PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's lacrosse team continued to dominate its Empire 8 opponents as the No. 1 seeded Cardinals defeated the No. 4 seeded Hartwick Hawks, 23-3, in the semi-final round of the Empire 8 Championship tournament on Wednesday afternoon inside Growney Stadium. Fisher, which is ranked fifth in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association national poll, improved its record to 14-2 on the season, while the Hawks ended their season 6-6 overall.
Joe Post etched his name into the history books once again, as the graduate student won his 1,192nd face-off to break another Division III record for all-time face-off victories. Post, who broke the Division III all-time record for ground balls against Hartwick on April 23rd, tallied 19 face-off wins in the playoff match, topping the record just seconds before the first half ended.
Fisher's offense was led by two of the best attackmen in the nation as
Nicholas Miller and
Ian Evans combined for 12 of the Cardinals 23 goals in the contest. Evans led the team with seven goals and one assist, while Miller scored five goals and two assists. Mathew Kemmis,
Jacob Gallina and
Jack Mulvihill all finished the game with three points, while goalie
Ben Hammond earned the victory (14-2) after saving six shots and allowing just one goal.
After a first quarter that saw the home team score 10 goals, Fisher continued its dominance in the second quarter as Mulvihill found
Matthew Kemmis for a Cardinals 11th goal just over a minute into play.
With Post's success at the X, the Cardinals offense continued to pressure the Hawks defense, scoring four goals over the next three minutes of play to take a 15-1 advantage.
The Cardinals would tack on three more before Mulvihill found
Jordan Depetres for one of his two goals of the game with just 11 seconds showing on the clock. With Post 17-18 on face-offs in the game, head coach
Dave Dobbins sent out #24 with a chance to make history. On the whistle, Post secured the ball and won his 1,192nd face-off right with the halftime horn sounding shortly after.
Following the break, Fisher's defense continued to disrupt the Hawks offense as they held them scoreless over the next 15 minutes of play.
Shutting out the hawks in the third quarter, Fisher pushed its lead to 22-1 before Hartwick would score two in the fourth quarter and finish the match 23-3, with Fisher on its way to another Empire 8 Championship match.
As a team, Fisher outshot the Hawks, 74-26, and forced 23 Hartwick turnovers including seven failed clear attempts. The Cardinals, led by Post at the X, were 25-30 on face-offs and a perfect 1-1 in extra man opportunities.
The Cardinals will look to hoist their third-straight Empire 8 Championship trophy as they face off against the No. 2 seeded Golden Flyers at 5 p.m. on Saturday inside Growney Stadium.
