Lafayette Hill, Pa. – (5/8/2021) – Today, Saturday, May 8, is a day that will go down in Chestnut Hill College history as the Scarlet and Gold captured the 2021 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Men's Lacrosse Championship title with a 17-9 victory over #2 Wilmington University. Freshman attack Jackson Melnick (Milford, Pa.) and senior midfielder Ben Revak (Aston, Pa.) fueled a 6-0 second-quarter that separated the top-seeded Griffins from the Wildcats. Both Melnick and Revak earned CACC All-Tournament Team honors along with freshman defenseman Kyle Gartenmayer (Holland, Pa.), sophomore attack Nate Matthews (Rancho Murieta, Calif.), senior attack Carson Rees (Port Coquitlam, B.C.), and CACC Men's Lacrosse Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) graduate faceoff Zachary Ornstein (Howell, N.J.).
CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO GALLERY
Wilmington University (5-4) scored the first two goals of the title bout (2-0) and echoed the first Chestnut Hill College (10-2) goal (2-1, 10:07), but senior attack Scott Wilden (Wexford, Pa.) and Revak woke the Victory Field sidelines with back-to-back unassisted scores midway through the opening frame; 3-3 (7:57, 7:14). Afterwards, Revak found Melnick (4-3, 5:34) and Matthews found Rees (5-3, 4:01) to give the Griffins a two-goal cushion that proved useful with the Wildcats sneaking in a score before the end of the frame, 5-4 (0:01).
The second quarter was the tale of the tape. Melnick and Revak combined to spark the Scarlet and Gold; the former led off the frame with assists to Wilden (6-4, 14:10) and the latter (7-4, 10:25), before finishing the period with a helper on Rees' second score (10-4, 3:59) and a goal of his own with 1:46 remaining, 11-4.
After halftime, Chestnut Hill College added to their advantage with Melnick scoring an unassisted goal at 13:53 (12-4) and locating senior midfielder Billy DiMaio (Holmdel, N.J.) for another Scarlet and Gold goal at 8:22; 13-4. Wilmington University interrupted the extended 12-2 Griffin run with a goal at 7:04 (13-5), but the contest was as good as over when senior defender P.J. Spernal (Jackson, N.J.) and Rees shared a give-and-go exchange that cemented the latter as Chestnut Hill College's all-time point leader (206; 148 goals, 58 assists), 14-5 (5:20). In a fleeting attempt, the Wildcats were able to gain a goal in the final 20 minutes, 17-9 (1:05, 4QTR).
Wilmington University was led by freshman attack Logan Stinson (Lafayette, La.), who offered a goal, two assists, and a ground ball to the Wildcat effort. He was supported by fellow freshman, midfielder T.J. Canton (Palmyra, Pa.) (2 goals) and fellow CACC All-Tournament Team member, junior attack Jake Copio (Snyra, Del.) (3 goals). Junior defenseman Jake Mollohan (Dover, Del.) earned his CACC All-Tournament Team honor with a ground ball and two caused turnovers, while junior goalkeeper Noah Given (Middletown, Del.) recorded 18 saves and three ground balls in the loss (5-4).
Chestnut Hill College was led by Melnick, who offered the best game of his freshman campaign with three goals, six assists, and six ground balls. Rees recorded the five points (2 goals, 3 assists) he needed to surpass Michael Melnychenko '14 as the Griffins' all-time points leader. He also recovered a ground ball. Revak (2 goals, 2 assists), Wilden (3 goals), and Matthews (2 goals, 1 assist) also provided multiple-point performances, while junior midfielder Jack Clyne (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) (1 goal, 3 ground balls, 2 cause turnovers), Gartenmayer (2 ground balls, 3 caused turnovers), and Spernal (1 goal, 3 ground balls, 1 caused turnover) proved invaluable as well. Ornstein earned his MVP honors with a 24-of-26 (.923) success rate on the draw and 18 ground balls. In goal, junior Jake Miller (Castle Rock, Colo.) earned the win (9-2) with 12 saves and a caused turnover.
Chestnut Hill College currently stands at 10-2 overall and awaits possible selection to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II East Regional Tournament. A selection is schedule for Sunday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
