Ben Corrigan led Lenoir-Rhyne University on Saturday with three goals and four assists as the Bears beat Colorado Mesa 14-12 in Hickory to reach the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse playoffs./LRU PHOTO
HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Lenoir-Rhyne University’s men on Saturday moved one step closer to playing for an NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse championship, setting up that chance by earning a home match next weekend in a national semifinal.
The Bears, ranked No. 5 in the nation, nipped visiting and 10th-ranked Colorado Mesa 14-12 at Moretz Stadium, improving to 17-2 and staying alive in the national playoffs.
LRU will face Saint Leo (15-2, ranked No. 6) next Sunday at LRU at a time to be announced.
St. Leo, a No. 2 seed, advanced on Saturday with a 12-11 victory over third-seeded Tampa.
In the opposite bracket on Saturday, No. 1 Merrimack defeated No. 4 NYIT 24-6 and No. 2 Seton Hill downed No. 3 LeMoyne 14-10. Those winners meet in the other semifinal on Sunday at Merrimack.
Semifinal winners go to the national championship match on May 27 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., for a 4 p.m. start just after the completion of the NCAA Division II title match in the same venue.
The NCAA Division I semifinals are in Foxborough on May 26 and the title match is there on May 28.
LRU 14, Colorado Mesa 12
The Bears were led by senior midfielder Ben Corrigan’s three goals and four assists and sophomore midfielder Eric Dickinson scored twice as LRU avenged a 13-12 loss to Colorado Mesa in late February in Hickory.
Colorado Mesa, which had a 10-match winning streak snapped, was led by Joe Wulforst, IV and Brandon Wilson with three goals each.
Trailing 11-10 with just over six minutes left, the Bears took control with four straight goals, including three in the final three minutes. Junior attacker Ryan Bell scored the game-winner with 2:47 to play.
LRU senior goalkeeper Ryan Crompton earned a win after stopping 16 shots while Remi Reeves made 18 saves for Colorado Mesa.
With a goal and an assist, LRU junior attacker Joe Buduo increased his single-season record totals to 60 goals (South Atlantic Conference-high) and 88 points.
The Bears are 40-5 in their last 45 games and they’ve advanced to the national semifinals for the first time in school history.
LRU is 5-0 this season against teams ranked in the national Top 10.
- Reported by LRU Sports Information