Misiaszek Sparks Cortland to Division III Championship
from press release
FOXBORO, Mass. -- Junior Brandon Misiaszek (New
Hartford) scored a career-high five goals and was named the Most
Outstanding Player as the nationally fourth-ranked Cortland men's
lacrosse team won its second NCAA Division III title since 2006
with a 9-7 victory over fifth-ranked Gettysburg College at Gillette
Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Red Dragons finished 2009 at
19-2, setting a school record for wins in a season, and handed
third-year head coach Steve Beville his 200th career victory.
The Bullets had their 14-game winning streak snapped and
finished 16-4.
Junior Brian Krol (Niskayuna) was the only other Cortland player
to score more than one goal, netting two in the game. Senior Joey
Morgan (Putnam Valley) and freshman Mike Tota (Webster/Webster
Schroeder) each recorded a goal and an assist. Tota finished the
season with 49 goals, just one short of becoming the seventh player
in school history to score 50 in a season. Junior Tom Burke
(Massapequa), sophomore Chris DeLuca (Sayville) and freshman Greg
Wright (Irondequoit) chipped in with one assist apiece. Burke added
a game-high seven ground balls, while DeLuca won 9-of-14 faceoffs.
Senior goalie Matt Hipenbecker (Mountain Lakes, NJ) recorded 10
saves, including seven in the fourth quarter.
Senior Zach Pucci (Ridewood, NJ) and junior Kyle McGrath
(Randolph, NJ) led Gettysburg with two goals each. Junior Joe Brody
(Bethesda, MD/Walter Johnson) had a goal and two assists, senior
Tom O'Donnell (Montgomeryville, PA/La Salle College) registered a
goal and an assist and junior Josh Reichert (Englewood, CO/Kent
School) scored once. Senior Tommy Kehoe (Coraopolis, PA/Sewickley
Academy) and sophomore Danno Lynch (Medfield, MA/Avon Old Farms
(CT)) contributed one assist apiece. Senior Zach Furshman (Miami,
FL/Kent School (CT)) stopped 12 shots in goal.
The Bullets opened up a 4-2 lead after the first quarter as the
Red Dragons turned the ball over four times and were outshot, 12-7.
Reichert gave Gettysburg a 1-0 lead at 13 minutes, 24 seconds
before Misiaszek tied the game with his first of the day at
12:18. McGrath then netted back-to-back goals for the Bullets
for a 3-1 lead, but Krol came back with his 40th goal of the season
just nine seconds later after a Cortland faceoff win. Pucci closed
the scoring in the first off Brody's assist at 3:24.
After that, the Cortland defense took over the game, holding the
Bullets without a goal in the second and third quarters as the
scoreless drought spanned a total of 38:03. During that time, The
Red Dragons were able to tie the game at the half as Tota and
Misiaszek each scored. In the third quarter, Cortland pushed its
lead to 9-4 as it outscored Gettysburg, 5-0, making it a 7-0 run.
Misiaszek scored the first two goals of the third, followed by
Morgan's 31st goal of the season and Krol's man-up goal at 3:56.
Misiaszek's biggest goal of the game came as the clock was winding
down in the third. He possessed the ball behind the cage, made a
move on the right side and deposited a shot past Furshman into the
upper corner with two seconds on the clock.
Regarding Misiaszek, Beville said, "He played outstanding. There's
a reason why he was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the
game today because his performance was just that. It's been like
that all year for us -- pick your poison."
The Bullets refused to quit, however, and cut the lead to 9-5 on
O'Donnell's goal at 10:21, Gettysburg's first score since the first
quarter. After the score, the Red Dragons worked the clock in an
attempt to shorten the game and retained the four-goal cushion
inside the five-minute mark. The Bullets cut the gap to 9-6 at 4:09
when Lynch assisted Pucci's score at 4:09 and forced a turnover
inside a minute. That led to a fast break and a Brody goal at 27
seconds to make it a 9-7 game. Gettysburg won the ensuing
faceoff but didn't have a good look and Cortland closed out
the game for its second national championship in four years.
Misiaszek's success came from taking advantage of his situation on
the field. "I was going hard all game," he said. "Then they didn't
switch the pole to me and I felt I could take the shorty and I
did."
For Hipenbecker, his 10 saves in the title game capped an
outstanding run for him in the NCAA playoffs as he registered 40
saves and allowed 31 goals. After the rough first quarter, the
defense clamped down and turned the momentum of the game. "We
stepped it up (in the second quarter). We started talking and
causing turnovers. When you know when the first, second and third
slide is going to be, you can go push out and be aggressive."
FINAL SCORE: Cortland 9, Gettysburg 7
GAME SUMMARY:
Team 1
2 3 4
Final
Gettysburg
(16-4) 4 0 0 3 7
Cortland
(19-2) 2 2 5 0
9
Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Gettysburg: Kyle McGrath 2-0, Zach Pucci 2-0, Joe Brody 1-2, Tom
O'Donnell 1-1, Josh Reichert 1-0, Tommy Kehoe 0-1, Danno Lynch
0-1
Cortland: Brandon Misiaszek 5-0, Brian Krol 2-0, Joey Morgan 1-1,
Mike Tota 1-1, Tom Burke 0-1, Chris DeLuca 0-1, Greg Wright 0-1
Goalkeepers:
Gettysburg: Zach Furshman, 12 saves (9 GA in 60:00)
Cortland: Matt Hipenbecker, 10 saves (7 GA in 60:00)
Shots: Cortland 33, Gettysburg 31
Ground Balls: Gettysburg 33, Cortland 32
Clears: Cortland 18-of-21, Gettysburg 18-of-23
Faceoffs Won: Cortland 11, Gettysburg 9
Penalties: Cortland 4-2:30, Gettysburg 1-1:00
Extra-Man Offense: Gettysburg 0-4, Cortland 1-1
