No. 8 Denison (15-1) at No. 5 Stevenson (17-4)
May 16, 2012 @ 8 p.m. in Owings Mills, Md. (Mustang Stadium)
2012 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
Setting the Scene: Eighth-ranked Denison is making its 12th NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance after a 10-5 victory over No. 3 Lynchburg on Saturday night. The Big Red is led by head coach Mike Caravana, who is in his 19th season in Granville. He boasts a 195-77 (.717) record at Denison and is 11-14 in 25 NCAA Tournament games. With 15 victories, Denison has matched the school's single-season win total set in 1982. They have also assured that this season will be the most successful, in terms of winning percentage, in the 60-year history of the program.
Fifth-ranked Stevenson is making its third-straight appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals. They defeated Gettysburg on Saturday, 13-6, in a second round match-up from Mustang Stadium. Stevenson University is led by head coach Paul Cantabene who is in his eighth season. He has posted a career record of 104-34 and has guided the Mustangs to a 12-1 record at home in 2012.
The winner of the Denison-Stevenson quarterfinal will advance to the NCAA semifinals on Sunday (May 20) at a site and time to be determined. The Division III national championship game will be played on May 27 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Familiar Foes: Denison and Stevenson have played each season since 2009 and the Mustangs have won all four meetings with two wins coming in Granville and two in Owings Mills. In fact, the Big Red's 12-9 loss to Stevenson on April 7 is DU's only loss this season. In that contest, Denison outscored Stevenson 7-4 in the second half, but a 7-goal second quarter for the Mustangs would prove to be the difference. Sophomores Chapin Speidel and Eddie Vita led Denison with three goals apiece, while junior goalie Nick Petracca turned in a season-high 15 saves. For Stevenson, Justin Lea scored four goals and added one assist.
X Marks the Spot: There were plenty of contributing factors to Denison's second-round win over No. 3 Lynchburg, but sophomore face-off specialist Chip Phillips deserves a special mention. Ranked among the top-10 in terms of face-off percentage, Phillips won 14 of 20 draws, moving his season FO percentage to .670. Phillips also leads the team in ground balls with 73.
Survive and Advance: Denison endured a first-round scare from Adrian College, who entered this year's NCAA Tournament with a 17-1 record. It took two overtimes, but senior attack Cory Couture provided the eventual game-winner for DU, 51 seconds into the second OT. Couture, who will leave Denison as one of the program's greatest distributors, moved into eighth on the career assist list with 93 and 12 in points with 167.
Defense wins championships: Denison entered the NCAA Tournament with the nation's sixth-ranked defense allowing just over five goals per game. That defense was well represented on the North Coast's all-conference list as senior Nick Farrell, Tommy Harrison, Austin Campbell and goalie Nick Petracca earned first-team accolades. Junior Spencer Riehl was a second-team choice. Farrell, who is a two-time USILA All-American, leads the youthful unit. DU averages 38.9 ground balls per game and averages 11 caused turnovers per contest.
Man-Up…Advantage Big Red: Denison's man-up unit has performed at a high level all season and is 4-for-9 in two NCAA Tournament games this season. Sophomore Eddie Vita has scored 11 of his team-high 43 goals in extra-man this season. Senior middie Zach Walsh has scored nine of his 30 goals in man-up. Entering the tournament, Denison boasted the third-ranked man-up offense.
Couture named NCAC POY: Denison senior Cory Couture became the eighth member of the Big Red to be named the NCAC's Player of the Year.
America's Team: Denison's 46-man roster hails from 19 different states with six players from Ohio, five players from California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and four from Maryland and New Jersey (to name just a few).
Sportsmanship matters: The North Coast Athletic Conference began awarding a Sportsman of the Year award in 2011 and Denison players have won both. Last year it was Tanner Smith and this year, senior middie Davis Lukens won the award. Lukens has scored a career-high 23 goals this season.
Channeling 2009: The 2012 postseason has felt eerily similar to Denison's 2009 run to the quarterfinals. In 2009 they opened with a decisive home win over Ohio Wesleyan but went on the road to face No. 3 Roanoke. Denison knocked off Roanoke 14-6 before eventually falling to fifth-ranked Gettysburg, 13-8. This season, Lynchburg was ranked third and Stevenson is currently the No. 5 team in the country.
Notables: Denison's 239 goals are the fifth-most in school history … Denison has advanced to the Final Four, twice in school history (1999 and 2001). In 1999 the Big Red topped Washington and Lee, 17-7, and in 2001 they upset Salisbury, 11-6. Both quarterfinal wins came on the road … This will mark the first time Denison and Stevenson have met in the NCAA Tournament … One of Stevenson's four losses this season came at Lynchburg (6-3) on March 10. The Mustangs' three other losses came against Salisbury (twice) and at Cortland State … Eddie Vita's 43 goals rank eighth on Denison's single-season goal scoring list … Cory Couture's 40 assists are the second-most in a season at DU. Paul Doty holds the single-season record with 46 assists in 1967 … Stevenson is led in scoring by Stephen Banick (32g, 27a) and Chris Dashiell (21g, 25a) … The Mustangs have outscored its opponents 228-127 this season ... prior to the 2009 season, Stevenson University went by the name Villa Julie College ... Denison was 1-0 all-time against Villa Julie, with a win coming in the 2002 season ... Follow @DenisonSports on Twitter for exclusive content and in-game updates from Maryland.
