May 10, 2008

by Paul Ohanian, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - By all rights, No. 12 Denison should have beaten No. 3 Gettysburg in Saturday's NCAA Division III men's lacrosse tournament second-round game.

Led by the play of its senior goalie Alex Baruch, the Big Red had kept the Bullets in check most of the afternoon. As he's done with most opponents this year, the nation's leader in save percentage (.704) frustrated Gettysburg's shooters with an array of acrobatic saves that fueled the Big Red's hopes for the upset.

And when Denison's senior midfielder Rick Mackessy netted his second goal of the game to push his team ahead, 7-6, with 3:41 remaining, it looked like it might actually happen.

But in the end, Gettysburg found a way, defeating Denison 8-7 in overtime.

Sophomore attackman Joe Brody's unassisted goal on a left-handed runner from eight yards beat a screened Baruch with 1:03 left, forcing overtime.

Then senior Ben Sufrin, who had already scored twice, stole the hero's mantle from Baruch.

Sufrin drew the short-stick defender on Gettysburg's second possession in the extra period and capitalized. Starting up top, he dodged left, saw his defender slip a bit, and shot to Baruch's off-stick side. The goal ended Denison's upset hopes and its 11-game winning streak with 1:59 remaining in overtime.

"I just wanted to take advantage of [having the short-stick] and shoot one and make it stick," said Sufrin. "We knew we didn't want to give the ball back without getting a decent shot."

The Bullets now advance to Wednesday's quarterfinal and will host the winner of Sunday's Washington College-Lynchburg game. Gettysburg (16-2) will make its fifth straight and 17th overall quarterfinal round appearance.

"The most important thing is just being with these guys," said Sufrin. "We just want to keep these days going."

Despite netting three goals, Sufrin applauded Baruch's effort.

"He was having a good day and making us work," said Ben Sufrin. "He's a real active goalie and throws his legs out a lot. He's tough."

Saturday's tightly contested game featured six tie scores. Gettysburg's only lead in the game, until the end, was at 1-0.

The sloppy game saw the teams combine for 39 turnovers and nine penalties. Denison converted on two of its four extra-man opportunities in the first half and led 3-2 at halftime, holding the Bullets to their lowest first half scoring total season.

Back-to-back third quarter goals by Brady Burton (2g) and Dan Maude (1g,1a) gave Denison (14-3) its largest lead at 5-3 with 4:21 left in the quarter. Sufrin's first goal, late in the quarter, pulled Gettysburg to within one at the start of the final stanza.

Kyle McGrath's third goal for Gettysburg tied the score at five just 24 seconds into the quarter. Denison forged ahead twice more, but Gettysburg bounced back each time.

"That's an All-American goalie and he played that way today," said Gettysburg coach Hank Janczyk of Baruch (13 saves). "I give that kid a lot of credit. He played great."

Denison, which won 11 of 19 faceoffs, had one possession in overtime and held the ball for almost a minute before throwing it out-of-bounds. The Big Red failed to take a shot during the possession.

Denison coach Matt McGinnis lauded his defense following the emotional ending.

"It's hard to score against our guys," said McGinnis. "Defense is where it starts, and having Alex back there, it's like having another coach on the field. I really thought we were going to be moving forward. I told the kids to keep their heads up. We've accomplished a lot this season."