CARLISLE, Pa. - The top-seeded and seventh-ranked Dickinson men's lacrosse team will go in search of their fifth Centennial Conference crown on Saturday afternoon when they welcome the second-seeded Gettysburg College Bullets to Biddle Field for a 1 p.m. faceoff with NCAA Automatic Qualifying spot on the line.
Game Information
Opponent - No. 18 Gettysburg College Bullets
Date - Saturday, May 7th
Time - 1:00 p.m.
Location - Carlisle, Pa. (Biddle Field)
Media Links - Live Stats | Live Video | Game Program
Weather Advisory!
Saturday looks to be a wet and rainy affair so be prepared with your rain gear as we want RED DEVIL NATION to be out in full support and voice as they were on Wednesday night! Umbrellas will be permitted inside the stadium, but must not be infringing upon another spectator's view of the action.
Regular Season Meeting - #8 DEVILS 15, #17 Bullets 9
Dickinson enters the contest winners of 17 in a row, which includes a home win against the Bullets back on April 20th. The game was tied at 1-1 early in first before tallies by Will Farrell (2) and Matt Thurston gave the Red and White a 4-2 edge after one. Dickinson took command in the second by outscoring the visitors 5-2 as Thurston netted a pair of man-up goals while Sam Campbell (2) and Skyler Schluter contributed to the attack stretching the lead to 9-4 at the break. Gettysburg had their best quarter coming out of the half scoring three of the opening four goals to trim the deficit to 10-7 with 5:55 left. The Devils recorded the next two markers with Jake Giotto and Thurston hitting the back of the net. The Bullets kept fighting though closing the gap to 12-9 after 45-minutes thanks to late goals from Jack Dunleavy and Brady McGovern. The final period belonged to the Red and White as they tallied the only three markers of the contest to close out the 15-9 victory. Chris Brandau made ten stops for the Devils, while Scott Macmillan recorded seven saves between the pipes for Gettysburg.
Inside the Devils Den (17-0, 8-0 Centennial)
Chasing History
The Red and White are now just one win shy of equaling the best start in the history of the program at 18-0 which occurred back in the 2013 season. During that historical run in 2013, Dickinson went 15-0 in the regular campaign, before pushing the record to 18-0 after two wins in the Centennial Conference tournament and one in the NCAA Tournament. The charge ended in the NCAA Quarterfinals with a hard-fought 11-9 loss to Salisbury University.
Brutal Schedule
The Red Devils are about as battle-tested as one could hope for having squared off against six nationally-ranked teams (at the time of playing them): #12 Stevens Institute of Technology (W, 13-6), #10 Cabrini (W, 9-7), #16 Stevenson (W, 11-10), #18 Denison (W, 14-10), #10 Franklin & Marshall (W, 13-11), and #17 Gettysburg (W, 15-9). They have also faced-off with four other teams that were receiving votes: Elizabethtown (W, 13-12), Ursinus (W, 14-11), Muhlenberg (W, 14-10), and Ursinus (W, 13-12).
First-Year Phenoms
Attackmen Owen Porter and Thurston have been the main catalysts for the Red Devil attack all season as they have combined for 125 points on 92 goals and 33 assists. Thurston leads the Centennial Conference in goals with 54, while Porter ranks fourth with 38. Ethan Guess and Colin Williams have contributed nine goals and nine helpers.
The Rest of the Attack
Also filling up the nets for the Devils have been the group of Tucker Booth (14), James Isaacson (19), Campbell (28), Farrell (28), and Schluter (27) as they have been key cogs in the attack along with the potent first-year duo.
Sharing the Rock
Dickinson's new single-season assist record holder as well as Centennial Conference leader Schluter who handed out his 36th of the campaign to break the previous mark of 35 set in 2013. Booth is next on the leaderboard with 18, followed by Porter (15), Thurston (14), and Isaacson (10).
Gaelic Guard
The upperclassmen trio of Teddy Macfarlane, Peter O'Sullivan, and McCloskey have been as vital to the Devils success on the defensive end as each of them has caused double-digit turnovers with Macfarlane pacing the squad with 18 apiece to go along with 28 groundballs. The duo of McCloskey and O'Sullivan have added a combined 32 caused turnovers while racking up 64 loose balls. In addition to this stalwart trio ten members of the Red and White have forced five or more turnovers.
Strong at the Dot
Dickinson has had the top faceoff man in the conference as well as sophomore John McKee has racked up 208 wins out of 357 attempts and has tracked down 108 groundballs which also leads the Centennial by 20 over his next closest competitor. Michael Crawford and Ben Trucksess have also helped out at the X winning a combined 43 draws. In the previous matchup with Gettysburg, the Devils took 19 of 28 faceoffs led by McKee who went 18-25.
The Keepers of the Cage
Brandau was solid again on Wednesday night nine saves in the win. His .579 save percentage continues to be tops in the Centennial Conference, while his 9.71 goals-against average ranks him fourth to go along with a stellar 12-0 record. Dickinson has also shown that they have a very capable number two in Patrick Scarborough who recorded a 5-0 record with a .620 save percentage and an 8.62 GAA.
Across the Battlefield (12-6, 6-2 Centennial)
Gettysburg much like the Red Devils had to fight hard to earn their spot in the title game as Kieran Ward buried the rock with ten-seconds left to break an 11-11 tie and pick up a 12-11 home victory over the visiting Muhlenberg College Mules in the other Centennial semifinal. Four Bullets recorded multiple goals on the day led by four from George Raymond, while Spencer Knife, Quinton Mather, and Aidan Wykoff each chipped in two. Between the pipes, Scott MacMillan made a dozen saves, including one of Ethan Grossman with a minute left to allow for Ward to get the game-winner. The Bullets are paced by five players with 20-plus goals led by Raymond on 35, followed by Knife (27), Mather (26), Griffin Gallagher (24), and Ward (21). The duo of Knife and Raymond have combined for 52 of Gettysburg's 124 assists on the campaign. Three Bullets have been credited with 20 or more caused turnovers with Andy Marquet leading the group with 27, while Zack Puckhaber and Declan Harrigan have added 26 and 22 respectively. Jonathan Moshe is their top guy at the X posting a mark of 161-331 on the season for a .486 win percentage. MacMillan has started every game in cage for Gettysburg and has a conference-leading 8.80 goals-against average to go along with a .551 save percentage which ranks fourth in the Centennial. The Bullets are led by first-year head coach Peter Toner. Gettysburg has become a fixture in the championship game as Saturday will mark their sixth-straight appearance and are going in search of title number eleven.
Familiar Foe
This weekend will be the third time that the Red Devils and Bullets are meeting in the title game with the Red and White holding a 2-0 record. The first matchup was contested back in 2011 in Carlisle with the Devils escaping a tight defensive battle with a 6-5 win thanks to a marker by Matt Cherry with nine-seconds left in the third. Then in 2018, Dickinson had to rally back from a 6-4 halftime deficit to claim a 9-8 win at the battlefield.
Up Next - NCAA Tournament?
The winner of the game will be the Centennial Conference champion and earn the league's automatic NCAA Tournament berth. The loser of the contest will have a strong case for an at-large bid into the big dance which will be announced on Sunday night at 9 p.m..
