SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - For the second time in less than a week, the Concordia University Irvine men's lacrosse team shocked Colorado Mesa University with a comeback that will not soon be forgotten!
Trailing the Mavericks 9-3 in their RMAC semifinal match on Friday night, Concordia rallied with a frantic second half performance that
mirrored the Golden Eagles recent fourth period rally last weekend.
CUI's leading scorers
Matt Carresi and
Jeremy Barnes shocked the home crowd and the Mavericks with clutch goals in the final minute of regulation. Barnes net the game-tying goal with two seconds remaining to tie the game at 12-12.
Then barely a minute in to overtime, CUI's
Max Texter scored off a pass from Carresi for the game-winning goal to seal an improbable 13-12 victory.
The final score provided some symmetry as exactly two years ago, these two programs had met in a similar scenario with CMU escaping with a 13-12 overtime win after a late Carresi goal had forced an extra period.
This time, the former Colorado Mesa Maverick and the Golden Eagles were not to be denied.
Carresi led all scorers with six goals while adding two key assists. Barnes tallied three goals, while
Gabriel Skegin-Sipes and freshman
Erik Hollis each scored once.
"The last minutes of the fourth quarter felt electric," said Carresi. "We knew the task at hand and we accepted the challenge. I knew we had what it took to get the game tied at 12-12 especially having the extra man possession. Going into overtime we all knew that if the ball got to us on offense, that would be the end of it. Everybody knew the plan and let it all out leading to an epic win!"
"The last meeting with them was definitely huge for our confidence," added Carresi. "Knowing that we had our first win against them under our belt was crucial. Instilling belief that we can do it from that game and knowing what it took to win against a quality opponent. With that win in the back of our heads, nothing was going to stop our effort and energy that translated from the week before."
PacWest Freshman of the Year
Dawson Loudermilk added one goal and dominated the face off X. The recent First Team All-Conference selection won 12 of his 18 draws.
Cade Poe also won three face offs to give CUI a 15 to 12 advantage against the Mavericks.
CUI goalie
Brody Woods added 11 saves and improved to 6-3 on the campaign.
The Golden Eagles advance to Sunday's RMAC Championship Game against the host Westminster Griffins. Game time is set for 12 p.m. PT (and 1 p.m. local MT).
CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's lacrosse schedule
