MEDFORD, Mass. - The 16th-ranked Dickinson men's lacrosse team saw their quest for a repeat trip to the NCAA Division III National Championship Game come to an unfortunate halt on Saturday night as the 17th-ranked Middlebury College jumped out to a 9-0 lead en route to a 13-8 victory in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament at Bello Field on the campus of top-ranked Tufts University. The Red and White were led on the day by four goals from
Ramsey Huggins.
First Quarter
- Both keepers were under pressure early as Rocco Bognet denied Will Ford less than a minute in, while Hayden Kern had an answer for both Luke Whalen and Huggins.
- After Logan White made it 1-0, Ryan Backus won the ensuing faceoff to Ethan Ackerman, but the ensuing chances for Ben Monroe and Caleb Oliver missed the mark.
- Middlebury then took the next seven shots resulting in four Panther tallies to extend the margin to 5-0 still with 5:31 to play.
- Mac Childs recorded the only other offering for the Devils in the frame, unfortunately, it sailed off the mark.
Second Quarter
- The score jumped out to 7-0 with three minutes off the clock on strikes for Will Leahy and White.Â
- Dickinson tried to end the charge with an attempt from long-pole Jack Broderick, but Kern was up to the task. Ford then scored on back-to-back shots extending the cushion to 9-0.
- The Devils finally cracked the board at the 5:50 mark when Preston Boyd connected with Landen Hyatt who bested Kern.
- Three minutes later Sam Bunten knocked the ball away from Charlie O'Connor allowing Boyd to find Monroe for the Devils next (9-2).
- Huggins capped off the three-goal run to end the half making it 9-3 heading to the break.
Third Quarter
- Whalen linked up with Boyd 1:52 into the period to cut one more off the deficit (9-4).
- A trio of stops by Bognet and a turnover caused by Hayden Warren helped the Red and White to keep the Panthers offense at-bay which gave Huggins the ability to make it 9-5 thru three.
Fourth Quarter
- After Backus won the opening draw chances from both Drew Stark and Boyd went wide leaving the door open for James Farinacci to cash in at the 2:04 mark.
- Just over a minute later following a DC giveaway White solved Bognet once again to push the lead to 11-5.
- Ackerman caused a turnover from Ged Gengras which allowed Huggins to notch his 30th of the season. However, Cooper DeMallie answered right back to have the Panthers "doubling up" the Devils at 12-6.
- Huggins and Whalen each buried the rock one more time, but it was not enough as Middlebury held on for the 13-8 win.
Dickinson Top Performers
- Goals - Huggins (4), Boyd, Hyatt, Monroe and Whalen (1)
- Assists - Boyd (3), Whalen (1)
- Faceoffs - Backus (4-19), Chase Squires (0-4), Andrew Atkins (0-2)
- Caused Turnovers - Warren (2), Ackerman, Bunten and Ferrant (1)
- Saves - Bognet (6)
Opponent Top Performers
- Goals - DeMallie and Ford (4), White (3)
- Assists - White (5)
- Faceoffs - Filippelli (21-25)
- Caused Turnovers - Five players tied (1)
- Saves - Kern (8)
Dickinson ends their season at 15-4, while Middlebury advances to tomorrow night's third round game against defending national champion Tufts University at 7:30pm.
