Men’s lacrosse Nationals at Herkimer CCC – Sunday updates

Herkimer, NY – Onondaga, Nassau, CCBC Essex, and Genesee are on hand for the semifinals of the men’s national lacrosse championship tournament.  The semifinals will be played on Saturday, the finals are scheduled for Sunday, and this webpage will keep you posted.

Photo right: Matt Crough scores for Onondaga early in their game with Genesee

The most recent updates appear first, below.

Update Sun., 4:10 p.m.

This great game was tied 9-9 with five and half minutes to go.  OCC then scored three unanswered goals to win it all.  Essex was playing their second great game of the weekend, and Onondaga was hitting their stride.

OCC’s go-ahead goal was by Conor Regin, who scored after a 70-yard run.  Matt Crough then scored his third goal of the game and Caleb Wiles netted his third goal of the second half.

Congratulations to Onondaga, junior college Lacrosse Champions of 2011.

Update Sun., 3:44 p.m. – Final Score

Onondaga wins the championship!  We’ll try to add details after the award ceremony.

Update Sun., 3:19 p.m.

Onondaga stepped up their offense in the third quarter.  OCC and Essex traded goals in the first five minutes, then the Lazers scored three more before the Knights could tally again. 

The tense quarter ended in a 7-7 tie.

Update Sun., 2:48 p.m. – Halftime update

The Essex Knights are giving OCC quite a fight.  The Knights’ Dixon Green scored his third goal of the game with a minute to play in the first quarter.  That put Essex ahead 4-1.  Then the Knights tallied again three-plus minutes into the second quarter.  But OCC was far from beaten.

The Lazers scored their second goal of the game midway through the period when Shane Francis sent in a quick shot behind his head.  OCC scored again late in the period when Conor Regin tallied.  That cut the score to 5-3.

Both teams scrambled to score again, but the half ended 5-3.

Update Sun., 2:17 p.m.

It’s a gray, rainy day and the rain is intensifying, but the two teams are playing great lacrosse. 

OCC drew first blood, with Matt Crough burying a shot less than a minute into the game.  But Essex just kept playing hard.

Essex evened the score three minutes later when Dixon Green scored during a goal mouth scramble. 

The two teams played back and forth for six minutes, and then Essex found the net again.  Green circled around the net and scored.  Then, a minute later, Brandon Kendrick made a similar circling move and shot it into the far high corner.  That made the score a surprising 3-1 in Essex’s favor late in the first quarter.

Photo:  Brandon Kendrick shooting on goal

 Update Sun., 1:36 p.m.

The Knights of CCBC Essex won a great game with Nassau CC on Saturday, earning the right to challenge powerhouse Onondaga CC for the men’s national lacrosse championship.  These two finalists will face off at approximately 1:50 p.m.

This website will keep you posted.

Update Sat., 6:08 p.m.

Essex wins 6-5 after a terrific final period of lacrosse.

Essex increased their lead to 5-3 midway through the quarter when Travis Crane received a pass from behind the net and shot it home.  The Knights added another goal when Neil Hutchinson fired in a 15-yarder from the left side.

That three-goal lead was looking good for awhile.  Then Nassau’s Ernestas Steponas scored with only 1:39 to play.  6-4 Essex.  But Nassau was not finished.  Zakary Goldbach circled out from behind the net and rifled a shot into the goal with just seconds to play. 

Essex was tested, but they held on and posted a one-goal victory.  They have earned the right to play Onondaga CC in the national championship game.  Faceoff is set for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Essex        1-2-1-2    6

Nassau      1-1-1-2    5

Update Sat., 5:51 p.m.

We have not given the goaltenders enough credit.  Essex’s Eric Biller and Nassau’s Tim Bradley have played outstanding games.  Both have been very good at stopping shots and at making break out passes.

Update Sat., 5:34 p.m. – third quarter update

The third quarter ended Essex 4 – Nassau 3.

Nassau tied the game 3-3 five minutes into the period when Zakary Goldbach tallied.  The two squads then continued their hard-fought, back-and-forth effort.  It was another excellent quarter of lacrosse.

Essex reclaimed the lead with two minutes to play.  Travis Crane put the gold-shirted Marylanders up 4-3.

Update Sat., 5:01 p.m.

Halftime score:  Essex 3 – Nassau 2

The two squads played another quarter of fast, good lacrosse.  Essex scored four minutes into the period when they worked a nice three-man passing play that ended with Christian Leone scoring.   The midway through the quarter the Knights upped their lead to 3-1 when Dixon Green found the net.

The quarter was nearly 10 minutes old when Nassau got on the board again.  Zakary Goldbach passed to Ernestas Steponas, who buried his shot, bringing Nassau within one goal.

Update Sat., 4:40 p.m.

The second semifinal game is underway, and it’s a dandy.  The Nassau Lions and the Essex Knights are tied 1-1 at the end of the first quarter. 

The gray and cloudy day has turned to a light rain, but between the Herkimer stadium’s top-quality artificial turf and the players’ athleticism, the rain has been no problem.

Nassau scored soon after the opening faceoff.  Tommy Laviano found the net shortly before the two-minute mark.

Photo:  Nassau's Ryan Quinn (24) attacks the Essex goal

The teams traded fast-paced, back-and-forth action after that, with both teams seeming to be evenly matched.  Essex then tied it up with two and a half minutes remaining in the period.  Midfielder Neil Hutchinson tied the game at 1-1.  There was plenty of action in the remaining minutes, but the quarter ended 1-1.

Update Sat., 3:39 p.m.

OCC continued their dominance, although they substituted freely in the second half.  OCC has earned a berth in the national championship game, which will be played on Sunday at 1:30.  They will take on the winner of the second semifinal game between the Nassau CC Lions, from Long Island, and the Knights of the Community College of Baltimore County at Essex.

Score by quarters:

Monroe          10-6-6-2   24

Genesee        0-1-2-1      4

Update Sat., 2:34 p.m.

The #1-seeded Onondaga CC Lazers are playing the #4-seeded Genesee Cougars in the first semifinal game.  OCC took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and shows no sign of letting up.  We’ll post a final score when it becomes available.

We will also post updates on the second semifinal game between the Nassau CC Lions, from Long Island, and the Knights of Maryland's Community College of Baltimore County at Essex.