North Florida Captures SELC-II Crown
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – For the first time in program history, North Florida is the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) Division II championship after defeating Kennesaw State, 9-7, on Sunday afternoon at Northview High School.
With the victory, the Ospreys (12-1) have earned an automatic qualifying bid to the 2019 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour, which takes place in Salt Lake City from May 6-11.
Things looked grim for North Florida to start the game as they were having trouble solving the Kennesaw State (10-3) defense, falling behind 5-2 at halftime.
After the break, the Ospreys took over via the combination of senior midfielder Jason Randolph and senior goalie Joe Kissick. Randolph had several key goals while Kissick was sublime in the UNF cage, allowing the Ospreys to outscore the Owls, 7-2 in the final 30 minutes.
North Florida will find out this evening where they will be seeded in the Division II bracket. Kennesaw State will likely receive an at-large bid, which will also be announced tonight on MCLA.us.
2019 SELC Division II Tournament
(at Johns Creek, Ga. area)
First Round – April 26
#2N UNC-Charlotte d. #3S Charleston, 16-5
#2S Florida Gulf Coast d. #3N Wake Forest, 21-10
Semifinals – April 27
#1S North Florida d. #2N UNC-Charlotte, 18-11
#1N Kennesaw State d. #2S Florida Gulf Coast, 11-6
Finals – April 28
#1S North Florida d. #1N Kennesaw State, 9-7