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ITHACA, N.Y. -- Junior
Mark DeCirce scored four goals, including the game-winner with :29 left in overtime Friday, to lift fourth-seeded Nazareth to a 13-12 upset win over top-seeded Ithaca in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament for men's lacrosse.
The Golden Flyers improved to 10-6 overall by avenging a regular-season defeat. Nazareth will face third-seeded St. John Fisher Sunday at 12 p.m. for the conference championship. Fisher knocked off Stevens, 15-14, in the other semifinal match. Ithaca, ranked third nationally, is 14-2 overall. Sunday's game will be available through web cast (
http://www.empire8.tv/) and through LiveStats:
http://livestats.internetconsult.com/sjfc/mlax/
Nazareth led 7-3 at halftime and 9-6 after three quarters, before Ithaca rallied to outscore Nazareth 6-3 in the fourth quarter, including the tying goal with :36 left, to force overtime. Ithaca controlled the ball for most of the four-minute extra period and took two shots, each sailing wide. Nazareth's
Scott Castle caused a turnover and
C.J. Estes scooped up a ground ball with 1:39 left. Following a Nazareth timeout, sophomore
Joe Jacobs-Ferderbar set up DeCirce with the game-winning goal, his fourth of the game and team-best 39th of the season.
Ithaca also dominated the game statistically with advantages in shots (47-30), ground balls (42-28) and face-offs (20-9). The Golden Flyers, however, got 19 saves from junior goalie
Todd Dermody, who had five saves in the fourth quarter.
Despite the statistical disadvantage, Nazareth led most of the way. Ithaca led 3-2 late in the first quarter, then Nazareth scored five straight goals, including an unassisted score by Jacobs-Ferderbar with :14 left in the first half to build a 7-3 lead.
Ithaca scored three straight to open the second half to close within 7-6, but DeCirce scored twice in a two-minute stretch in the third quarter to push the lead to 9-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
Three straight Ithaca goals to open the fourth quarter tied the score at 9-9. Nazareth answered with fourth-quarter goals from Castle,
Erinn O'Hara and DeCirce and were ahead 12-10 with 3:54 left.
Ithaca's Kevin Bush scored unassisted with 2:07 left and Matt Cutter's fifth goal of the game (and fourth of the fourth quarter) tied the score at 12-12 with :36 left.
DeCirce also had one assist in addition to his four goals. Jacobs-Ferderbar finished with two goals and four assists. O'Hara and
R.J. Gringeri each scored twice. Castle, Estes and
Mike Cummings also scored.
In addition to Cutter's five goals, Bush had two goals and three assists for Ithaca.
Sunday's game at Fisher will be a rematch of an earlier meeting in which the Cardinals edged Nazareth for the first time ever, 13-12, April 15. Sunday's winner gains an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Nazareth will be seeking its 18th NCAA berth.