Rearview: Monday Session Four

(Photo by Lance Wendt)

 by E.J. Freeman | MCLA.us

RICHMOND- The UC San Diego Tritons pulled the biggest upset of the day knocking off #6 Montana State.  Otherwise chalk held in our final round of games.

#6 South Carolina over #11 San Diego State 17-9- We discussed the importance of South Carolina finding their mojo again and how having the lion’s share of possession could help with that.   Well, mission accomplished.   The Gamecocks wasted no time taking it to the Aztecs jumping out to a 6-1 lead after the first quarter.  The scoring tightened up in the second quarter as the Gamecocks led 8-2 at halftime.  The Gamecocks erupted again in the third quarter extending their lead to a 14-5 lead after three quarters and coasting home.  The Gamecocks won over 70% of the faceoffs and their crisp passing and shooting were on display throughout the game.  If this Gamecock team shows up tomorrow for their avian battle with the Hokies we could see the Gamecocks in the semifinals for the first time since 2022.  The Gamecock defense held Luc Schneider to only two assists only his second goalless game of the season and his lowest point total of the year.  If the Gamecocks wanted to send a message on Monday they can mark that off of their to do list.

#11 UC San Diego over #6 Montana State 7-6- UC San Diego gets their first ever tournament victory over the Bobcats.  The Tritons won over 70% of the faceoffs and goalie Kian Gulbrandsen made 19 saves for a 76% save percentage.  Dominating those two specialty spots is probably the best way to set yourself up to pull an upset.  Possession was the name of the game for the Tritons as they slowed the game down to a crawl and limited how much time the Bobcats had with the ball.  When Montana State did have the ball, Gulbrandsen turned away almost every shot they sent his way.  Instead of all chalk in this game it was chalk dust torture for Montana State who will see Gulbrandsen in their nightmares for a while.  If you can dominate the specialty positions like that you have a chance against anyone so the Tritons should feel good about themselves going into tomorrow’s game against Grand Valley State.

#5 Tennessee over #12 California 20-10 – In a game marred by chippy moments, Tennessee led 5-2 after one quarter; Cal had chances to close the gap late the quarter, but could not solve Vol goalie Kyler Gornick.  In the second quarter Cal closed the gap to 6-5 before the Vols added three quick goals in the final two minutes of the first half to stretch the lead back out to 9-5.  The opening minutes of the second half were crucial and the Vols seemingly sensed it as they stomped on the hopes of the Bears with two quick goals from Logan Aiello in transition.  From there the route was seemingly on.  Tennessee got 23 points from their starting attack.  Aiello had ten points moving him into a logjam of a tie for third place all time for points in a tournament game.  Tennessee’s athleticism all over the field stood out watching this game.  They simply overwhelmed the Bears at times.  Tennessee’s massive roster allows them to roll waves of players at their opponents.  Tennessee vs Florida State will be a fascinating matchup of two stellar attack units and athletic teams.

#5 College of Idaho over #12 Tampa 15-8 -  As the case in several games today the first quarter was clearly a feeling period as the Yotes led 5-3 after one quarter.   The Yotes were led by the known quantities in Greyson Flatten, Trevor Shoopman, and Wyatt Neu on offense who combined for 15 points.  Old reliable Brogan Rice in cage stepped up with 13 saves.  The Yotes led 14-6 after three quarters and coasted home in a workmanlike win.    College of Idaho won each quarter, but did not blow Tampa out of the water in any of them.  The cumulative effect led to Yotes having a big lead after three quarters.  The Yotes will face Air Force who handed them their only loss of the season.  The Yotes are eager for revenge.

The quarterfinals are set and a Tuesday preview will come out in the morning.  For now we catch out breath and get ready for more great MCLA action tomorrow.