HAWKEYES AND BULLS TO MEET IN SEMIFINALS

The Hawkeyes will battle the Bulls of the Ohio Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (OCBLL) in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) National Championship in Utica, NY. The 2:00 p.m. game will be live stream on the National Lacrosse League (NLL) YouTube channel.

The Hawkeyes finished atop their division with a 3-0 record, notching wins over the Dragons, Red Hawks and Gaels. Their last win was a hard-fought 10-8 decision over the Potomac Gaels Thursday morning. University of Maryland’s Thomas Gravino led the way with four goals, including a dunk goal with 46 seconds to play to put the game away. The Victor, NY, native has posted nine goals and seven assists in three games.

“It’s a lot of fun to play a real solid team,” said Gravino. “It’s exciting when two great teams battle each other.”

Gravino notched four clutch goals against the Gaels. His first two games evened the contest. He notched the first Rochester goal at 9:16 of the first to tie the contest at one. His second tally, off a steal, tied the contest at two. 

When Gravino ripped a shot from the high slot, he helped the Hawkeyes regain the lead at 5-4. But, Gravino saved his best goal for last. With the shot clock running down, he picked himself off the turf and reattacked the cage. He dunked the ball just as the shot clock expired to give the Hawkeyes a 10-8 advantage.

“In the back of my mind, the shot clock was ticking down,” he said. “I knew a guy was going to be on my back. I got up and turned right away, and hopefully, I would spin him off me. I dove for the corner of the net and put it in.”

The Rochester team also received six assists from Nate Senez and three goals and three assists from team MVP Zachary Terry. Matthew Blythe also scored two goals and added one assist, while Titus Chapman scored his first goal of the tournament. John Jacobs made 31 saves to earn the victory.

The Hawkeyes will meet the Ohio Bulls in the semifinals, who advanced to the postseason by defeating the Buffaloes 11-5. The Bulls locked up the second seed in their division with the win. The winner of the Hawkeyes-Bulls game will take on the winner of the Royals (3-0) and Gaels (2-1) game, which is set for 4:00 p.m. Saturday. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, August 10, at noon at the Utica University Nexus Center.