Wheeling, W. Va. - For the first time since 2011, playoff Men's Lacrosse action came to Bishop Schmitt Field on Saturday afternoon. The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (8-6, 6-3) hosted #5 seeded Davenport in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) quarterfinals and would survive a second half comeback to advance to the GMAC Semifinals. The Cardinals took down Davenport 12-9 and will advance to the GMAC Semifinals against #1 Seton Hill on Wednesday afternoon at 2 PM.
It was a tale of two halves in the Quarterfinal matchup, with the Cardinals coming out strong. After Goalkeeper Austin Hall made the save on Davenport's first push, the Wheeling offense took over. At the 12:40 mark, Gabriel Hennin forced a caused turnover and the Cardinals got into the offensive zone. Brenner Chase would get his big day going with a goal just under minute late and the Cardinals were out to a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals would keep the pressure on at the 10:21 mark as Chase once again set the offense, this time finding Ty Taylor to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. The Cardinals defense played strong throughout the quarter, holding Davenport to just six shots, five on goal, and the Offense took advantage building a cushion early.
After being held off the board for the next four and a half minutes, the Cardinals would get set up again after a wide shot. Dylan Lavern brought the ball from around the back of the net and set up Chase for his second goal of the day to put the Cardinals in front 3-0. It was the first of back-to-back goals for Chase, who was set up by a caused turnover from Adam Zdanowicz on the ensuing face-off. Zdanowciz would pick up the ball and streaked into the offensive zone before pitching off to Chase, who finished the play and gave the Cardinals a 4-0 advantage. Wheeling was on the board one more time before the halftime break, courtesy of a Jack Rowe unassisted goal, and the Cardinals would lead 5-0 heading into the second quarter. Wheeling outshot Davenport 18-6 in the quarter and continued that firepower into the second quarter.
They would need just two minutes to get on the board as Dakota Strong picked up a wide shot at the 13:03 mark and got it done on his own to give Wheeling a 6-0 lead. After a Davenport turnover on the next possession, Wheeling was back at it on offense, this time with Chase bringing the ball into the offensive zone. Chase would pick up goal #4 on the day and the Cardinals were ahead 7-0 with 11:52 to go before the half. The Cardinal's shutout would end at the 7:53 mark, with Davenport getting their first tally of the game, and it would sit at 7-1 Cardinals as the clock ticked past the five minute mark. With 3:35 to play, Chase would take advantage of another successful clear, and scored goal #5 to give the Cardinals an 8-1 lead. Davenport answered on the ensuing face-off but, with 35 seconds to go in the half, Ryder McCall would score his first goal of the day to send the Cardinals into the locker room with a 9-2 lead.
As they broke from the locker room, the Cardinals would get into double digits as Rowe found Dakota Strong at the 10:23 mark for his second goal of the day and the Cardinals would hold a 10-2 lead. However, Davenport was not ready to roll over, and they would go on a five-goal run to end the quarter, bringing the score to 10-7. They would get as close as 10-8 with 12:55 to play and the Cardinals needed a goal to turn the tide. They would get that answer at the 9:23 mark as Chase once again set up the offense, finding Strong for his third goal of the day to make it an 11-8 score. Chase would finish off his big day with his fifth goal of the day, and Davenport answered one more time to make it 12-9. Davenport pushed throughout the fourth quarter, but an Austin Hall save with 54 seconds to play sealed the deal and advanced the Cardinals to the semifinals.
It was a big day for Brenner Chase, who finished with a career-high seven points scoring five goals and finishing with two assists. He scored four of those points during the first half push as he helped his team survive the pushback from the Panthers. Dakota Strong finished behind him, scoring a season-high three goals, while Jack Rowe finished with two goals and an assist in the contest, giving him three points. Ty Taylor and Ryder McCall would round out the offense with a goal each, to bring the 12-goal day to an end. It was also a monster day in net for Austin Hall, who finished with 26 saves on 35 shots faced for a .742 save percentage. Rowe led the way with two caused turnovers in the effort, while six different Cardinals finished with at least one caused turnover.
The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team returns to action for the GMAC Semifinals on Wednesday, May 30th, with Opening Face-off at 2 PM.
