Division III Rewind: RIT Spoils Bowdoin's Title Hopes

There would be no third chapter of the battle between Tufts and Bowdoin for the top spot this year, as RIT played spoiler on Saturday. 

The Tigers are red hot, beating Bowdoin 16-12 just a day after beating Babson 21-14. The heater that Ryan Sanders is on should be studied. He hit the overtime winner against Salisbury in the third round, part of a six-goal, seven-point effort. He had a whopping 11 points against Babson on four goals and seven assists in a blowout win. 

Then he posted five goals against Bowdoin in the semifinals to send the Tigers to championship Monday in Charlottesville. Sanders and teammate Erich Acton both posted double-digit points against Babson. RIT has won eight in a row, securing a Liberty League title along the way, and is the definition of peaking at the right time.

On the other side of the bracket, a classic NESCAC rivalry, Tufts-Wesleyan, renewed Sunday to determine who would face RIT for the crown. Tufts won the regular-season meeting 19-14, but this matchup always seems to deliver fireworks. Wesleyan came into Sunday confident; they overcame a rough start and thumped Christopher Newport on Saturday, 15-7. 

Wesleyan outscored CNU 10-2 in the second half to secure the win. Ben Burns, one of Division III’s best shooters, registered five goals against the Captains.

Tufts got out to their trademark fast start at Bello field, scoring the first five goals. Wesleyan briefly recovered and got two tallies in retaliation. But Tufts star Jack Regnery completed his hat trick two minutes later to make it 8-2, Jumbos. 

Two more goals for Tufts followed, one by senior long pole Cole Friedlander, before Wesleyan could answer with a goal from Gavin Lechner. Chase Beyer hit a quick-stick from a diagonal pass from Regnery for the final goal of the first quarter to make it 11-3.

Things didn’t get much better for Wesleyan from there, as Tufts outshot the Cardinals 56-29 and won the game 23-7.  

The Jumbos are going back to the NCAA Division III title game, where they will face RIT.