Panthers Claim North Region Title
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - For the 13th time in program history, the Adelphi Panthers are headed to the NCAA DII Men's Lacrosse National Championship. AU defeated conference foe Saint Anselm, 12-9, Sunday in front of 1,375 fans at Motamed Field to claim the North Region title and a berth to Philadelphia. The 13 appearances in the DII final break a tie with Limestone for most in NCAA history.
The trip to Memorial Day weekend marks Adelphi's first since 2011, ending a 12 season title game drought - the longest in program history. The Panthers now look to claim their eighth national championship -- the most in DII -- and first since 2001. The title game marks a rematch from earlier this season after No. 2 seed Lenoir-Rhyne emerged from the South Region with a 15-14 win over No. 1 Tampa. The Bears won the year's prior meeting with Adelphi, 7-3, on February 24th.
Adelphi goalie Dylan Renner continued his strong case as the most important, if not the best, player in Division II. The senior stopped 17 shots Saturday vs. Saint Anselm and held the Hawks under 10 goals for the third time this season. Adelphi is the only team to hold St. A's to single digit scoring this year, something it's now done to 16 of 18 opponents.
The Panthers jumped out to an early advantage, scoring off a Kyle Lewis shot just a minute into the game. Saint Anselm's Jake Davis responded 40 seconds later with the early equalizer, but AU would score the next four goals for a 5-1 lead.
Saint Anselm would threaten with the next two goals for a 5-3 game, but Adelphi stretched it from there, at one point leading 10-4 before the Hawks closed the gap with five goals in the fourth quarter.
Logan Tucker and Braden Donnellan each dropped hat tricks with two assists for five point games. The Hawks were led by hat tricks from Jake Davis and Jack Andrews. Rookie keeper Finn Granara made 11 saves. The Hawks' Quinn Gannon was dominant at the faceoff X with a 13-for-15 day.
Saint Anselm ends its season having advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the first time in program history.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
