Gerard Brown, Ursinus
RADNOR, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's lacrosse team made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament count as the Bears (14-3) defeated Cabrini (13-6) 8-7 on Wednesday night in a first round game at Edith Robb Dixon Field.
With the victory, Ursinus moves on to the second round to face Gettysburg who was a 19-3 winner over Catholic. The two will meet for the third time this season, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Seven different players scored for Ursinus, with senior attack Mark Stratton (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) scoring twice. Freshman midfielder Gerard Brown (Montclair, N.J./Monclair) had a goal and three assists in the win.
In goal, junior Brian Neff (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) made 12 saves including a key one with 46 seconds left to preserve the win.
Trailing 3-2, Ursinus went on a 5-0 run over a span of 8:23 to take a 7-3 lead with goals by Brown, senior midfielder Mike Neal (Shelby Township, Mich./De La Salle), senior attack Steve Smyrl (Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Valley), freshman midfielder Ian Desenberg (York, Pa./Central York) and freshman midfielder Steve Mussoline (Macungie, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic). Mussoline's goal with 8:42 left on an assist from Brown gave the Bears the four goal lead.
Cabrini, the champions out of the Colonial States Athletic Conference, then scored three goals in a four minute span to get back within 7-6 with 3:35 left.
The game winning goal for Ursinus came from Stratton with 11:50 left in the game on an assist from senior midfielder Ian Moore (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson Fair-Haven). Cabrini got one last goal with 4:19 left, as Damian Sobieski scored on an assist from Kyle Bush.
Following an Ursinus turnover with 1:19 left, Cabrini came down the field looking for the game-tying goal. A shot by Evan Downey was saved by Neff with 46 seconds left, then the ball caromed out of bounds with Ursinus retaining possession. The Bears then ran out the clock.
Neff finished the game with 12 saves and four ground balls, while junior James Fairchild (Wayne, Pa./Malvern Prep) going 9-for-15 from the X.