HAVERFORD, Pa. – Sophomore Danno Lynch (Medfield, Mass./Avon Old Farms [Conn.]) scored the game-winning goal with 4:05 left and Gettysburg withstood a last-second desperation shot that ricocheted just wide of the goal as the sixth-ranked and third-seeded Bullets defeated second-seeded Washington (Md.) College 9-8 in the Centennial Conference semifinals Friday afternoon at Haverford College's Swan Field.

With the win, Gettysburg's 10th straight, the Bullets (12-3) advance to the conference championship game and will take on eight-ranked, top-seeded, and tournament host Haverford College, a 9-8 winner over fourth-seeded McDaniel College in the other semifinal, on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Junior Kyle McGrath (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) led the Bullets with three goals while sophomore Chris Cahill (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) chipped in with two goals. Junior Patrick Koehl (Shamong, N.J./St. Joseph's Prep [Pa.]) added one goal and one assist, and senior Zach Furshman (Miami, Fla./Kent School [Conn.]) saved 10 shots in goal.

The win marked the 326th career victory for Gettysburg head coach Hank Janczyk, who tied Jack Emmer for second on the all-time NCAA men's lacrosse wins list (all divisions).

Washington (9-7) received two goals and an assist from Casey O'Connor and one goal and one assist from Jimmy Kielek. Gordon Cohen also stopped 10 shots for the Shoremen.

Gettysburg and Washington were meeting in the Centennial Conference semifinals for the first time ever after playing in each of the last eight conference championship games.

With the scoreboard reading 8-8, the Bullets gained possession with five and a half minutes to go. A minute and a half later, junior Josh Reichert (Englewood, Colo./Kent School) drove in from the right wing and let fly a shot that was deflected by Cohen. Lynch scooped up the loose ball before delivering the go-ahead tally from point-blank range.

The Shoremen had two good looks at the goal inside the final two minutes, but a Matt Moreton shot sailed wide with 1:30 left, and Furshman came up with a big save outside the crease on a Doug Herdegen offering with 50 seconds to go. Furshman cleared the ball himself, racing it all the way behind the Washington goal, before the Bullets called a timeout with 36 seconds remaining.

Gettysburg appeared to have the game wrapped up when it held the ball near its end line, but the Bullets turned it over with eight seconds left. The Shoremen quickly got it just past midfield, where Kyle van Oostendorp fired a shot near the left goalpost, where it deflected off defenseman Tim Kurpis (Yorktown, N.Y./Yorktown) and a foot left of the net as time expired.

Koehl put the Bullets in front early, scoring just 3:45 into the game to make it 1-0. van Oostendorp tied it up a minute and a half later before Gettysburg answered with two quick goals to go up 3-1. McGrath curled behind the goal and punched in his first goal with 3:38 left before junior Joe Brody (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) took a feed from Reichert and scored in transition with 2:31 on the clock. The Shoremen scored the final of the quarter when Kielek sent in a one-time from O'Connor with 58 ticks showing, making it 3-2.

Washington caught fire midway through the second quarter, scoring four times over a 4:34 stretch to go up 6-3. O'Connor got things going with a man-up goal at the 9:43 mark before Josh Perlow struck with 8:12 on the clock, giving the Shoremen their first lead (4-3) of the game. O'Connor and Brendan O'Leary added back-to-back tallies 57 seconds apart to give Washington its three-goal lead, prompting a Gettysburg timeout with 5:09 left.

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2009-05-01