5-Goal 3rdQ Run leads Jacksonville Men to the 17-12 Win over Robert Morris, Sending them to the ASUN Semifinals; Greiner 2G/5A, Intreri 3G/1A, Della Rocca 15 Saves for Fins
Maclay alum Sam Chase 1G for JU
Second Half Surge Sends Jacksonville to ASUN Semifinals
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After finishing the first half all tied up, the Jacksonville University men’s lacrosse team came out firing in the second half, earning a 17-12 victory over Robert Morris to move on to the ASUN tournament semifinals.
The Numbers
Jacksonville’s leading scorer this season and first-team All-Conference selection, Jacob Greiner, was the spark offensively, earning five assists and two goals, finishing with a team lead of seven points. Jackson Intrieri led the team with three goals, notching a postseason hat trick, with Greiner assisting on two of his three second-half goals.
Defensively, the Dolphins were led by Tucker Garrity and Chris Darminio. The pair earned six ground balls, and Garrity led the team in caused turnovers. Ryan Della Rocco, in his first game as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, was elite in the second half, earning 15 saves.
11 different Dolphins scored in the game, with Jack Taylor, Ibrahim Pio and Nicky Brown scoring twice along with Greiner and Intrieri.
How It Happened
The Dolphins jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter, looking to continue a recent streak of dominance. Greiner would score with 11 seconds remaining in the opening quarter as JU owned a 5-2 advantage heading into the second.
RMU battled back in the second quarter, outscoring JU 6-3, including five unanswered, to tie things up 8-8 before the halftime break.
A Jacksonville team who has shown up in the second half all season long once again emerged, scoring the first five goals by either team in the second half. Jack Taylor kickstarted the run at the 13:43 mark of the third quarter, followed by a Nicky Brown rebound and score 44 seconds later.
Off the faceoff, Jackson Intrieri found the back of the net moments later, giving JU an 11-8 lead. Robert Morris got no closer than three in the final quarter, making it a 14-11 game early in the fourth. An answer for Jacksonville in the form of three straight goals put it out of reach for the Colonials, as the Dolphins rode the second-half surge into the semifinal round with a 17-12 victory.
Head Coach John Galloway
“I am really proud of the response of our guys today after a tough first half. RMU made some spectacular plays, but our guys believed in themselves and the culture they created. Our defensive unit led by our SSDM’s and Connor MacDonald gave Ryan Della Rocco the shots he needed to see in the 2nd half.
Tucker Garrity had an All-American performance that gave us the opportunity to pull away. We are just excited about the chance to have more time together and put that uniform on again Friday night. We look forward to getting rested and back to work tonight.”
Up Next
A rematch versus host and second-seed Air Force awaits, as Jacksonville will face the Falcons on Friday at 4:00 p.m. ET. The pair met just ten days ago, ending in a 10-9 overtime win for JU in Colorado Springs, Colo.
