Jackets Outlast Gamecocks for SELC Title

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets faced the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday in the SELC Tournament final.  This was the fifth meeting in the last two seasons with both teams having won two matchups.  The Jackets took both regular season games while the Gamecocks won both the SELC and MCLA championship games.  The game was played at Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida on a beautiful sun-splashed day as a cooling breeze consistently blew through the stadium.

 

The Jackets got on the board first when Aaron Piszczek won the opening faceoff forward and found Max Lucas for a goal seven seconds into the contest.  Goals would be hard to come by for most of the game.  The Gamecocks lead 2-1 after the first quarter.  Pierce Quarles found Matt Krecicki for a transition goal early in the second quarter to tie the game.   South Carolina answered shortly thereafter and the teams held each other at bay for the next several minutes.  Pierce Quarles scored the next goal on an unassisted dodge from behind to tie the game.  The score would hold at 3-3 at the half.  

 

The Gamecocks regained the lead early in the third period.  Joseph Rose tied the game on an inside feed from Quarles.  But the Jackets could not find the scoring touch again in the third quarter.  The Gamecocks scored twice more to take a two goal lead to end the third quarter.

 

The Jacket defense held off the Gamecocks through three quarters as the offense struggled to find their footing.  Hudson Higgins, Connor Koeslch, Kevin Lewis, and Taylor Teasley were strong all day at close defense.  The defensive midfield of Carrington Kelsey, Will Cero, Ian Balser, and George Corbin patrolled the middle of the field and turned away numerous South Carolina dodgers.  The shots that South Carolina did generate were largely turned away by Peter Zagrobelny who finished with 11 saves.  The Jackets were able to hold the Gamecocks to seven goals for the second time this season matching their lowest output of the season.

 

In the final frame the Yellow Jacket offense found their footing and began to approach its usual level of performance.  Much as they had done the night before against Florida, the Yellow Jackets opened the fourth quarter with an offensive barrage.  Sam Eck found Pierce Quarles in transition who attacked the defensive approach and fired a low shot past the Gamecock keeper.  Two minutes later Brooks Baro drew the attention of the defense behind the goal before finding Devin Raun at the top of the formation who swept to his left hand and rocketed a shot into the net to tie the game.  Two minutes later Brooks Baro beat his man on a wing dodge and scored, pushing the Jackets in front.  Seven seconds later Aaron Piszczek took the ensuing faceoff forward and scored a left handed goal rolling away from pressure to double the Tech lead.  The Gamecocks responded just a minute later after Zagrobelny made the initial save, but the rebound spun back into the goal.   Baro answered with his second goal less than twenty seconds later to push the lead back to two.  Baro scored once again to close the game out with just over five minutes remaining.  The Jacket defense turned away all of the Gamecocks late attempts to close the gap.  

 

With the win the Jackets claim their fifth SELC championship and punch their ticket to the MCLA National Tournament in Round Rock, Texas.