ALBION, Mich. – Zach Hubbell twice and Drew Harm and Kyle DeCamp scored in the final 2 ½ minutes as Albion College rallied for a 12-11 victory over Trine University in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's lacrosse action at the Davis Athletic Complex.
DeCamp's goal, his second of the day with 11 seconds remaining, makes Albion (11-3 overall, 5-0 MIAA) the last remaining undefeated team in conference play. The Britons meet Hope (9-4, 4-1) in the regular season home final. The face-off is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Albion's Davis Athletic Complex.
"That was a very well coached Trine team. Trine had us on the ropes, but the seniors refused to lose and that mentality caught on like a wildfire," Head Coach Jake DeCola said of Dominicn Hamper, Hubbell and Paul Johnson who were honored in a pre-game ceremony. "All three made huge plays at the end of the game.
Trine used its size advantage, while first-year goalkeeper Joseph Steigmeyer collected 15 saves, to stymie the Britons for three and a half quarters.
It was an uphill battle for the Britons all day. Nick Maher scored twice in the first 3 ½ minutes of the game as Trine led until DeCamp's goal in the final minute. The Thunder led by as many as four, including at 9-5 when Conner Putman scored with 12 ½ minutes to play.
Brandon Lebioda and Harm scored man-up goals and Hubbell tacked on a goal as Albion cut the deficit to 9-8 with nine minutes left.
Trine answered the Albion surge with goals from Maher (his fifth of the day) and Eric Peal to lead 11-8 with 4 ½ minutes left.
Thanks to Kyle DeCamp's work on face-off, however, Albion gained enough possessions down the stretch to pull out the victory. DeCamp was 18-of-21, and when he got a break in the first half, McGregor Wright won four of five.
Hubbell finished with four goals and an assist for the Britons. Harm added three goals, Lebioda checked in with two goals and an assist, Jacob Swift turned in a goal and two assists and Hamper dished out three assists.
Get the latest information on the team by following @Albion_MLax on Twitter. General athletics news can be found at @gobrits on Twitter and Albion College Athletics on Facebook
