Pinpoint Aim: Bullets Drop Denison
from press releases
GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Junior Kyle McGrath (Randolph,
N.J./Randolph) poured in four goals and two assists as No. 5
Gettysburg outscored No. 14 Denison University 7-2 to start the
game en route to a 13-8 victory in the NCAA Division III
quarterfinals Wednesday afternoon at Shirk Field at Musselman
Stadium.
The win sends Gettysburg (15-3) to the NCAA semifinals for the
eighth time and for the third year in a row. The Bullets will take
on the winner of the quarterfinal between No. 1 Stevenson
University and No. 2 Salisbury University this weekend at a time,
location, and site to be announced.
Gettysburg also pushed its winning streak to 13 - one shy of the
school record set in 2001 - and won its 15th straight home
contest.
Junior Joe Brody (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) scored three goals
and handed out one assist for the Bullets, who scored nearly eight
more goals than Denison - which entered the afternoon with the
second-ranked defense in Division III (5.67 gpg) - had allowed per
game this season. Sophomore Chris Cahill (Nashville,
Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) tied a career-high with three goals
while senior Zach Pucci (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) added one goal
and two assists. Senior Danny Collura (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier)
contributed a pair of assists.
Junior Brady Burton led Denison (14-3) with three goals while
senior Nate Hall and sophomore Tanner Smith had one goal and two
assists each.
It was the McGrath show in the early going, as the midfielder had a
hand in five of the team's first eight tallies. His four goals and
six points marked the second-highest scoring outputs of his career,
ranking only behind his five-goal, seven-point performance in the
team's season-opening win over Hampden-Sydney.
After senior Ted Gulyas scored off the opening face-off to put
Denison up 1-0, the Bullets answered immediately, winning the
ensuing draw before McGrath scored with 14:04 on the clock. Brody
struck just over a minute later to give his team the lead for good
before McGrath scored again to make it 3-1 just 3:15 into the
game.
Hall pulled Denison to within one with 11:02 left in the opening
quarter before the offenses cooled down momentarily. But the
Bullets erupted again midway through the stanza, getting goals from
junior Josh Reichert (Englewood, Colo./Kent School), sophomore
Danno Lynch (Medfield, Mass./Avon Old Farms [Conn.]), and McGrath
to assume a 7-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Gettysburg extended its run to 5-0 when McGrath potted another
tally 1:14 into the second quarter. Burton scored with 11:55
showing to make it a 7-3 game, but the Bullets used a 3-0 spurt to
break the game open. McGrath notched his final goal of the day with
10:10 on the clock before Cahill scored back-to-back goals 49
seconds apart as the Bullets lead ballooned to 10-3 at the
half.
The Big Red cut into the deficit in the third quarter, when it
outscored the Bullets 3-1. Emmett Jones got things started when he
scored just over three minutes into the stanza before Cahill
delivered Gettysburg's lone goal of the period - his
second-straight man-up tally - at the 9:14 mark. Denison answered
with man-up goals from senior Dan Maude and Burton to make it an
11-6 game heading into the final quarter.
Brody scored his second goal just 32 seconds into the period, and
the score would remain 12-6 before Brody cashed in again, this time
with 6:22 left. The Big Red scored twice in the final two minutes
to set the final score.
Defensively, senior Zach Furshman (Miami, Fla./Kent School [Conn.])
made seven saves for the Bullets while sophomore John Odierna
(Oyster Bay, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) had three caused turnovers
and four ground balls. Freshman Gregg Shannon made five saves for
Denison while junior Connor Detjen won 14-of-21 face-offs and
scooped five ground balls.
The Big Red outshot the Bullets 17-4 in the fourth quarter to
finish with a 40-31 advantage for the game. The Big Red also held a
slight edge in ground balls (24-22).
