Men's Lacrosse: Knights Advance to Region Championship

By Rocco Geppi

Rosedale, Md. -- For the second time in five days, CCBC Essex hosted Howard Community College, this time defeating them last night 15-12 in an NJCAA Region XX Semifinal game. The Knights will play Harford Community College this Saturday in the championship game. 

The No. 4 Knights (8-3) - second seed in the tournament - trailed 6-3 just 2:31 into the second quarter. 

Head coach Shawn Burke's timeout after Howard's sixth goal proved brilliant, as the Knights went on a 6-1 run and held a 9-7 lead at halftime

"We took the timeout so they could take a breath, gather their thoughts, and understand that we are in control of how we play," Burke said. "We hadn't played well up to that point. We just needed to settle down and play Essex lacrosse, and we knew we'd be fine."

Just over one minute out of the timeout, Kyle Guenther (Haymarket, Va.) scored the second of his six goals in the game to make it 6-4.

Joshua Schelfe (Pasadena, Md.) had the assist and would end the game with a goal and five helpers. 

Schelfe is tied for third in the NJCAA with 17 assists. 

Pat Ruffolo (Vienna, Va.) scored less than a minute later and Guenther hit the back of the net 24 seconds after him to tie it at six.

Howard broke the Knights run with a goal of their own to regain the lead with 9:11 remaining in the second. 

It would be the last Dragons' goal until late in the third quarter, as the Knights' defense and goalie Piers McGinn (Vinton, Va.) did not allow a score for the next 22:08.

"At that point in the game, we started winning more faceoffs and playing more offense, which is big for any defense, especially with the weather getting warmer," Burke said. "I think the fact that they caught their breath a bit, and Piers [McGinn] and the entire defensive group really stepped up changed the momentum of the game."

The Knights ended the half on another three-goal run, this time on a trio of scores by Guenther, two of which were man-up advantages.

Essex finished the night 3-for-8 on the man-up.

Guenther has 32 goals so far this season. He is ranked fourth in the nation.

Essex continued its attack in the third, scoring the frame's first three goals.

Evan Clement (San Diego, Calif.) opened the second half scoring at 12:41.

He finished the game with five goals - four in the second half - on eight shots on goal. 

"[Howard's] defense sat in a zone most of the game to stop us from dodging down in the alley," Clement said. "I'm really comfortable on the crease, so I tried to keep moving and find the soft spots. On man-up, they were locking off Guenther, which opened up passing lanes and I was able to time my cuts and finish the plays."  

Howard (4-3) scored the final two goals of the third to make it 12-9 heading into the final quarter. 

The first half of the fourth quarter saw perhaps the best defense each team had to offer. 

In the first 7:23, the teams combined for five turnovers and the two goalies for four saves - three by McGinn. 

At 7:37, Clement broke the draught and scored on an assist by Schelfe.

Just over four minutes later, Clement scored his final goal - and capped the Knights scoring - on a man-up opportunity to give the Knights its largest lead of the game at 15-9. 

Howard made it interesting down the stretch, scoring three goals in the final 2:49 of the game, but the Knights lead proved insurmountable.

McGinn ended the game with 10 saves for the Knights.

He has the fourth best save percentage (54.2%) and is ranked fourth in the NJCAA with an 8.22 goals against average.

Nicholas Woodard (Stafford, Va.) finished the game with five caused turnovers and two ground balls. He is currently tied for fourth in the NJCAA with 16 caused turnover this season. 

Caleb McNaull (Vienna, Va.) had three caused turnovers and Joe Wilson (Frederick, Md.) two, as Elijah Kla (Chesapeake Beach, Md.), Guenther, Ruffolo and Gavin Bloom (Eldersburg, Md.) each chipped in with one. 

The Knights will now turn their attention to the No. 2 nationally ranked Harford Fighting Owls who they will meet in this Saturday's regional championship. 

Essex and Harford have already met twice this season, as the Knights look to make the third time the charm. 

"I don't know if there is any magic game plan or formula for the game on Saturday," Burke said. "We obviously have a lot of respect for Harford, and we are excited about being back in the region championship game for the first time in a while."

The game will be at Harford's Sports Complex at 401 Thomas Run Road, Bel Air, Md. 21015. Game time is schedule for 4 p.m.

Please visit https://harfordathletics.com/news/2021/4/27/general-harford-covid-19-spectator-policy.aspx to learn more about the Fighting Owls spectator policy.