SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- A magical season of first for Jacksonville Men's Lacrosse came to a close Sunday as the Dolphins fell 18-5 to the second-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Jacksonville secured its first ever conference championship and NCAA Tournament win before ultimately coming up short against the Fighting Irish.
The Dolphins (11-6) were led by their veteran specialists. Graduate student goalie
Ryan Della Rocco made 13 saves, his ninth double-digit save game this season. Junior faceoff specialist
Drew Rippeon battled at the stripe, winning 12 faceoffs and grabbing nine ground balls.
Jacksonville put the Fighting Irish under pressure early. The Dolphins won the opening faceoff and held the ball for the opening five minutes of game action, generating several quality scoring opportunities early.
JU couldn't break through the Notre Dame defense, though, as the score stayed at zeroes. The Fighting Irish would strike first, scoring the first three goals of the game.
Jacksonville would get one back from the stick of junior
William Krupsky. A well-timed run into the offensive zone in the substitution game gave the Dolphins space, and after moving the ball around, senior
Nicky Brown found Krupsky for a goal.
Two more Notre Dame goals put the hosts up 5-1 at the end of the first quarter. The Fighting Irish would score four unanswered in the second quarter as they took a 9-1 advantage into halftime.
The Dolphins scored the first goal of the second half. Senior
Jack Taylor got a short-stick matchup, shaking loose for the goal.
Freshman
Parker Addison left his mark on the NCAA Tournament, receiving the ball below goalline extended and finishing off a pass for the goal.Â
Krupsky would score his second of the day on the man-up, finishing off a feed from sophomore
Daylin John-Hill. John-Hill would get a goal of his own to close out the game. The Dolphins forced a turnover on the ride, and senior
Nicky Brown dished his third assist of the game to find John-Hill for the goal.Â
Game Notes
- John-Hill has at least one point in every game of his career. He reached 101 points in his JU career through two seasons.
- Krupsky led JU in scoring in the tournament, finishing with six goals over two games.
- Sophomore Lucas Fraser finished with three ground balls and a caused turnovers. He's had at least three ground balls and one caused turnover in six games this season.
