Box Score ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT men's lacrosse team built five-goal lead heading into the fourth quarter and withstood a Tufts comeback to earn an 18-16 win over the Jumbos in an NCAA Final Four match-up on Sunday.
The victory puts RIT (13-0) into the NCAA Championship Game against Salisbury next Sunday in Hartford. Tufts sees its season end with a 9-1 record.
Today's game was tied 9-9 at the half. Matt Treiber scored giving the Jumbos a 10-9 lead, but the host Tigers would take over the next eight minutes. They scored six times during that stretch to build a 15-10 advantage on Dawson Tait's goal at 4:35 of the third. Larson Sundown had two goals and two assists during the RIT run. The teams traded goals in the closing minutes of the period and the Tigers led 16-11 heading into the fourth.
Tufts would gain the momentum in the final period, scoring three in a row at the start to move within 16-14 after Cam Kelleher fired home a goal at 7:48. Tufts then won the face-off, but Tiger goalie Walker Hare made a huge save with 6:10 on the clock and Brett Naylor eventually won the ground ball for RIT. They cleared leading to a goal by Ryan Rosenblum that put the Tigers up 17-14 at the 5:22 mark.
Jumbo goalie Joe Theuer's save then led to a Tufts goal, a sequence that was aided by Jumbo Bryce Adam's great reach to save an errant pass. Moments later Kurt Bruun scored to pull Tufts within 17-15 at 4:19 of the fourth.
RIT won the face-off, but while trying to stall the clock they turned the ball over and Tufts took possession with 3:25 remaining. However, two Jumbo shots were blocked, Naylor again picked up a big ground ball and Tait scored with 2:09 left for an 18-15 Tiger lead.
Into the final minute, Tufts' Jack Boyden scored with 52 seconds on the clock for a two-goal margin (18-16). Tufts won the next face-off on a violation, but Bruun's shot hit the post with 37 seconds on the clock. Patrick Shoemay caused a Jumbo turnover and the Tigers were able to secure the victory.
Tufts had scored the game's first three goals, with Bredahl netting one and assisting another, and the led 4-2 after one. The Jumbo lead expanded to 9-5 on Bredahl's goal at 7:38 of the second period. However, RIT scored the final four goals of the second, two each by Quinn Commandant and Tait, to tie the score at 9-9.
Tait would finish with five goals, while Commandant and Marley Angus both had four for the Tigers. Sundown's six points (2 goals, 4 assists) led RIT offensively. Nick Montemorano made a key contribution on face-offs, winning 23 of 36. Long-stick midfielder Taylor Jensen finished with four ground balls and two caused turnovers, as did defenseman Tyler Sceviour. Hare saved 10 shots.
Bredahl led the Jumbos with three goals and two assists. Boyden (three points overall), Max Waldbaum, Kelleher, Garrett Samuelson and Bruun all scored twice for Tufts. Theuer finished with 15 saves and Finn McTernan caused two turnovers and scooped up three ground balls.
RIT recorded advantages of 55-46 in shots and 49-43 in ground balls.
