Posted: May 23, 2010
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (May 22, 2010) – The No. 1 C.W. Post men’s lacrosse team is making a return trip to the national title game after pulling out a 9-8 win over No. 2 Dowling College in front of 3,418 fans in the semifinal round of the NCAA Championship tournament Saturday afternoon on Hickox Field.
C.W. Post improves to 15-1 overall and will face the winner of
the semifinal between LeMoyne and Limestone. Dowling closes
its season out with an overall record of 12-2. The Pioneers
advance to the title game for the second straight season.
They defeated LeMoyne 8-7 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough,
Mass. to win their second program title in 2009.
The Pioneers outshot the Golden Lions, 39-28, and held a 43-36
advantage in ground balls.
Sophomore attacker Eddie Plompen (West Islip, N.Y.)
led the Pioneer offense with four goals, including the game-winner
with 2:49 left in the fourth quarter.
Dowling scored the game’s first goal with 9:16 on the
clock in the first when senior attacker Kyle O’Brien (Whitby,
Ontario) bounced a shot in on a pass from sophomore attacker Vito
DeMola (Holtsville, N.Y.).
The Pioneers responded with three straight goals, including
two from Plompen and one from junior midfielder James
Johnston (Farmingville, N.Y.) to take a 3-1 lead with 4:28 to
play in the first.
The Golden Lions cut the lead in half when senior attacker
John McClure (Brampton, Ontario) scored with 14:11 to play in the
second.
C.W. Post pushed its lead to 5-2 with a pair of goals from
freshman attacker Justin Patterson (Corning, N.Y.) and senior
midfielder Joe Meo (Sayville, N.Y.).
The Golden Lions rebounded and virtually controlled play by
outscoring the Pioneers, 6-0, over the next two quarters to take an
8-5 lead with 6:34 to play to take an 8-5 lead.
C.W. Post got back into the game with a goal from Johnston
with 59 seconds left in the third on a pass from junior attacker
Nick Coric (Walnut Creek, Calif.) to cut the lead to
8-6. The Pioneers cut the deficit to one goal when junior
midfielder Mike Messina (Sayville, N.Y.) scored
unassisted at 8:30 in the fourth. Plompen scored the tying
goal at 5:40 from sophomore attacker Keith Rodriguez
(Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.).
Johnston added two goals and Patterson, Meo and Messina each
scored one goal toward the cause.
Junior Mike Giordano (Farmingdale, N.Y.) made nine
saves in the game, including five in the third to preserve the
win.
McClure led the Golden Lions with four goals and O’Brien
scored two goals and added two assists.
-Provided by C.W. Post Sports Information
department.
