StevenSon • ncaa DiviSion iii Men’S cHaMpion
THE NEW NORTH
RIT usurps regional rivals Tufts and Cortland en route to first final Someone had to come up
short.
Not since the inaugural NCAA Division III championship game between Hobart and Cortland in 1980 had two first-time finalists faced off. Someone had to leave unfulfilled.
Following a 16-14 loss to Stevenson, RIT picked up that distinction. But that’s not to say the Tigers won’t find an impetus in defeat.
“I’m not afraid to say it: There is no doubt in my mind that this will be fuel,” Tigers coach Jake
Coon said. “We have something to play for. We’ve been talking about it for years, but you can’t convey it until you experience it. Now they have experienced it.” Since Coon arrived at RIT, the
Tigers have slowly progressed. In the last three years, they made two NCAA quarterfinal appearances along with a trip to the semifinals in 2011. While it would have been nice to skip purgatory, RIT’s grind toward a first national championship continues. The Tigers can take solace in beating North region stalwarts
83 points this season, played with a drooping shoulder and underwent surgery two days after the championship game. Just another hurdle to clear.
“If you’ve never been in tough situations, how are you going to react to them? We put our kids in a lot of tough situations and a lot of situations that were really hard, but they handled them,” Cantabene said. “They handled that fourth quarter really well. When they were in that huddle [after the penalty] they were really positive. There was no negative. ‘Let’s make the next play. Let’s get going.’ Nobody was yelling at each other. Nobody is getting on each other’s cases. They handled everything very well.”
The penultimate obstacle between Stevenson and its quest that started when Cantabene arrived at Owings Mills in 2005 came when the Mustangs were trailing 13-10 to start the fourth quarter, thanks to a monstrous game from RIT sophomore midfielder Kyle Aquin. Aquin scored four of his seven goals — tied with Salisbury’s Sam Bradman for the most in championship game history — during the Tigers’ big third quarter push. But Stevenson was ready. The Mustangs went on a five-goal run to start the fourth quarter to regain the lead for good. Freshman goalie Dimitri Pecunes made three of his 15 saves when Stevenson went two men down due to Cantabene’s late-game contretemps — a curious, but entirely appropriate finish.
“Anything you throw at us, we’re going to try and beat it and get a little bit better,” Cantabene said. With a team returning plenty of talent in 2014 and the confidence that comes with a ringed finger, Stevenson could plot an easier path to a championship repeat. But that’s just not the Mustang way. LM
50 LACROSSE MAGAZINE July 2013>>
Tufts and Cortland — the latter on a saucy flip play in overtime that caught the Red Dragons off guard and exemplified the wide-open style RIT brings to the game — en route to the 2013 final. The Tigers have holes to fill on defense with the loss of Evan Burley and Elliot Cowburn. But sophomore midfielder Kyle Aquin, fresh off a championship game record-tying seven goals, should be in the national player of the year conversation in 2014. Standing in the bowels of Lincoln Financial Field just minutes
RIT sophomore attacker Kyle Aquin tied an NCAA Division III championship game record with seven goals.
after the end of the championship game, Aquin had already set his sights on next year.
“The younger guys and the guys just coming in will realize that we’re a legit program and one of the best in the country. We can only go up from here,” he said. “It’s still very disappointing that we didn’t win, but I still think it’s a very big step for our program making it to the game.” — J.C.
TOP 5 FOR 2014 1. STEVENSON
They graduate a key cog at every position, but even without a typically stacked recruiting class, the Mustangs have plenty of players ready to fill the voids. If Stephen Banick and Chris Dashiell are healthy, Stevenson’s attack will be devastating.
2. RIT 5. DICKINSON
An NCAA quarterfinal loss was a kick in the pants to the previously undefeated Red Devils. With those salty memories and the return of studs like attackman Brian Cannon, Dickinson will be a tough out.
Scoring goals will never be a problem for the Tigers, but stopping them might be. They have two top-drawer goalies returning next year in Pat Johnston and Anthony DeLeo. That will help, but RIT may need to outscore a few foes to get back to Memorial Day weekend.
3. CORTLAND
The Red Dragons were a goofy goal against RIT away from playing in their fifth national championship game in the last eight years. With midfielder Joe Slavik leading the way, it will be business as usual.
4. SALISBURY The Sea Gulls had
their least experienced team in years and still made it to the national semifinals. Jim Berkman will have to reconstruct the defense, but is there anyone who thinks that will be an issue?
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©KEVIN P. TUCKER
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