Garden City, N.Y.  - After surviving first round NCAA tournament action against Pace, the Adelphi University men's lacrosse program hosted Merrimack College in the national semifinals Saturday afternoon. The Warriors (15-3) advance to the National Championship game after taking a 17-9 decision from the Panthers, who conclude their season at 15-4. 

Michael Osmundsen and Gordon Purdie, Jr. both finished with three points apiece, combining for three goals and three assists in the loss. Six additional members were responsible for solo goals as Brendan McDougal accounted for nine saves. Seven players from the Warriors contributed on offense, including three hat tricks from Charlie Bertrand, Tim Towler and Kyle Stenberg. 

The hosts got on the board first in the national semifinal game, as Nicolas Racalbuto found a way past Edward Hellier, who also collected nine saves. Merrimack responded quickly and racked up four goals before the first quarter was through. Warrior midfielder John Bassett sparked scoring for the visitors in the following frame extending their run to 11 to hold a 10-goal advantage at the half. Each team won four faceoffs in the second quarter as Mark Andrejack finished with 17 wins in the circle and eight ground balls. Merrimack defense held the Panthers scoreless as the home team ran up a comfortable lead heading into the break.

Adelphi tried to build a little momentum after the break scoring the first goal for either team, as Purdie Jr. notched an unassisted shot to cut the deficit to single digits. The Blue and Gold replied with two of their own however, but the Panthers held a 4-2 advantage down the stretch, still trailing by nine at the end of the third. Shane deBoer and Quintin McKenna each chipped in a goal after the 10-minute mark as Chris Racalbuto converted a man-up possession to come within six. 

Merrimack added two more goals with four and three minutes to go, sending the Panthers packing as they embark to Foxboro, Massachusetts for the Division II National Championship game at Gillette Stadium. 

The Brown and Gold end their season with a 15-4 record, matching their win mark from two seasons ago. 

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About Adelphi Athletics:
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past eight seasons, has collected 23 regular season conference titles, 25 tournament championships, 33 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup three times (2013, 2014, and 2016), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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