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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Colin Morrissey vs. ONU on 5-1-24
Jose Figueroa
The Blue Streaks survived a defensive war at Shula Stadium.
5
Ohio Northern ONUM 13-6, 7-2 OAC
7
Winner John Carroll JCUM 10-4, 8-1 OAC
Ohio Northern ONUM
13-6, 7-2 OAC
5
Final
7
John Carroll JCUM
10-4, 8-1 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ohio Northern ONUM 1 2 1 1 5
John Carroll JCUM 2 2 2 1 7

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Baldwin Wallace University

5/4/2024 | 5:00 PM

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May. 04 (Sat) / 5:00 PM
 Baldwin Wallace University
History

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Men's Lacrosse Advances to OAC Championship with Physical Win over ONU

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – Storylines abounded in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal.

Of course, revenge was on the minds of John Carroll Men's Lacrosse after Ohio Northern handed JCU an upset home loss back on March 23. But also, the contest featured two of the better goalies and defenses in not just the OAC but in NCAA Division III.

In a physical, defensive affair that lived up to the expectations, the Blue Streaks thwarted the Polar Bears, 7-5. JCU advances to the OAC Tournament Championship game for the seventh straight time (minus the 2020 Covid season) under Joe Rautenstrauch. Baldwin Wallace will be the opponent for a fourth straight time. 

The story of the game was the fifth-year netminders. JCU's Jon Gaglio entered with a 7.08 goals against average mark, tops in the OAC and fifth in NCAA D-III. ONU's Cole Zaferakis, second in the OAC and eighth in NCAA D-III. JCU's 6.46 goals allowed per game entered second in the country and ONU's 6.83 goals allowed per game was just behind in third. 

The stats help tell the tale. Gaglio registered 14 saves and Zaferakis made 8 stops. The volume of shots stood in JCU's favor, 32-28.

Ohio Northern struck first not long into the contest, breaking the ice with a tally. Near the midway part of the half, John Carroll provided an answer, as Morgan Morrell took a Michael Bevington feed and scored. 

The quarter continued quickly, as ONU dominated early possession before JCU started to gain some traction. Morrissey ripped home a beautiful lefty shot off a Zarek pass at the 2:50 mark. JCU held a precipitous 2-1 lead at the first quarter break. 

Morrell did the setup work on JCU's opening goal of the second, finding Morrissey in front on a centering pass to up the lead to two. Five minutes later, the lead was trimmed back to one with a Polar Bear goal, and at the midway mark, the game stood tied at three. 

Less than a minute later, the Blue Streaks grabbed a lead that stood through halftime. Josh Lombardo fed a pass to Morrissey, who took a couple steps and fired home a perfect lefty shot top cheddar. Faceoffs were a determining factor in the first half, as JCU won 8-of-9 faceoffs. 

The Blue Streaks also provided the first goal of the third quarter. Morrell rocketed a low shot without much space to work with from the left side. JCU's next goal didn't happen til the midway mark of the period, but it was worth the wait. Morrell tagged a pass to Morrissey, who thundered a shot home. 

But the Polar Bears were not going away by any means, with a tally with four minutes left in the period. The JCU lead stood at a narrow two goals entering the fourth. 

Early on in the fourth, Morrell showcased why he's amongst the best in the conference. The veteran scorer won a loose ball, and shortly after gathering the GB, surprised the goalie with a nice shot low left. A few minutes later, ONU scored on an absolute rip, trimming the deficit to two goals. 

The later stages of the game devolved into a very physical affair, with plenty of hitting and loose ball contact. The referees let the boys play through the contact, with few penalties over the course of the game. 

The Blue Streaks held onto the ball and did nice work later in the game to eliminate the Polar Bears from the postseason. Four fourth-quarter saves by Gaglio helped to prevent the visitors from gaining any traction.

Colin Morrissey and Morgan Morrell helmed the offense. Morrissey provided 4 goals while Morrell topped the team with 5 points on 3 goals and 2 assists. Alexander Sykas topped the team with 5 groundballs. 

First faceoff is set for 5 pm on Saturday at Don Shula Stadium, the first time that Wasmer Field will host the OAC Tournament Championship since 2019. 
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Players Mentioned

Michael Bevington

#16 Michael Bevington

D
6' 0"
Junior
Jon Gaglio

#77 Jon Gaglio

G
5' 7"
Senior
Morgan Morrell

#5 Morgan Morrell

M/A
5' 10"
Senior
Alexander Sykas

#26 Alexander Sykas

LSM
5' 10"
Junior
Josh Lombardo

#12 Josh Lombardo

M
5' 10"
First Year
Colin Morrissey

#13 Colin Morrissey

A
5' 9"
First Year

Players Mentioned

Michael Bevington

#16 Michael Bevington

6' 0"
Junior
D
Jon Gaglio

#77 Jon Gaglio

5' 7"
Senior
G
Morgan Morrell

#5 Morgan Morrell

5' 10"
Senior
M/A
Alexander Sykas

#26 Alexander Sykas

5' 10"
Junior
LSM
Josh Lombardo

#12 Josh Lombardo

5' 10"
First Year
M
Colin Morrissey

#13 Colin Morrissey

5' 9"
First Year
A

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