Gophers Trim Deficit to One Before Time Runs Out

TOWSON, Md. — There was certainly no quit in Goucher today as head coach Brian Kelly's squad, which once trailed by seven goals, entered the fourth quarter four goals behind Scranton. By scoring three unanswered goals in the final period, including one by Owen Demmerly (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) with :31 remaining, the Gophers got as close as 10-9, but time ran out before they could complete what would have been an astonishing comeback.

• The Gophers (7-4, 0-3 Landmark) scored the final three goals of the third quarter after Jake Haimson put the Royals (9-2, 2-0 Landmark) ahead 10-3 with an extra-man goal 4:01 into the period. Michael Morgan (Austin, Texas/Westwood) made it 10-4 when he tallied a man-up goal at 8:21 and Nate Wilinski (Decatur, Ga./Decatur) accounted for the remaining two goals, including one with :06 showing on the clock.

• Goucher outshot Scranton, 21-3, in the fourth quarter, but was only able to add an unassisted goal by Conner Annunziato (West Chester, Pa./Bayerd Rustin) to its total through the first 13 minutes.

• Scranton's lead was reduced to 10-8 with 1:06 left to play thanks to another extra-man goal by Morgan, this one set up by Jake Ziegler (Buffalo, N.Y./Nichols School).

• Nicholas McKaba, the starting goalkeeper for Scranton, made three saves in the final minute of the fourth quarter, including one after Goucher had closed to within 10-9. He finished with 15 saves.

• Both of the goals the Gophers scored in the second quarter belonged to Zeigler, his seventh and eighth of the season.

Goucher's next game will be a week from today against Elizabethtown, which is currently in sole possession of first place in the Landmark Conference.