Adelphi, Tampa to Meet in NCAA Division II Men's Title Game

The NCAA Division II men's championship game matchup is set.

Defending champion Adelphi will meet 2022 champion Tampa in a battle of D-II heavyweights. These teams have met three times, the last coming in 2020, and Tampa owns a 2-1 head-to-head lead. 

Here's a recap of how each team got to the title game.

Adelphi def. Saint Anselm 13-11

The Panthers, who set a program record on Sunday with its 18th win of the season, trailed by one at halftime when Vincent McDermott buried one with nine seconds left before the break.

That goal sparked Adelphi out of the locker room. The Panthers deposited six straight to open the second half and pitched a 3-0 shutout in the third quarter. Michael Durnin's three straight goals in the fourth quarter, which ended the big run, put Adelphi ahead 13-8.

Saint Anselm kept the score respectable but never fully had enough time to complete a comeback. The Hawks' last tally of the game came with 1:03 left.

Adelphi is seeking its ninth NCAA Division II championship and last went back-to-back in 1998-99.

TAMPA DEF. MARYVILLE 12-8

Tampa improved to 21-0 with a relatively stress-free 12-8 win over Maryville in the other semifinal. The Spartans jumped to a 5-0 lead with goals from five different scorers and never looked back.

Eight scorers populated the box score for Tampa, which was led by Jackson Bashaw's three goals and one assist. Grant Green and Rafe Bradshaw each scored twice.

The game was kept in hand in part thanks to goalie Connor Theriault, who backstopped the effort with 12 saves.