Saint Leo goalie Thomas Tatarian made 16 saves to lead the second-seeded Lions to a 12-11 victory over top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne in an NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse semifinal Sunday in Hickory, N.C. Saint Leo will face Merrimack in the NCAA championship game next Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Tatarian, a Long Island native, was under siege all game long, facing 59 shots. The Lions were much more efficient with their opportunities, jumping out to a 4-0 lead just under nine minutes into the game. Canadians Kyle Pauwels (Kamloops, British Columbia) and Matt Shand (Whitby, Ontario) led 10 different scorers with two goals apiece.
The Bears outshot Saint Leo 59-30, held a 40-30 edge in ground balls, won 17 of 26 faceoffs and got a three-goal, four-assist performance from Georgia native Ben Corrigan.
Lenoir-Rhyne pulled even at 5 apiece in the second quarter, but the Lions answered with two goals in the last two minutes before halftime, including a tally by Pauwels with just eight seconds remaining.
Saint Leo found more late-quarter magic when Shand hit a buzzer-beater as time expired in the third to give the Lions a 10-8 lead.
The Bears drew within one goal on two separate occasions in the fourth quarter. They had a chance to tie it late in regulation, but Quinn Kuhn hit a post with 2:59 left and Tatarian stuffed Eric Dickerson with 1:12 left.
Saint Leo won the end-line chase after a Chris Britton shot went wide. Both teams turned the ball over in the final minute, as the Lions held on for the win.
Tatarian has shattered Saint Leo’s single-season record for saves. His 16 saves Sunday gave him 249 this season, 57 more than the next-best mark.
Warriors Return to Championship Weekend
Merrimack, national runner-up a year ago, is headed back to the NCAA Division II championship game after defeating Seton Hill 16-9 in a semifinal Sunday in North Andover, Mass. Attackmen Sean Black (three goals, three assists) and Charlie Bertrand (three goals, two assists) combined for 11 points in the win.
The top-seeded Warriors trailed 3-2 late in the first quarter before a man-up goal by Jack Trask ignited a five-goal run spanning 10 minutes, 33 seconds to take control of the game.
The second-seeded Griffins, making their first-ever final four appearance, showed signs of life in the fourth quarter, when Jack Moran and Zack Rusch scored just 34 seconds apart from each other to pull Seton Hill within 13-9.
Merrimack shut it down from there, blanking the Griffins over the final 10:22 and ending the game on a three-goal run.