Division III Men’s Recap: Ike Eastburn Drops 7 Goals in Illinois Wesleyan Win

The first round of the Division III men’s NCAA tournament saw six teams move on.

Six games kicked off the opening round of the Division III men’s NCAA tournament on Wednesday. Teams advance to play in the next round on Saturday.

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 19, AURORA 10

Junior Ike Eastburn dropped seven goals and senior Carson Kiichle had three goals and four assists as Illinois Wesleyan coasted to a 19-10 win over Aurora. The Titans built up a 10-3 lead by halftime, allowing them to withstand an improved Aurora offense in the second half.

Nick Schroeder won 22 of 27 faceoffs for Illinois Wesleyan, which advances to face Denison on Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern.

CENTRE 11, PFEIFFER 9

A fourth-quarter push lifted Centre to an 11-9 win over Pfeiffer, as Ridr Knowlton finished a feed from Mick Ginnity for a one-goal lead with 9:27 left — and it proved to be the winner.

Christian Underhill knotted the score at 9 with 13:46 left after he intercepted a clear attempt by Pfeiffer goalie Nate Woodhill. Underhill scored twice, and Ginnity had a game-high three assists. Knowlton, Max Speers and Ryan Black each scored two goals. Sammy Zickel made 11 saves for Centre, which advances to play Washington and Lee on Saturday at noon Eastern.

EMMANUEL 12, MAINE MARITIME 7

Emmanuel held Maine Maritime to just one first-half goal and then withstood a comeback attempt to earn its first-ever NCAA tournament victory, a 12-7 decision. The Saints outshot Maine Maritime 38-14 by halftime and took a 9-1 lead into the locker room.

Randy Castle made 16 saves for Emmanuel, and his 16th victory of the season set a new Emmanuel record for both goalies and the program. Emmanuel advances to take on top-seeded Tufts on Saturday at noon Eastern.

JOHN CARROLL 23, LAKE FOREST 2

It was all John Carroll from the opening whistle, as the Blue Streaks scored 11 first-quarter goals en route to a 23-2 win. Morgan Morrell and Matt Berdysiak each had a game-high six points, and Tanner Gill-Snow was close behind with five. Jon Gaglio made 12 saves.

John Carroll advances to take on Dickinson on Saturday at noon Eastern.

WESTERN CONNECTICUT 17, NEW ENGLAND 9

A 12-goal first-half lead was more than enough for Western Connecticut to coast to a 17-9 win over New England. Julian Duque had four goals and one assist, and the quartet of Benjamin Hawthorne, Matt Sweeney, Jonathan Russack-Baker and Peter Traina all had two goals.

Western Connecticut outshot New England 56-24, forced New England into 28 turnovers and won the ground ball battle 56-34. The Wolves advance to take on two-time defending national champion RIT on Saturday at noon Eastern.

SAINT MARY’S (MD) 10, MERCHANT MARINE 5

A close first half made way for a third quarter in which St. Mary’s (Md.) created some separation against Merchant Marine in a 10-5 win. Billy Higgins scored three times, while Walker Krizman, Joshua Martel and Nate Hochrein all scored twice. Ethan Little and Mitch Boudreau both picked up five ground balls.

Saint Mary’s plays Middlebury on Saturday at noon Eastern.