The first round of the 2019 MCLA National Tournament saw only one upset, as St. John’s took down No. 7 Kennesaw State during Division II opening day.
No. 10 St. John’s (6-5) d. No. 7 Kennesaw State (10-3), 10-9
In a tight game the entire way, No. 10 St. John’s managed to edge No. 7 Kennesaw State with a late goal to post a 10-9 upset victory on Monday at the Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex.
The Johnnies (6-5) upset was the only one of the day, as all of the other D-II favorites held serve.
The decisive goal came off the stick of Boone Almquist on a dish from Connor Mullen, to send St. John’s onto a quarterfinal date with archrival St. Thomas on Tuesday.
Mullen led the Johnnies with a hat trick and two dimes while Almquist scored two goals with one assist. Ryan Nelson was solid in cage for SJU, making 16 stops.
Vinny Magro and Dylan Stanhope led Kennesaw State (10-3) with two goals and two assists each while Jay Molander had 15 saves.
No. 5 North Florida (12-1) d. No. 12 Utah State (8-3), 13-8
Ryan Pasinksi scored five goals and set up a sixth to help the Ospreys pull away from the Aggies and advance to the quarterfinals where they will meet Dayton on Tuesday.
Jarrett Shakespear had two goals and an assist for Utah State.
No. 6 College of Idaho (12-0) d. No. 11 Northern Arizona (9-2), 18-11
College of Idaho freshman Casey Davies tied the record for the third most goals in MCLA Division II tournament history when he netted eight against Northern Arizona on Monday after. Davies also added an assist in the 18-11 triumph.
For the first time in program history, the Yotes will be playing in the quarterfinals, where they will meet Grand Valley State on Tuesday.
Tyler Sanchez struck for a hat trick and set up three others in the winning effort while Cade Brown made nine saves.
Jacob Belshin had a hat trick for the Lumberjacks. Alec Gastony had 18 saves in the losing effort.
No. 8 North Dakota State (5-7) d. No. 9 UC Davis (11-4), 12-3
In a performance reminiscent of their run to a title last spring, the Bison put the clamps on the Aggies for an impressive victory, 12-3. The win sends NDSU up against top-seeded Minn.-Duluth in the quarterfinals.
North Dakota State’s Noah Simpson scored four goals and set up two others, accounting for half the Bison production. Noah Orham had 10 saves in the win.
Nicholas Lombardo had a goal and an assist for UC Davis. Arthur Antonio had 11 stops.
Stay tuned for more 2019 MCLA National Tournament Coverage.
