2008 ECAC Division III Metro/South Men's Lacrosse Championship

Seeds
No. 1 Swarthmore College (8-7)
No. 2 Drew University (9-7)
No. 3 SUNY Maritime (11-4)
No. 4 Manhattanville College (8-7)

Semifinals - Friday, May 9
Swarthmore 14, Manhattanville 4 Box Score / Recap
Drew 13, Maritime 8 Box Score

Championship - Sunday, May 11
Drew 7, Swarthmore 5 Box Score

Bracket

Championship Game Recap

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Drew University (N.J.) defeated host Swarthmore (Pa.), 7-5, behind 14 saves from goalie Michael Celentano (Bedminster, N.J. / Mendham), winning the 2008 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III Metro/South Region Men's Lacrosse Championship Sunday afternoon at Clothier Field.

This is the fifth E.C.A.C. men's lacrosse championship for Drew overall, and the fourth in the last 11 years.

Celentano, a junior, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the championship after holding the Garnet (9-8) to just two scores in the second half, allowing the Rangers (11-7) to rally from a 3-1 half-time deficit.

Drew sophomore attackman Jon Bucknam (Flemington, N.J. / Hunterdon Central) led all scorers with three goals while classmate Greg Reading (Pennington, N.J. / Hopewell Valley) added two goals.  Ranger defenseman Michael DeGiovanni (Flemington, N.J. / Hunterdon Central) scooped up a game-high seven ground balls and recorded an assist.

Swarthmore senior goalie Frank Mazzucco (Redding, Conn. / Joel Barlow) posted 13 saves while freshman defenseman Max Wilson (Great Falls, Va. / Langley) collected four ground balls and scored his first collegiate goal.

Trailing 3-1 at the intermission, Drew struck for four goals in the third period.  Bucknam accounted for two of the scores, the latter coming just before the buzzer sounded to put the Rangers in the lead, 5-4. 

Swarthmore junior midfielder Todd Friedman (Miami, Fla. / Miami-Palmetto) scored his 10th goal of the season at 11:13 in the fourth period to tie the game.  Bucknam answered just eight seconds later with the game-winner, his team-leading 46th goal of the season.

The Garnet held a 40-29 shot advantage with the ground-ball count about even (30-29 Swarthmore).  Swarthmore also won nine of the 15 face-offs while neither team capitalized on two extra-man opportunities apiece.

(Courtesy of Swarthmore College Sports Information)