Gophers Pin 13-7 Setback on Defending Champions

SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Five different Goucher players scored during a six-goal run that spanned the first and second quarters and gave head coach Brian Kelly's squad a 6-1 lead over Susquehanna this afternoon. Four of the five added at least one goal as the Gophers opened the second half with six consecutive goals to assume a 12-2 advantage over the defending Landmark Conference champions.

The 10-goal cushion proved to be more than enough for the Gophers earn a 13-7 victory over the Crusaders and maintain their perfect record in the all-time series between the two schools.

Unassisted goals by Owen Demmerly (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) and Max Roach (Austin, Texas/Austin) had Goucher up 2-1 at the end of the first quarter. Demmerly tallied his second goal of the contest and Pierce Ingram (Austin, Texas/Westwood), Sam Morgan (Wilmot, N.H./Kearsarge Regional) and Dylan Zook (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) all collected their first as the lead ballooned to 6-1 over the first 8:34 of the second period.

A goal by Susquehanna's Conor Boyland with 2:03 remaining before halftime made it 6-2.

Goucher's second six-goal run started just 28 seconds into the third quarter with a goal by Morgan, which was followed by Ingram's second goal of the contest, Demmerly's third, Zook's second and Morgan's third. An extra-man goal by Steve Patterson (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake School) with 4:22 left to play in the third period put the Gophers (5-5, 3-1 Landmark) up 12-2.

A pair of man-up goals by Pat Brogan allowed the Crusaders (6-6, 2-1 Landmark) to close to within 12-4 heading into the fourth quarter and a goal by Austen Lein just 14 seconds into the final period made it 12-5. Demmerly, however, restored Goucher's lead to eight goals when the sophomore midfielder, who had never before scored more than three goals in a game, tacked on his fourth goal of the day.

In beating Susquehanna for the eighth time in as many all-time meetings, the Gophers outshot the Crusaders, 44-24, and finished with a 34-15 advantage in ground balls. The home team was also guilty of 15 turnovers and failed to clear the ball seven times.

Goucher's Tristan Morris (Houston, Texas/Houston Christian), who was the first-team All-Landmark selection as faceoff specialist as a freshman last season, had the most productive game of his career as he won 17 of the 23 faceoffs he handled.

Goucher, which took over sole possession of second place in the Landmark Conference with today's victory, faces Albright at 1 p.m. one week from today in Reading, Pa. The Gophers and Lions have never met before in the sport of men's lacrosse.