The Southwestern Pirates took care of business against the Hanover College Panthers in the Heartland Conference tournament semi-final game. The Pirates struggled shooting early on but held strong and maintained the offensive pressure against the Panthers throughout the game. The Southwestern offense was thoroughly supported by the Pirate defense throughout the contest, with the Pirates only allowing three goals on a total of fifteen shots during the game.
The Pirate offense put up a barrage of thirty shots in the first quarter, a nightmare for any goaltender. Although Hanover goalie, Sean O'Meara, had ten saves in the first quarter, the Pirates put in four goals while Hanover was only able to secure one, and the first quarter tallied at 4-1, Southwestern.
The Pirates continued to push the pace in the second quarter with sixteen more shots, dialing in their shooting for six more goals. The Pirates' defense was able to lock in and restrain the Panther attack. Hanover was only able to put up one goal in the second. The Pirates' defense caused over half of the Panthers' turnovers in the first half, not allowing the Panthers offensive opportunities. The first half ended with the Pirates leading 10-2. On the offensive end, Jr. Attackman Matt Caldwell and Jr. Midfielder Blake Sitterly dominated. Sitterly had a hat trick while Caldwell went on a four-goal dash with Justin Macha helping out quietly with one goal and two assists.
The Pirates continued to be relentless in the third quarter, scoring six goals and only allowing the Panthers one goal and three shots. Sr. Attackman Nick Doxey had two goals in the third to conclude at four goals for the match. Caldwell added another goal to make his game total at five and season total at 28 goals. Sitterly ended with two goals under his season-high with four. The Pirates finished the third with a dominating 16-3 lead.
In the final quarter, the Pirates shut out the Panthers, holding Hanover to zero goals. Jr. Midfielder Tommy Saueressig ended his night with two goals and one in the fourth helping seal the deal for the Pirates. The Pirates goaltenders saw little work throughout the night, only seeing fifteen shots and needing five saves to allow just the three goals. The Pirates caused twelve of the twenty-eight Panthers turnovers and finished with a near-perfect clearing percentage at 27-28. The Pirates' semi-final win against the Panther is the 11th win of the season, breaking the Pirates' all-time regular season and postseason win record.
The Pirates will compete against the Colorado College Tigers in a regular-season rematch for the Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference Championship on Sunday, May 8th at 1:00 PM. As of the semi-final game on Friday, there will be no live broadcast available at the conference venue. Live Stats and Play-by-Play coverage can be found at this link for the championship game. https://athletics.hanover.edu/sidearmstats/mlax/summary
