Above – Matt Gozzi is now third all-time in Miami history with 78 career points (48G, 30A) CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes are winners of four straight, matching an identical mid-season streak from last year, heading into the final stretch of the season. Two weeks ago, Miami traveled to New Orleans to participate in the fifth annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Lacrosse Series. This year’s event featured an eight team tournament with the first ever true champion crowned. The Hurricanes fell in their first round matchup to eventual runner-up LSU 15-7. Following the opening round loss, Miami defeated Missouri 11-6 behind a stellar defensive performance that saw Miami lead 6-0 at the half. The six goals allowed was a season-low to date. In the final game of the weekend, Miami defeated North Texas 13-10, finishing the weekend 2-1. The Hurricanes improve to 4-1 all-time in the Allstate Sugar Bowl event. Attackmen Harry McCreary (Summit N.J., Summit HS) and Jake Werner (Sinking Spring, Pa., Wilson HS) led the way, each with nine points a piece over the course of the weekend. Sophomore LSM Brett Tracy (West Chester, Pa., Towson Univ.) totaled 36 ground balls over the three games and scored four points (1G, 3A). After spring break, Miami returned home for a two game home stand. On Friday night, the Hurricanes took on Texas Tech in an out-of-conference matchup. Miami scored the game’s first 11 goals and took an eventual 13-1 halftime lead. The Hurricanes went on to win 16-3 after the scoring died down in the final two quarters. Senior midfielder Matt Gozzi (Guilford, Conn., Xavier HS) led the team with five points (2G, 3A) and freshman attackman John Horan (Philadelphia, Pa., William Penn Charter School) topped the goal column with three. Sunday afternoon Miami took on the USF Bulls in a SELC divisional showdown. Miami was looking to even its division record at 1-1 while USF was playing its first divisional game of the year. The Bulls took an early 2-0 lead until sophomore midfielder Alex Phinney (Sarasota, Fla., Riverview HS) scored his first goal of the year with 5:21 remaining in the first to get the Hurricanes on the board. It was the first of five straight goals for Miami, holding USF scoreless for nearly 15:00 minutes of play. The teams each traded a pair of goals en route to a 7-4 halftime advantage for Miami. The Hurricanes opened the second half with a Jake Werner goal on a feed from Harry McCreary, part of a tic-tac-toe fast break off the opening faceoff of the third quarter. Miami added another goal, pushing its lead to 9-4 with just over nine minutes remaining in the quarter. Over the next 10:07 of game time, USF reeled off five straight goals, tying the game at 9-9 early in the fourth quarter. During the span, Miami went two-men-down twice, both times resulting in USF extra-man goals. With 13:15 remaining in the fourth, Matt Gozzi ended the streak with an unassisted goal, his fourth of the day. USF tied the game up four minutes later on yet another man-up opportunity. Senior midfielder Jordan Wendell (Owings Mills, Md., Owings Mills HS) added his career-high third goal of the day with 5:15 remaining to once again break the tie in favor of the Hurricanes. That was the first of three straight goals on the next 1:07 putting Miami up 13-10. After holding off a furious USF push to get back on the board, the Hurricanes successfully cleared the ball and were able to run out the remaining time, holding on for a thrilling victory. Gozzi finished the day with six points (5G, 1A), which was matched by Wendell’s career day (3G, 3A). Freshman FOS Daniel Post-Jacobs (Philadelphia, Pa., William Penn Charter School) also had a career day at the faceoff “X,” winning 14-of-18 and controlling the pace throughout. Gozzi’s 11-point weekend now gives him 37 points for the season (22G, 15A). That catapulted him into third all-time in Miami history with 78 career points (48G, 30A). Senior defenseman Daniel Pyser (Owings Mills, Md., Owings Mills HS) reached a milestone of his own, as the game against USF marked his 38th game played for Miami, surpassing the previous all-time record of 37. Miami’s fourth straight win pushes its record to 5-3 overall, and 1-1 in the division with four games remaining on the schedule. After a week off, the Hurricanes travel to Alabama to take on Alabama and Auburn the weekend of April 3-5. They then conclude the season in back-to-back weeks against divisional rivals Florida and UCF.