ADRIAN, Mich. – The top-seeded Adrian College men's lacrosse team advanced to the first ever Midwest Lacrosse Conference Tournament Championship with a 19-6 win over Carthage College in the semi-finals. The Bulldogs record now stands at 14-2 on the season.
Carthage caught the Bulldogs off-guard in the opening minute as the Red Men won the initial faceoff and took the ball down to score just 47 seconds into the game. That would be the only lead of the game for Carthage as the Bulldogs came to life. Adrian scored the next three goals in the period, including two by junior David Monroe (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) to close out the first period leading 3-1.
The Bulldogs scored three goals just 1:07 apart to open the second period. Adrian would score eight unanswered goals in the period to take a commanding 11-1 lead at the half. Junior T.J. Cook (Caledon, Ont./Upper Canada College) netted a hat trick in the second period, including one on a man-up opportunity.
Sophomore John Hudzinski (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) opened the third period with a man-up goal just 19 seconds in. Adrian would score twice more before the Red Men were finally able to break the Bulldogs streak of 14 consecutive goals. The Bulldogs ended the period scoring twice to lead 16-2 going into the final period.
Freshman Tom Thielman (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) scored his second goal of the game to open the fourth. Both teams traded goals over the final few minutes of the period as Carthage would net the final two goals of the game including one on a man-up chance.
Monroe, Cook and Hudzinski led the Bulldogs with a game-high three goals. Cook added two assists on the day. Senior Josh Maluta (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and junior Scott Krystiniak (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) each had a game-high three assists while adding in a goal. Junior Tyler Tanguay (Port Colborne, Ont./Lakeshore Catholic) and Thielman each scored twice while Tanguay dished out two assists. Junior Mitch Barnard (Springwater Township, Ont./Eastview Secondary School) went an outstanding 18-for-23 on faceoffs while picking up a game-high 12 groundballs.
In goal, freshman Matthew Neal (Shelby Twp., Mich./De La Salle) earn his 10th win of the season allowing three goals while making nine saves. Fellow freshman Kevin Lerg (Farmington Hills, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) came on in relief to finish out the last seven minutes of the game.
Adrian controlled every aspect of the game on the day. The Bulldogs outshot Carthage 52-to-28. Adrian held a 37-to-22 advantage in groundballs recovered. The Bulldogs held a 20-to-8 advantage in faceoffs won. Adrian was a near perfect 16-for-17 in clear attempts while the Red Men were 12-for-16. Adrian went 2-for-3 in man-up opportunities while Carthage was 1-for-5.
Adrian will play the winner of Mount St. Joseph and Aurora in the championship game at 1:00pm at Performance Stadium in Adrian.
