ROCHESTER, NY – Sophomore Ryan Lee (Sharon, Ontario/The Hill Academy) scored off a feed from Allister Warren (Toronto, Ontario/Malvern Collegiate Institute) with 22 seconds to play in regulation, as the top-ranked RIT (20-0) men's lacrosse team rallied to defeat No. 15 Union College, (14-5) 10-9 in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers advance to the national quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 13 at Tiger Stadium and will play SUNY Cortland.

"Union came in with an outstanding game plan," said RIT head coach Jake Coon. "Their goalie was outstanding, but our guys stuck with our game plan and fought and clawed until the very end."

Union goalkeeper Stefan Basile was tremendous in defeat, stopping a career-high 20 shots, including 17 during the opening three quarters.
 
Union held RIT to just five goals in the opening half, a season low. The Tigers went scoreless in the third quarter for only the second time this season, also doing so on April 7 in the second quarter vs. Nazareth. Before that, Union was the last team to hold RIT scoreless in a quarter, doing so in the 2014 NCAA Quarterfinal.

Lee led RIT with five points on four goals and an assist. Senior Allister Warren (Toronto, Ontario/Malvern Collegiate Institute) had two goals and two assists, while Dan LoBosco (South Salem, NY/John Jay) added a goal an assist. Kyle Sterzin (Fairport, NY/Fairport) and Eddie Kiesa (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) each scored a goal, while Matt Hossack (Port Perry, Ontario/Port Perry) finished with a pair of assists.
 
Shots were 49-28 in favor of RIT, while ground balls were even at 23 apiece. Union won 14-of-23 face-offs, while RIT was 12-of-14 on clears. The Tigers went 0-for-2 on the man-up, and stopped the Dutchmen on both of their chances.

Pat Johnston (Norwell, MA/Norwell) got the win in net for RIT making six saves, including three big huge stops in the fourth quarter. Jake Quay (Latham, NY/Shaker) won 3-of-7 face-offs, while Hossack went 4-for-10 on draws. Hossack led RIT with four ground balls, while Patrick Hannigan (Hanover, MA/Hanover) and Jay Krzyston (Bedford, NH/Bishop Guertin) each caused two turnovers.

Union led 3-1 after the first quarter, 8-5 after three quarters of play, and held a 9-6 edge with 9:23 left in regulation. The Tigers responded with five goals in the fourth quarter.

Union scored the first two goals of the game, taking a 2-0 lead on a goal from Peter Richardson at the 5:33 mark of the opening quarter. Jack Scheufele opened the scoring with his 11th goal of the season off an assist from Adam Rosenthal.

Warren got RIT on the board with his unassisted goal at 2:48 of the quarter. He fired a shot around his defender and beat Stafan Basile high to the stick side. Charlie Ross made it 3-1 Union on his 46th goal of the season with 1:22 to play in the first quarter. It was the third time this season Union had opened up a 3-1 lead on the Tigers.

Hossack won the opening face-off of the second quarter and started RIT on the break. He found Lee who buried his 55th goal of the season just seven second into the frame. Union would answer seven seconds later on a face-off win of its own, making it a 4-2 game.

LoBosco and Rosenthal traded goals later in the quarter, as Union opened up a 5-3 lead. RIT closed out the half with two straight goals, tying the score at 5-5 on Warren's second goal of the half off an assist from Lee. Sterzin tallied his 29th of the season at 6:49, pulling RIT to within a goal.

Union dominated play in the third quarter, outscoring RIT 3-0. It was just the second scoreless quarter of the season for RIT. Paul Alberti opened the quarter with his goal at 12:44, while Stauffer made it 7-5 with his goal at 11:34. Ross gave the Dutchmen their largest lead of the game with his goal with 7:57 to play, making it 8-5 Union.

RIT's offense finally woke up in the fourth quarter, tallying five goals. Lee opened the scoring with his 56th of the season off an assist from LoBosco, making it an 8-6 Union lead. After an Adam Rosenthal goal made it 9-6, Lee scored off an assist from Hossack, making it 9-7 Union. With 8:16 to play, Eddie Kiesa (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) took a pass from Alex Sulesky and buried a shot making it 9-8 Union.

Brad Gillies (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) tied the game at 9-9 with his goal at the 7:01 mark of quarter. He got around his defender, tucked his stick at the last moment and scored off a well-placed shot into the corner for his 11th goal.

Johnston was excellent in the fourth quarter, coming up with a big save on Ross, getting his stick across his body to make the big save for the Tigers.

That set up the go-ahead goal for Lee. Warren started the play, getting passed his defender. He spotted an open Lee who fired a shot into the lower left corner for his 58th tally of the season and RIT's first and only lead of the game

Union was not done however, as the Dutchmen won the ensuing face-off. After a timeout, Ross got a great look, but his shot rang off the post with six seconds to play in regulation. Union tried firing a shot as time expired, but the Tigers defense blocked it out of bounds and the celebration .

The Tigers improved to 3-0 against the Dutchmen this season, scoring 57 times in the three wins.  RIT defeated the Dutchmen 22-7 in Schenectady on March 15, and defeated Union 25-14 last Sunday in the Liberty League title game at Tiger Stadium. RIT is now 16-3 all-time against Union, having won the last 10 meetings since joining the Liberty League in 2012. The Tigers also defeated Union in the 2014 NCAA Quarterfinals and 2012 and 2013 Liberty League Tournament.

RIT head coach Jake Coon is now 108-14 since taking over at RIT in 2010. The Tigers are 40-1 since the start of the 2014 season and have started 20-0 for the second straight season.

This is RIT's 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and sixth in as many years. Overall, RIT is now 18-16 all time in NCAA Tournament games, and will compete in the national quarterfinals for the sixth straight season. RIT has appeared in the national semifinals seven times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1998, 2011, 2013, 2014) and advanced to its first championship game in 2013. Since Coon took over in 2010, RIT is 12-5 in NCAA Tournament play.

RIT will SUNY Cortland or Endicott in the national quarterfinals on Wednesday at Tiger Stadium. Stay tuned to www.ritathletics.com for game time.