Jacksonville’s month of firsts continues.
Just a few days after capturing the ASUN championship and securing its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, Jacksonville now has an NCAA tournament win under its belt.
Jack Taylor (three goals, two assists) and Daylin John-Hill (one goal, four assists) posted five points apiece, and William Krupsky led the Dolphins with four goals in a 13-7 win at Robert Morris on Wednesday.
Jacksonville now has a date with second-seeded Notre Dame in the second round on Sunday at 12 p.m. Eastern in South Bend. The Dolphins are the 13th team since the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament was established in 1971 to win their debut game and only the seventh since 1973.
Despite their inexperience in May, Jacksonville left little doubt it was ready for the occasion. The Dolphins built an 8-3 lead by halftime and pitched a shutout in the third quarter, entering the final 15 minutes with an 11-3 lead.
Drew Rippeon ensured Jacksonville kept the pressure on by winning 16 of 24 faceoffs. Ryan Della Rocco made 10 saves, keeping the Colonials at bay.
MARIST ENDS 11-YEAR DROUGHT
Marist won its first NCAA tournament game since 2015 by beating Stony Brook 10-6 in Poughkeepsie in front of 1,513 fans.
Sean Mullan set the tone early with a step-down hammer to kickstart the game’s scoring. Collin Patrick and Peter Murray produced identical lines of four goals and one assist, providing the heavy lifting on offense.
Richie Metzger made nine saves for the Red Foxes, including an acrobatic two-save sequence late in the fourth quarter. Marist is lined up to play top-seeded Princeton in New Jersey on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Stony Brook hung around in large part due to Collin Williamson’s five goals. A third quarter in which Marist shot just 2-for-17 also allowed the Seawolves to hang tough, but they couldn’t get enough offense going to clip the Red Foxes.
The win snaps an eight-game losing streak in the NCAA tournament for Metro Atlantic teams. Quinnipiac was the last team to notch a win in 2016.
NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S TOURNAMENT
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Jacksonville def. Robert Morris 13-7
Marist def. Stony Brook 10-6
NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S TOURNAMENT
SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE
All times Eastern.
Saturday
UAlbany at (3) North Carolina, 12 p.m.
Army at (8) Penn State, 2:30 p.m.
Johns Hopkins at (7) Cornell, 5 p.m.
Duke at (4) Richmond, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday
Jacksonville at (2) Notre Dame, 12 p.m.
Marist at (1) Princeton, 2:30 p.m.
Yale at (6) Syracuse, 5 p.m.
Georgetown at (5) Virginia, 7:30 p.m.
