (17-2) advanced to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals with a 14-12 win over No. 10 Colorado Mesa (17-3) Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinal round at Moretz Stadium. The Bears are the top seed in the South Region while the Mavericks are seeded fourth.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 14, Colorado Mesa 12
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (17-2), Colorado Mesa (17-3)
Location: Moretz Stadium | Hickory, N.C.
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STATS OF THE GAME:
• Lenoir-Rhyne was led by senior midfielder
Ben Corrigan (Alpharetta, Ga.) – three goals and four assists – for seven total points while sophomore midfielder
Eric Dickinson (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior attacker
Ryan Bell (Havre de Grace, Md.) both scored twice as the Bears avenged a 13-12 loss to Colorado Mesa on Saturday, February 24, at home.
• Colorado Mesa, who had its 10-game losing streak snapped, was led by Joe Wulforst, IV (Half Hallow, N.Y.) and
Brandon Wilson (Rolling Hills Estate, Calif.) with three goals each.
• Trailing by an 11-10 score with just over six minutes left, Lenoir-Rhyne took control with four straight goals including three in the final three minutes. Bell scored the game-winner with 2:47 remaining in the contest.
• Both goalkeepers were outstanding – Lenoir-Rhyne senior goalkeeper
Ryan Crompton (Frederick, Md.) earned the win after stopping 17 shots while Remi Reeves (Telford, Pa.) made 19 saves in the setback for Colorado Mesa. LR also held a 53-44 advantage in shots taken.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• With a goal and an assist, Lenoir-Rhyne junior attacker
Joe Buduo (Shrewsbury, Mass.) increased his single-season record totals to 60 goals (South Atlantic Conference-high) and 88 points.
• Lenoir-Rhyne is 40-5 in its past 45 games and advanced to the national semifinals for the first time in school history.
• Lenoir-Rhyne improved to 5-0 on the year when a team was ranked in the top ten nationally at the time of competition.
UP NEXT:
Lenoir-Rhyne will host Saint Leo (15-2), the sixth-ranked team in the nation, next Sunday in the national semifinals at 2:00 p.m. The second-seeded Lions defeated No. 7 and third-seeded Tampa (15-5) by a 12-11 score in overtime today in a quarterfinal game at home.
