Lenoir-Rhyne Heading Back to National Championship Game After 15-14 Win at Tampa
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lenoir-Rhyne
(17-1, 8-1)
|
5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
|
Tampa
(18-2, 7-0)
|
5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
Team Stats
Tampa
| Game Statistics | Lenoir-Rhyne | Tampa |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 42 | 34 |
| Ground Balls | 30 | 20 |
| Saves | 9 | 8 |
| Clears | 15-17 | 18-17 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 11 |
| Face Offs Won | 19 | 13 |
| Man Up | 0-3 | 4-5 |
TAMPA, FLA. -- The Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Lacrosse Team proved that home field advantage isn't everything in a 15-14 win at Tampa on Sunday afternoon. The Bears, the No. 2 seed in the South Region, upended the region's top seed Tampa on the road and overcame an 11-7 deficit. This is the second time in the NCAA Tournament that LR has trailed by four in the second half and come back to win. LR now has its sights on a second straight national championship as they take on Adelphi on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Philadelphia.
Down 11-7, the Bears rallied for five straight goals over a 4:44 span in the third quarter. Ryan Duncan started the spurt and Caison Dillon put LR up 12-11 with 3:09 left in the third. Tampa tied it one minute later and the third quarter would end with the game tied at 12.
The Bears broke the tie with two straight goals but Tampa would even it at 14 with 3:48 left. Jarrett Huff scored the winner with 2:40 to play. However, the Bears Rob Pensabene made a game saving stop minutes later. The Spartans would have the ball with time running down but the vaunted LR defense held them without a shot to move on to next Sunday.
Robert Walker scored four times and Duncan had three goals and an assist.
The Bears take on the North Region's top seed in Adelphi who beat St. Anslem 12-9. LR and Adelphi met back on Feb. 24 with the Bears holding Adelphi to three goals in a 7-3 win.