Lakewood, N.J. - (5/4/2019) – Top-seeded, Chestnut Hill College took an 8-7 lead into the final quarter of play at today's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Men's Lacrosse Championship versus #2 Georgian Court University. But the Lions emerged with their second straight league crown using to a mid-quarter, four-goal run and the impressive play of 2019 CACC Player and Goalkeeper of the Year, junior Austin Geissel (Pompton Plains, N.J.) to outlast the Griffins' final push in a 11-10 end. Sophomore attack Carson Rees (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) (5 goals) headlined the Griffins' offensive efforts with his fifth consecutive game of five goals or more.

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A highly-competitive affair, the second CACC Championship – a rematch between the Griffins and Lions – went wire-to-wire with Chestnut Hill College (11-5) and Georgian Court University (10-8) never separating by more than three goals (7-4; GCU, 12:31, 3rd) goals. The Scarlet and Gold struck first, netting the first goal of the affair on a familiar connection between senior attack Casey Brown (Havre de Grace, Md.) and Rees just three minutes (11:51) after the opening faceoff, 1-0. The Lions scored the next two tallies (8:04, 6:29), but a Scarlet and Gold exchange from junior attack Scott Wilden (Wexford, Pa.) to sophomore midfielder Ben Revak (Aston, Pa.) with 2:58 remaining in the frame kept the contest tied at 2-2 heading to the second quarter. There, a 4-2 Georgian Court University spread earned the defending CACC Champions a 6-4 halftime advantage.
 
After an initial goal for the Lions, the third quarter was all Chestnut Hill College as scores from Rees (7-5, 8:52), Revak (7-6, 8:07), sophomore attack J.R. Howell (East Meadow, N.Y.) (7-7, 6:17), and Wilden (5:19) gave the Griffins an 8-7 edge heading to the final frame. Chestnut Hill College scored the first goal of the fourth quarter on Rees' unassisted effort at 14:08 (9-7), but the two-goal advantage was not enough to endure the Lions' rally as they evened the spread at 9-9 with 6:49 to play and took the lead for good with a man-up goal at 5:35 (10-9). The Scarlet and Gold looked for a heroic comeback of their own in those final five minutes, but fell a goal short of their mark as the net play of Geissel and an 11th Lion tally (2:37) precipitated the Griffins' demise.

Geissel (10-7) totaled 24 saves against a 49-44 Chestnut Hill College shot advantage and recovered two ground balls. He benefitted from the defensive efforts of sophomore midfielder Randy Collins (Mays Landing, N.J.), freshman midfielder Devin Pool (Calgary, Alberta), and junior long-stick midfielder Troy Longley (Browns Mills, N.J.), who equally contributed to nine ground balls and three caused turnovers. Bell also led the Lions in goals with four, while senior midfielder Brandon Razler (Warminster, Pa.) (3 goals, 2 assists) and junior attack Tanner Lee (Boyertown, Pa.) played supportive roles with their multi-point performances.
 
Rees added three ground balls and a caused turnover to his five-goal game, while Wilden finished with four points (2 goals, 2 assists) and a ground ball. Revak added four ground balls to his two tallies. Howell offered a team-high six ground balls to his third-quarter tally (7-7, 6:17). Senior midfielder John Bennett (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.), sophomore midfielder Billy DiMaio (Holmdel, N.J.), and senior defenseman Christopher Dachowski (Sellersville, Pa.) headlined Chestnut Hill College's defensive play in front of freshman Austin Jones (Courtice, Ontario); all three finished the affair with two ground balls and a caused turnover. Jones (11-4) totaled 17 saves and recovered a ground ball in the loss. Rees, Brown, Revak, and senior defensemen Connor Crawford (Limerick, Pa.) earned CACC All-Tournament Team honors.

 
Chestnut Hill College finishes the 2019 season, their second under Head Coach Mike Terranova, with program-best records of 11-5 overall and 5-0 in CACC play.