WASHINGTON, D.C. - For the first time since 2022, the Catholic men's lacrosse team will head to the Landmark Conference Championship game. The Cardinals hosted Elizabethtown on Wednesday for the Semifinal match up , defeating them 19-11 to secure a trip to the title game.
Cullen Lotz opened the scoring for both teams, putting Catholic on the board less than two minutes into game action. The Cardinals added three-straight goals in the first few minutes, all unassisted.
Steven Dezelic netted his first, followed by one from senior
Chris McCabe, his first in a Landmark Tournament match up. Lotz scored his second, giving Catholic a four-goal lead.
Elizabethtown found the back of the net just over eight minutes in with a goal from Jay Rodriguez, assisted by Evan Youndt. The Cardinals quickly responded with three more goals, two from
Logan Farrington bookending one from
Burke Healy, to take a 7-1 lead into the second quarter.
The second quarter was a tighter race, as both teams were evenly matched both offensively and defensively. Catholic began the scoring in quarter two with a goal from
Ryan Carickhoff to extend their lead to eight, but Elizabethtown answered with a goal from Reese Levinson.
Healy contributed another for the Cardinals, scoring his second off a dish from Lotz, but Rodriguez capped the quarter with two goals for the Blue Jays as they attempted to narrow the gap before halftime. Catholic led 9-4 as they went into intermission.
After the break, Elizabethtown began the fight early, scoring their first goal of the third within the first minute. Casey Lamey opened the quarter with his first for the Blue Jays, followed by another one from Rodriguez to cut the deficit to three.
The Cardinals were determined to stay on top, adding five more to their tally before the end of the third. Healy added two in the quarter, both of which were assisted by Lotz. Healy's goals were split by an impressive goal from
Shawn Zebrowski, who intercepted a pass from the goalkeeper and took an immediate shot to sneak one in. This was Zebrowski's third goal of the season.
Levinson added another for Elizabethtown, but Carickhoff capped the quarter with two goals, scoring his second with 16 seconds left in the third. Catholic led 14-7 heading into the final quarter.
Lotz opened the fourth with his hat-trick goal, scoring less than a minute in. Healy added another while Dezelic added two more, capturing his hat trick.
Alex Populoh also contributed a goal, his first in a Landmark Tournament game. The Blue Jays added four goals to their total, but the Cardinals had locked in the victory, 19-11, to secure their trip to the Championship.
Healy, who was named this season's Landmark Rookie of the Year, led the team with five goals, and continues to lead the squad with 41 goals and 64 points this season. Lotz, Dezelic and Carickhoff each secured hat tricks in the game. Lotz tied his career-high of six points in a game, which he previously recorded against Elizabethtown earlier this season. This is both Dezelic and Carickhoff's sixth game with three or more goals this season.
Colton Manorek, who was named the Second Team All-Landmark goalkeeper, earned the win in goal, his 12th win of the season. He logged a career-high 21 saves, bringing him to 164 in his sophomore season.
Sam Pikul,
Finn Smith, and
Zach Gibson all played crucial roles on defense, each logging a caused turnover in the game. Gibson led the squad with six ground balls, while Smith had three and Pikul had one.
After defeating the Blue Jays, Catholic will head to the top-seeded Scranton for the Landmark Conference Championship on Saturday, May 2. The game is scheduled for noon. This will be Catholic's sixth trip to the title game, and the first time since 2022 when they took home the cup.
