Derek Behrenshausen

Box Score

Union (NY) UNIONM 18-2

York (Pa.) YCP 20-3

Union (NY) UNIONM

18-2

Final

May. 22, 2022

York (Pa.) YCP

20-3

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Union (NY) UNIONM	6	2	1	2	11
York (Pa.) YCP	1	1	3	3	8

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse | 5/22/2022 6:53:00 PM | Derek Behrenshausen - Asst. Director of Athletic Communications

Historical Season for #6 Men’s Lacrosse Ends with Loss to #8 Union in NCAA Semifinals

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The sixth-ranked York men's lacrosse team finished one win shy of making it to their first-ever national title game as they fell to No. 8 Union, 11-8, Saturday in the NCAA Semifinals at Christopher Newport's Jennings Family Stadium.

The Dutchmen forced York to chase from behind all day as they raced out to a 6-1 first quarter lead on a 6-0 opening run. Still trailing by six at halftime, the Spartans managed to chip away in the second half and used a 4-0 run from the end of the third through the early parts of the fourth to pull within two (9-7) with 12:20 left. Union goalie Dan Donahue stopped the next five York shots on goal as he faced a total of 14 the rest of the way while the Dutchmen scored twice in that span to seal the win as they marched on to their first-ever NCAA title game.

Freshman Ben Mayer set the program's single-season points record with his third-quarter tally and later extended the record to 90 points with another goal in the fourth. Mayer entered the day tied with Thomas Pfeiffer's '19 previous record of 88 points which was established in the 2019 season.

Team Records
#8 Union 18-2
#6 York 20-3

How It Happened
Union opened at a breakneck pace, scoring four times in the first six minutes of play. The Dutchmen eventually extended their run to 6-0 before Will Harnick gave the Spartans their lone first-quarter tally with 2:07 left in the period. The Dutchmen held a 5-3 edge in faceoff wins, but really put the pressure on York by putting seven of their nine total shots on target.

The Dutchmen took their biggest lead of the game, 8-1, with 4:18 left in the second quarter on two-straight goals. After back-to-back saves by Jack Michael, the Spartans cut the deficit back to six when Jacob Wilhelm found the back of the net with 62 seconds left in the first half. York won the ensuing faceoff and managed to get two shots off before the horn sounded, but could put one on target.

After trading goals to start the third, the Spartans chiseled the Union lead down to four (9-5) with tallies by Jarrod Marenger and Ben Mayer in the last five minutes of the period. The Dutchmen owned a 4-1 edge at the faceoff dot in the third, but failed to capitalize as they only put three of their 11 total shots on frame.

York had the momentum on their side after Mayer and Eric Ranck scored back-to-back goals in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 9-7. The Spartans remained on the hunt and unleashed a barrage of 17 total shots in the fourth, but were turned away seven times by Donahue. The Union goalie miraculously managed to hold the Spartan offense scoreless for 11-straight minutes following the two early tallies as he bailed his team out while they committed seven fourth-quarter turnovers.

Up Next
Union advances to their first-ever NCAA title game next Sunday in East Hartford, Conn. where they will face defending national champion RIT in a battle of two Liberty League foes.

Notes
Today marked the inaugural meeting between the Spartan and Dutchmen programs … York is now 13-7 all-time in NCAA postseason play … the Spartans saw their program-record and the nation's longest active win streak snapped at 18-straight games … the Spartans also established a program record for wins on the year with 20 … the loss for York is the first away from home this season as they fall to 9-1 in games not played at Kinsley Field … the Spartans finish the season 9-3 against teams ranked or receiving votes in the USILA poll as Union snapped York's seven-game win streak against ranked teams this season… the 2022 men's lacrosse team is just the second team in York College history to reach the national semifinals as they joined the 2004-05 men's basketball team … Ben Mayer took sole possession for first place on the program's single-season points list as he finished the season with 90 points; he also moved into a three-way tie for second with Tyler Hutson '15 and Brendan McGrath '19 on the single-season goals list with 58 … as a team, the Spartans set single-season records for points (602), goals (381), assists (221), ground balls (969), caused turnovers (255) and faceoff win pct. (.671).

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