The NCAA Tournament got underway Wednesday night with two play-in games. MAAC champion Marist won their first ever NCAA Tournament game against NEC champion Bryant 10-6. The Red Foxes will travel to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse Sunday at 7:30 PM. In the other play-in game, Towson answered a 5-0 High Point run with eight consecutive goals to defeat the Panthers 10-8. The Tigers will travel to take on top seeded Notre Dame Saturday at 5:15 PM.
Marist 10, Bryant 6
It looked like it would be all Marist early, as they scored 15 seconds into the game from LSM Patrick Eaker. Bryant tied it up a little after, but it was all Marist after that. And it was a balanced offense from the Red Foxes. Freshman attackman Gannon Morrison led the team in points with two goals and two assists, while J.D. Record and Joseph Radin also had two goals. Although Marist FOGO Dom Montemurro won 5-of-8 face-offs early, Bryant’s Kevin Massa eventually got the best of him, winning 13-of-20 face-offs in the game. Bulldog goaltender Gunnar Waldt had 16 saves, but Red Fox goalie Dave Scarcello made 14 saves, while his defense had an excellent performance. It’ll be a tall task to defeat the Orange at home Sunday night, though it has been done in the past.
Towson 10, High Point 8
I tuned into this game around the start of the 3rd quarter, but High Point scored the game’s first five goals to take a 5-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Then, Towson stormed right back, scoring eight unanswered goals. Like Marist, Towson had a very balanced offense as well, as Max Siskind had a hat trick for the Tigers, while JoJo Ostrander recorded a goal from near midfield midway through the 3rd quarter. It would have been a great upset to see if High Point came away, but Towson could make their own upset in South Bend, as they’ll take on top seeded Notre Dame Saturday afternoon. The Irish got a close scare a few years back against MAAC champion Detroit. It could happen again, as this Tigers team is a lot stronger than the Titans a few years back.
