Division II Men's Recap: Rathe's 23 Saves Carry Lewis to Quarters

Chalk prevailed in the first round of the NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse tournament Wednesday night — but just barely.

In the fourth meeting between Lewis and Maryville this season, the Flyers needed a second-half push and a last-second save to down the Saints, 11-10, and advance to the quarterfinals on Sunday against Tampa.

Down 8-5 after Connor Kvaal scored for Maryville with less than a minute into the third quarter, Lewis rallied to score six of the next seven. Evan Clement scored twice in the run, and his goal with 14:06 left in the game knotted the score at 9.

Nolan Dalep made it 10-9 in Lewis’ favor, then Clement assisted Baden Boyenko with 4:04 left for a much-needed insurance goal.

Much-needed because Maryville didn’t go quietly. Justin Simonson made it 11-10 with 20 seconds left, and Shea Raeburn won the next faceoff for the Saints. They raced down the field, with Zach Baker ripping a shot with six seconds left that was saved by Riah Rathe to preserve Lewis’ win.

Rathe made a ridiculous 23 saves, but it’s the last one that’ll be remembered most at Lewis.

Pace 16, Mercyhurst 10

Mercyhurst held a three-goal lead midway through the second quarter, but Pace scored 13 of the final 17 goals, smothering the Lakers in what became a comfortable win. Daniel Zabbia and Maxwell Streety each had four goals and one assist, and Streety also went 21-for-29 on faceoffs with 12 ground balls. Jack Kern made 11 saves for the Setters.

Limestone 16, UIndy 13

Limestone scored the final three goals — one each by Chris Erneston IV, Jason Thomfohrde and Carter Brand — in the final 4:23 to dispatch UIndy. The teams traded metaphorical blows most of the game, with multi-goal runs matched by the opponent on multiple occasions. They traded leads during much of the second half before Limestone rallied late.

Shane O’Leary preserved the win with two saves in the last 1:23. He made 11 saves in the game. Erneston IV scored six goals, and Nate Senez had four assists.

Saint Anselm 16, Bentley 6

Saint Anselm was 1-1 against Bentley in 2024, but the Hawks easily got the better of their conference rival in the NCAA tournament with a 10-goal margin of victory. Maverick Lyon (three goals, one assist) and Nick Larsen (two goals, two assists) led the Hawks with four points each. Colin Mulvey produced a hat trick. The Hawks won 20 of 26 faceoffs.

DIVISION II MEN’S
QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS

All games Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern.

(1) Adelphi vs. (4) Pace
(2) Mercy vs. (3) Saint Anselm

(1) Tampa vs. (4) Lewis
(2) Lenoir-Rhyne vs. (3) Limestone