Adelphi loses Division II lacrosse final
Adelphi's Kevin Kennedy sits defeated as Mercyhurst's team celebrates the win over Adelphi. (May 29, 2011) Credit: Joe Rogate
BALTIMORE -- The shot was hard. Kieran Riegel's voice was soft. "I thought I had him beat,'' the Adelphi midfielder said.
On the Panthers' final possession, Riegel (Island Trees) took a pass from Ken Fundus (Massapequa) and broke free down the right sideline. While on the run, Riegel fired a bouncer that deflected high off the shoulder of goalie Zach Nash with three seconds left. The ball caromed to a defender and was tossed harmlessly away as the clock ran out.
Mercyhurst hung on for a tense 9-8 victory Sunday over Adelphi in the NCAA Division II men's lacrosse championship game at M&T Bank Stadium.
"It's the shot I wanted. I felt good when it left my hand,'' said Riegel, who beat St. Michael's on April 26 on a similar shot in overtime. "I wanted to bounce it. He jumped up at the last second. Then I looked up and there was no time left.''
The Panthers (16-3), led by Joe Vitale (Lynbrook) with three goals and two assists, were in position to force overtime because of a gritty rally. Ian Wild's fourth goal put the Lakers (14-2) ahead 9-6 with 2:15 left in the third quarter. But Tommy Susko (Holy Trinity) scored unassisted 53 seconds later, and Danny Blau (Farmingdale) curled from behind the cage for a brilliant, over-the-shoulder, no-look shot to make it 9-8 with 6:29 left.
Mercyhurst (Erie, Pa.) reverted to its familiar stall-warning tactics and ran two minutes off the clock. When the Lakers called timeout with possession and 2:55 left, it was clear they had no intention of attacking the cage. Adelphi forced the action, however, sending goalie Eric Janssen (Hicksville) out to double-team. That nearly cost the Panthers, as Andy Winslow had a wide-open net but was stick-checked from behind by Rory Duddy (Comsewogue), sending the ball high and wide.
The Panthers, without a timeout, got the ball back with 16 seconds left and raced upfield. Fundus zigzagged into the open and delivered his pass to Riegel, who had scored twice.
"I had a great view of the last play,'' Adelphi coach Gordon Purdie said. "Kieran is a great shooter and he often makes that shot. It was a bouncer going high. Unfortunately, that ball didn't get through. The goalie made a great save.''
Janssen (13 saves) bemoaned a couple he didn't stop. "I was a little jittery and I wasn't seeing the ball well in the first half,'' he said. "They changed the level of their shots and it frustrated me.''
He was particularly distressed over a sequence late in the first half when Mercyhurst's Kevin Coholan scored with two seconds left for a 5-4 halftime lead.
"We played a terrific 2 minutes and 26 seconds of defense with an amazing zone package," Janssen said. "It was a 15-yard shot and I didn't pick it up. I got a piece of it but not enough. I don't think it was a dagger. We've come back before. It's unfortunate that our defense played a great game and I let them down.''
Riegel came oh-so-close to providing the ultimate pick-me-up for Janssen, a second-team All-American, and the rest of the Panthers.
"A heartbreaker,'' Riegel said.
LIer leads Salisbury to title. Matt Cannone (Bethpage) had two goals and two assists to lead Salisbury (Md.) State to a 19-7 win over Tufts in the Division III final at M&T Bank Stadium.
