J.B. Clarke stood just feet from Tampa’s substitution box, hands on his hips, shaking his head.
The first-year coach watched as his players bounced between the stands at Rentschler Field, full of fans wearing Spartans red and white, and midfield, where his captains lifted the NCAA championship trophy to the bright sky.
Over 10 minutes, he gave out more hugs and took more photos than most college lacrosse coaches could handle — but he was ready for the occasion. This was Clarke’s fourth Division II national championship.
However, he and the rest of the Spartans knew that this one would be different. In Clarke’s first season as head coach, he led Tampa to an 11-7 victory over Mercy to clinch the program’s first national championship.
He had gotten past his former program in Limestone last weekend, and now he’s back on top in Division II men’s lacrosse. Clarke deflected praise and placed it on a team he inherited from former Coach Rory Whipple in July of 2021.
“I still love those kids,” Clarke said of Limestone. “My current team couldn’t have been more supportive throughout and you saw the way they showed it with how they played. The senior class had a lot to work for and a lot to prove, and they embrace everything about what we were trying to do.”
Cole Williard scored four goals, including three during a second-quarter run, to lead Tampa’s offense, while Daniel Fitzpatrick chipped in a hat trick. USILA Division II Player of the Year Matt Beddow had three caused turnovers to cap a stellar season with a championship.
“[Mercy] had a few lucky bounces in the second quarter that went their way,” Beddow said. “We got a few lucky bounces in the second half, which helped us shut them down and hold them to such a low goal turnout at the end of the game.”
“He’s been phenomenal all season and so have the other two d-middies and poles,” goalie Blake Ulmer said. “I’m so grateful to have those guys in front of me, because my numbers wouldn’t be as good without them.”
The Spartans’ high-powered offense took some time to get going in the game’s first quarter. After a sloppy first 15 minutes that included 12 combined turnovers, Tampa found its offensive momentum.
Beddow took a pass in transition and fired home a pole goal that ignited the Spartans’ bench and kickstarted a six-goal rally spanning seven minutes to help Tampa take a commanding lead. Willard had three goals during the run, highlighting his day with a low-to-high missile to make it 3-1 early in the second quarter.
Willard, a transfer from Penn State after four seasons, injured his knee last spring before making the move to Tampa. He wasn’t 100 percent until well into the 2022 season, but became a tough matchup for Mercy when it mattered.
“When teams gang up on all our guys, and then here comes Cole Willard, it has to be frustrating for the opposing coach, I would imagine,” Clarke joked. “He brought an element of maturity and moxy. He was like a big brother out there. He calmed everyone down, including me.”
Dominic Scorcia scored the goal of the day late in the first half, coming from x and slipping a helping Mercy cut the deficit to 7-4 before Tampa added another goal with 2:04 remaining.
The Spartans’ defense held the Mavericks in check throughout the day, but Mercy’s talented offense kept the team within striking distance. Brady Kearnan and TJ Heyder went back-to-back to cut the deficit to 9-6, and Dominic Scorcia did the same with 13:20 remaining.
Just eight seconds after the Scorcia goal, Mercy’s Justin Gerdvil was flagged for a two-minute unnecessary roughness penalty which largely halted the Mavericks’ momentum. Fitzpatrick scored with 3:08 left to pull Tampa ahead by four goals and seal the program’s first national title.
Mercy ends its season at 16-2, falling in the program’s first NCAA championship game. Coach Jordan Levine, who has led the Mercy program since its inception in 2010, said he’s grateful for the chance to compete on Memorial Day Weekend with plenty of alums watching.
“We had so many of our alumni from that first team [here],” Levine said. “I don’t know, looking back, if they ever thought this was a possibility. They were just blue-collar, hardworking guys, and that really built the foundation and enabled us to take the steps that we've taken.”