LeMoyne over Limestone May 30, 2004  |
LeMoyne over Limestone May 30, 2004 |
LeMoyne Grabs 1st National Title With 11-10 OT Win Over Limestone
BALTIMORE, MD – Junior Brandon Spillett (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) scored 44 seconds into the second overtime to lift Le Moyne to an 11-10 win over Limestone in front of a record crowd of 19,202 at the NCAA Division II Men’s Lacrosse National Championship at M&T Bank Stadium. Spillett scored seven goals to lead the Dolphins (16-0) to their first national championship in any sport.“We had no doubt that someone would step up and put a goal in,” defenseman Travis Tarr (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) said after the game. “We had no doubt all year, when we were down, when it was close, that we wouldn’t come out on top.”
Spillett, the championship game Most Outstanding Player, scored the game-tying and game-winning goals. After Matt Holdridge (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham) forced a turnover in the Limestone end with nine seconds remaining, Spillett rushed the cage, dodged the defender and slipped a shot past Limestone goalkeeper Charlie Gray (Edgewater, Md.) to tie the game at 10 with two seconds remaining.“I rolled back and thought there might be a cutter on the crease, but they are a great defensive team, they cover the ball so well,” Spillett said of the game-tying goal. “There wasn’t much time to think, I just had to goto the goal and get the ball into the back of the net.”
In the first overtime period, sophomore Jared Corcoran (Concord, N.H./Concord) made two key saves to force the second overtime. In the second extra session, Spillett finished off a feed from Craig Rosecrans (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) to secure the first title in school history.The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the opening quarter. Limestone went up 1-0 on an extra-man goal and Spillett evened the contest at one on an extra-man tally off an assist from Dan Holdridge (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham).
Senior midfielder Rob Trowbridge (Pierrepont Manor, N.Y./South Jefferson) delivered Le Moyne its first lead, a short-lived one, six minutes into the second quarter. Limestone’s Roger Vyse (Six Nations Reserve, Ontario) tied the game at two nine seconds after Trowbridge’s tally. Kyle Reichel (East Syracuse, N.Y./Minoa) put the Dolphins back on top 3-2 at the 6:41 mark. He slithered in front of the cage and ripped a shot over the right shoulder of Limestone goalkeeper Charlie Gray (Edgewater, Md.). After Limestone tied it at three again Ed Street (Manlius, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) delivered Le Moyne a 4-3 lead with his sixth goal of the season, 41 seconds before the intermission. He took a feed from sophomore Craig Rosecrans (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) and walked in alone on the Limestone net.Limestone outscored Le Moyne 3-2 in the third quarter to make it a 7-7 game after three quarters.
Spillett scored early in the fourth to give Le Moyne an 8-7 lead, but the Saints scored two of the next three goals to take a 10-9 lead with 1:11 remaining. Limestone was whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following the 11th goal. The Dolphins were unable to take advantage of the extra man, but the Holdridge forced the turnover that led to Spillett’s game-tying goal.Spillett’s seven goals, six of which came after halftime, were a career high. Tarr limited the nation’s leading scorer, David Wooster to just one goal.
The 19,202 fans for the Division II and Division III Championship games at M&T Bank Stadium set an NCAA record for the games.
LeMoyne's Kevin Kohl High Bandwidth
ACTION VIDEOS
Limestone's Jason Randolph High Bandwidth
Limestone's Patrick Cardiff High Bandwidth
Limestone's Jesse Buppert High Bandwidth
LeMoyne's Corey Sullivan High Bandwidth
LeMoyne's Jordan Witt High Bandwidth Only
Limestone's Jason Randolph again! High Bandwidth Only
LeMoyne's Brandon Spillett ties the game with no time left! High Bandwidth
LeMoyne's Brandon Spillett wins it in double OT! High Bandwidth
PHOTOS By BOB OGRUDEK
Larger Photos from Bob Ogrudek
STAFF PHOTOS
Bigger Photos!
