Devils and Jumbos for the National Title Sunday Night in Foxborough
CARLISLE, Pa. – The four-time defending Centennial Conference champion Dickinson men’s lacrosse team have become the darling story of the lacrosse world and will attempt to make program history on Sunday night when they attempt to down what some are referring to as the “evil empire” in the top-seeded and undefeated Jumbos of Tufts University in the Division III National Championship Game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Opening faceoff is slated for 7pm. It will be the first trip to the title game for the Red Devils under the Division III segment of the NCAA as the Red and White did claim the 1958 NCAA Championship, before their were divisions recognized by the NCAA.
Game Information
Opponent – No. 1 Tufts University Jumbos
Date – Sunday, May 25th
Time – 7:00 p.m.
Location – Foxborough, Mass. (Gillette Stadium)
Media Links – Live Stats | Live Video | Tickets
RED OUT GILLETTE!
All of RED DEVIL NATION that is making the trip to Massachusetts is encouraged to WEAR RED and sit in sections 110-112 which will be located directly behind the Red Devils bench.
Inside the Devils Den (17-5, 7-1 Centennial)
History Made in Rochester
Dickinson continued their magical run last weekend in upstate New York by picking up a pair of wins against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the host Rochester Institute of Technology. First on Saturday, goals from Landen Hyatt (Ben Trucksess assist) and Charlie Baughan made it 2-0 in the first three minutes, but the Engineers answered back with two in a row to draw even. However, Luke Whalen, Hyatt (Capp Reynolds assist), Ramsey Huggins (Whalen assist) and Trucksess responded with four straight to open up a 6-2 edge. RPI collected two of the final three in the second to leave it at 7-4 heading to the break. Strikes in the third period for Huggins and Matt Thurston gave DC a 9-6 advantage entering the fourth. The Engineers battled back hard over the final 15 minutes tallying four times, but markers Whalen and Huggins (Preston Boyd assist) helped the Red and White to secure the 11-9 victory. Then a day later the Devils were back at it with a trip to the title game on the line against the host RIT Tigers. Things could not have started better for the visitors as tallies for Carter Wilmot, Ethan Gess (Jamie Book assist) and Baughan gave the Devils a 4-1 lead after one. After a goal from Hyatt (Gess assist) opened the gap to 5-1, the Tigers bagged five of the next six to draw level at 6-6 with 9:26 to go in the third period. Dickinson then answered back in grand style as Gess (Boyd assist), Huggins and Hyatt (Baughan assist) each struck in a three-minute window to jump out to a 9-6 edge. However, the teams would share the next four goals to close the period with Hyatt and Ethan Ferrant scoring for DC making it 11-8 with a quarter to go. Baughan would clinch the first trip to the Division III Championship Game by making it 12-10 inside a minute left.
Regular Season Overview
Dickinson began the season with an 11-6 home setback to 13th-ranked Stevens, but then ripped off three straight wins against University of Scranton (7-2), Roanoke College (14-6) and Kenyon College (18-5). Then, some injuries took a toll on the Red and White for a bit as they were tripped up by a trio of nationally-ranked foes in #19 Stevenson University (10-16), #3 Rochester Institute of Technology (7-24) and #13 Washington and Lee University (8-11). However, coming out of that brutal stretch the Devils collected four consecutive conference victories over Washington College (15-8), McDaniel College (15-5), #13 Swarthmore College (11-9) and Ursinus College (17-6). Then, in one of the most anticipated games not only of the conference season, but in all of DIII lacrosse when the Red and White visited Gettysburg College for the top spot in the conference on the line. In one of the best games of the year that was “nip and tuck” all day long Whalen scored with a minute left to tie the game, before Ethan Kessler claimed an overtime winner to get the Bullets past DC (12-13). That setback just seemed to spark the Devils as they ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak versus St. Mary’s College of Maryland (14-11), Franklin and Marshall College (9-8), Haverford College (15-5) and Muhlenberg College (11-7).
Four-Peat Completed
This year’s group of Red Devils became the first school to post a four-peat in the Centennial Conference since Gettysburg College ran off six straight titles from 2004-2009.
All-Conference Honors
The Red and White had seven players named to the All-Centennial Conference squad as the senior duo of Evan Karetsos and Ben Trucksess were accompanied by sophomore Luke Whalen on First Team. Junior Landen Hyatt along with sophomore Jack Deady were tabbed for Second Team, while junior Sam Bunten and rookie Tommy Baldini grabbed Honorable Mention.
Dynamic Duo
The duo of Gess and Hyatt have combined for 108 points on the campaign. Hyatt leads the team in goals with 51 and has chipped in five assists, while Gess has 23 markers with a team-high 29 helpers.
The Rest of the Attack
Dickinson has six other players that have tallied ten or more goals on the campaign led by Huggins (34) followed by: Whalen (32), Baughan (14), Tommy Baldini (12), Thurston (11) and Cullen Mulhern (10). The Red and White on the year have had 31 different players find the back of the net.
Sharing the Rock
While Gess and Huggins have been responsible for most of the Devils assists this season combining for 41, the group of Mac Childs, Owen Porter, Baldini, Baughan, Boyd, Mulhern, Trucksess and Whalen have each given out five or more.
Strong Defensive Backbone
The Dickinson defense has been a main reason that the Red and White find themselves this far along in the NCAA Tournament as five players have forced double-digit turnovers, including a trio with 20 or more, Karetsos ranks tops on the team and the conference with 52, while Ferrant has added 29, Jack Deady has picked up 24 and Reynolds has chipped in 21. Ethan Ackerman, Rocco Bognet and Huggins have joined together to force 39.
Strong at the Dot
Trucksess continues to be the top man for the Red and White going 283-of-466 at the X for a .607 winning percentage. The pair of Andrew Atkins and Ryan Backus have chipped in as well going 9-of-21 and 8-of-36 respectively.
The Keepers of the Cage
Bognet continues to be outstanding for Dickinson in his first season as the Devils primary starter after picking up 18 total saves last weekend against RPI and RIT. On the year, he holds a 14-5 record with a .497 save percentage and a 9.01 goals-against average. First-year Josef Zyngier appeared in four games making two starts going 2-0 with a 6.70 save percentage and a . 548 save percentage, while Ben Tompkins has played nearly 70 minutes over five games recording 13 stops.
The Jumbo Report (22-0, 10-0 New England Small College Athletic Conference)
Tufts enters the tournament winners of 27 straight games dating back to last season and are trying to match the NCAA record for most wins in a season at 23. The Jumbos are also making their third straight title game appearance compared to the first for the Red and White. Tufts will essentially be playing the game in their backyard as their campus in Medford, Massachusetts is approximately 40 minutes away from Gillette Stadium. They advanced to Sunday’s matchup with NCAA Tournament wins over Rhodes College (15-7), St. Lawrence University (14-8), Gettysburg College (17-8) and conference foe Bowdoin College in the semifinal by an impressive 26-11 margin. The Jumbos have a strong offensive unit that will need to be contained as NESCAC Player of the Year Jack Regnery leads the team with 75 goals, while the group of Max Ettinghausen (60), Brooks Hauser (50), Garrett Kelly (38), Charlie Tagliaferri (30), Will Emsing (27) and Beau Keough (20) have all added 20 or more markers. Three other members of their attack have recorded ten or more tallies. The quartet of Tagliaferri, Regnery, Emsing and Hauser have each handed out over 20 assists on the year. The Jumbos have relied on a tandem at the “X” with Parker Merril going 197-305 (.646), while Victor Salcedo has posted a .609 percentage thanks to winning 148 of 243 draws taken. Merril leads the team in groundballs with 119 which heads a group of four players with 40 or more: Salcedo (98), Michael Ayers (72) and Joey Waldbaum (59). Logan Lee has forced a team-high 24 turnovers, followed by Waldbaum (22), Ayers (20) and Ben Frisoli (19). Connor Garzone has started in all 22 of the Jumbos games going 21-0 with a .579 save percentage and allowing 8.85 goals per game. Tufts is led by alum Casey D’Annolfo in his ninth season.
Tale of the Tape (NCAA Rank)
Scoring Offense: Tufts – 17.86 (5th) | DSON – 11.59 (T-108th)
Scoring Defense: Tufts – 9.18 (T-39th) | DSON – 9.18 (T-39th)
Scoring Margin: Tufts – 8.68 (7th) | DSON – 2.41 (78th)
Man-Up Offense: Tufts – .422 (28th) | DSON – .321 (92nd)
Man-Down Defense: Tufts – .709 (T-106th) | DSON – .639 (185th)
Faceoff Win Percentage: Tufts – .612 (40th) | DSON – .566 (65th)
Groundballs Per Game: Tufts – 43.77 (7th) | DSON – 39.36 (32nd)
Clearing Percentage: Tufts – .906 (6th) | DSON – .860 (52nd)
Saves Per Game: Tufts – 12.59 (109th) | DSON – 9.00 (228th)
Turnovers Per Game: Tufts – 17.50 (T-51st) | DSON – 18.14 (63rd)
Caused Turnovers Per Game: Tufts – 10.50 (65th) | DSON – 10.32 (73rd)
