The Division II Championship took place at 4pm today in Baltimore, MD. Limestone went head to head against LIUPost in a heated and aggressive match.
Though the crowd was bigger for the D-III match earlier today, I personally feel the D-II game was much more intense and dramatic. Both teams were missing basic shots under high defensive pressure. Limestone led the momentum of the game, but LIU Post kept at it and fought until the bitter end.
This game was scrappy but organized. The ball got knocked loose or turned over much more than a spectator would see in a game at a D-I level, but the ground balls were quickly and neatly recovered. There were rarely piles of moving bodies hacking away at a ground ball. This created a concoction of exciting, back-and-forth, and fast-paced lacrosse.
LIU Post served approximately twice as many penalties as did Limestone, which added up to two times the amount of time spent, as well. My perspective on that is LIU Post had to make up for their lack on the scoreboard, and whether intended or not, sloppily led to poor body checks.
Players drawing attention today for the Limestone Saints were Vinny Ricci, Joshua Williams, Colton Watkinson and many others. The scoring contributions were evenly distributed amongst the active roster, which left LIU Post goaltender Ty DiCarlo on his toes and vigilant of any shots coming his way.
LIU Post covered Limestone players like white covers rice. They played tight, pressured and consistent, while Limestone’s defense allowed the opposing offense to move around as long as shots were unavailable to them. To me, goaltender TJ DiCarlo truly stuck out. Limestone worked their defense hard as much as they covered them, and wailing sniper shots still came his way. He stuck to his skill sets and managed to save or stop most of them.
Patrick Sheridan in goal for Limestone also had a huge day, stopping numerous point-blank bullets and not backing down. Of the two goaltenders, I’d say DiCarlo had the better performance and Sheridan commanded his defense better.
Limestone Saints are NCAA D-II Champions!
Final Score:
Limestone 12
LIU Post 6
