Le Moyne Tops Limestone to Advance to DII Men's Championship Game

Will face Mercyhurst in the final

May 19, 2007

From NCAA Sports

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (www.ncaasports.com) - Senior Matt Cassalia (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) and junior Mike McDonald (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) scored three goals each to lead the Le Moyne College men's lacrosse team to an 8-5 victory over Limestone College in the NCAA Division II national semifinals at the Thomas J. Niland Athletic Complex. The Dolphins (14-2) will be making their second consecutive trip and third in four years to the National Championship game. Le Moyne, winners of the national championship in the two previous trips, will play Mercyhurst College on Sunday May 27 at 4:30 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Limestone ends their season at 14-2.

The Saints jumped on the board first with a goal by senior attackman Ryan Collins at the 12:08 mark of the first quarter. Le Moyne responded with the first of four straight goals 33 seconds later on Cassalia's first of the game. Le Moyne went up 2-1 on Cassalia's second goal of the game at the 9:19 mark of the first quarter. McDonald closed out the scoring in the opening quarter by putting in his first of the game with 5:58 remaining in the quarter to give the Dolphins a 3-1 edge. Junior attackman Nick Gatto (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) scored the only goal of the second quarter with 8:51 remaining to put Le Moyne up 4-1.


 

 

Limestone jumped out of the intermission with three goals in the opening four minutes of the third quarter to knot the score at four. Junior midfielder Justin Haworth scored his first of three goals on the afternoon 35 seconds into the quarter. Junior defenseman Matt Pindar scored less than a minute later to cut the Le Moyne lead to 4-3. Haworth scored his second goal of the game at the 11:00 mark to tie the score. McDonald scored Le Moyne's only third quarter goal with 7:22 remaining to give them a 5-4 advantage.

After a scoreless drought in the game of over 13 minutes, Cassalia scored his third goal of the game to put Le Moyne up 6-4. McDonald scored his third goal just over a minute later to give the Dolphins a 7-4 lead. Haworth cut the lead back to two with his third goal of the game with 2:45 remaining. Cassalia won the ensuing face-off and found a cutting Brian Cost (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) in front of the goal for his first goal of the game.

Senior goalkeeper Jared Corcoran (Concord, N.H./Concord) made seven saves in goal to improve his career record to 60-2 at Le Moyne. Limestone's Marty Ward registered 11 saves in the set-back.

Le Moyne and Mercyhurst, 13-10 winners over New York Institute of Technology in the other semifinal match-up, will face-off for the second time this season. Le Moyne topped the Lakers 8-7 in overtime on March 10th in Erie, Pennsylvania.

-- Courtesy Le Moyne