The 37th annual Vail Lacrosse Shootout is in the books, and Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear is the Men's Elite Champion following a well-played victory over defending champion Team 21. Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear was the best team throughout the tournament.

Gang Green had to endure overtime to defeat CRSLax.com in the Women's Elite title game. Both teams were stellar all tournament and seemed destined to meet on the final day. They did not disappoint, giving the Shootout its first overtime title game in years.

Men's Elite

In a battle of the number one and two seeds, Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear took down defending champion Team 21, 11-8, to earn their first Vail Lacrosse Shootout on Sunday afternoon. Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear gained the lead on a two-point goal from All-Tournament midfielder Jake Plonket (Syracuse) late in the first quarter and never looked back.

The staunch defensive effort of Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear held the balanced Big Red offense at bay. All-Tournament long poles Tim Shaw (Virginia), Billy Haire (Bucknell), and Tom Izard (Bucknell) hounded the Team 21 offense all game. All three were essential in keeping 21 off the board for a stretch that from the end of the first quarter until only 8:31 remained in the third.

Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear used their size and speed to dominate the possession game, scooping up 43 ground balls and winning 18 face-offs on the afternoon. In contrast, Team 21 got only 19 ground balls and four draws. The game was extremely well played by both teams, and there were only two 30-second penalties for the entire game.

Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear's All-Tournament attackman Tim Desko (Syracuse) finished with four goals and totaled nine goals and three assists for the tournament. Tournament Offensive MVP Steve Giannone (Virginia) tallied two goals and one assist; he totaled thirteen goals and three assists en route to carrying his team to the championship.

Tournament Defensive MVP Chris Madalon (North Carolina) finished with six saves in his half of play. Madalon made several great stops during the tournament and was the second-half anchor for the champions. Matt Madalon (Roanoke) also made six stops in the championship game during his half of play. For team 21, A.J. Fiore (Cornell) finished with 14 saves and also played well throughout the four-day event. The young goaltender will be heading to Cornell for his freshman year this fall.

Rocco Romero (Cornell) was also an All-Tournament selection and finished with one goal and two assists for Team 21. Bobby Magrin (Herkimer) had a hat trick.

For Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear, it is their first Vail Shootout title after several years of near misses. They were simply the better team and should be the favorites going into 2010 as well.

Sunday Results
Championship: Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear 11 , Team 21 8
3nd Place: Lacrossewear's Jammin' Salmon7, Last Call 5
5th Place: Brine Elite 9, Collared Greens 7
7th Place: Conifer Water/Rocky Mountain Oysters 12, Club All-Stars 3

Consolation Bracket
Championship: Olympic Club 10, Baltimore Crabs 7
11th Place: Team Chipotle 9, Team Gutman 7
13th Place: Team 5280/Tap Room 4, Victorious Secret 2
15th Place: The Lofers 7, Vendetta's 4

Round Robin Bracket
Pond Hoppers 16, Dunn Financial 14
83½ Lacrosse 9, Lax Zone Miami 3

2009 Vail Lacrosse Shootout Men's Elite All-Tournament Awards

Attack
Alex Capretta – Olympic Club
Kip Dooley – Lacrossewear's Jammin' Salmon
Pete Carrol – Last Call
Tim Desko – Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear

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2009-07-06