Jackets Defeat Georgia and Clinch SELC Tournament First Round Bye

On unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Men's Lacrosse team traveled to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in this year's edition of Clean Old Fashioned Hate.

This game has implications beyond the rivalry and both teams were well aware. Both the Jackets and Bulldogs entered the game ranked in the top 10 nationally and are aiming for bids to the MCLA National Championship. The two teams also entered the game tied for first place in the SELC North region. The winner of the game would earn the North top seed and get a bye in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. The game also marked senior day for the Bulldogs as well as celebrating the 50th anniversary of lacrosse at Georgia.

The stakes were high and the tension was palpable on the field as the Bulldogs started barking over an hour before faceoff as warm ups began. The game started with a fierce groundball on the opening faceoff, which the Bulldogs won. The Jacket defense got an early stop and got the ball to the Tech offense. The Jackets created some solid looks, but were unable to capitalize. The Bulldogs brought the ball down the field and opened the scoring before the Jacket defense could get set. The Bulldog sideline and fans erupted as they took the early lead. The lead was short lived as Charlie Ciardullo took the ensuing faceoff forward and scored his first goal as Yellow Jacket seven seconds later. Ciardullo won the next faceoff as well and got the ball to Brooks Baro who drew a slide in early offense before feeding Joseph Rose who slipped the ball past the goalie to push the Jackets in front seventeen second later. The Bulldogs tied the game with a transition goal less than a minute later. The Bulldogs committed an offside penalty to give the Jackets their first extra man opportunity of the day. The Jackets were patient and drew the defense behind the goal before Brooks Baro fed Pierce Quarles for a wing shot that found its way home. The lead was short lived as the Bulldogs scored on their ensuing possession. The scoring barrage continued at Matt Seifert dodged his man and got all the way to goal before scoring to put the Jackets back in front. From here both defenses settled in a bit as there were a few scoreless minutes before the Bulldogs tied the game. Just over a minute late the Bulldogs took their second lead of the game at 5-4. The Jackets took a long possession around the three minute mark in the quarter with multiple good looks before Brook Baro found D.J. Louis on the backside who fired a bounce shot into the Georgia net to tie the game. This goal was first of a five goal run in the final 2:17 of the first quarter. Coach Lovic called a timeout on the next Jackets possession and the offense came out with a beautifully run set play and Michael Grosso fed Pierce Quarles who rifled a shot past the Bulldog netminder. The Jackets scored in early offense again on the next possession as Quarles fed Joseph Rose as he snuck around the crease from behind. Quarles would then score an unassisted goal after using a pick at goal line extended. Baro would close the first quarter scoring after a dodge in early offense and getting to the middle of the field. The run to end the quarter was fueled by faceoff dominance from Ciardullo and Aaron Piszczek and the Jackets took advantage of the extra possessions not allowing the Bulldog offense to touch the ball as the Jackets built the 9-5 lead to close the quarter and the beginning of an incredible 12-2 run by the Jackets.

The Bulldogs, a proud program, would not go quietly and scored the first goal of the second quarter. The Jackets answered with back to back goals from Baro and Rose. The Bulldogs scored their final goal of the first half with 10:22 in the second quarter. The Jacket defence lead by Hudson Higgins, George Corbin, Mitch Savalli, Wilson Halloran and Zach Harrison tighted up and limited the opportunities for the Bulldogs. Peter Zagrobelny turned away any shots that the Bulldogs managed. The Jackets closed the first half with a 14-7 lead.

Owen Armentrout stepped into the cage for the second half as the Jackets managed to shut out the Bulldogs in the third quarter. The Jackets added three goals of their own to enter the fourth quarter with a 17-7 lead.

The fourth quarter saw the teams trade goals. Every time the Bulldogs scored to close the gap, the Jackets would answer back to keep the hosts are arm's length. The Jackets closed the game with a 23-13 win to claim the SELC North division crown.

Charlie Ciardullo won 20-25 faceoffs and added two goals. Joseph Rose finished with 8 goals for the Jackets. Baro finished with four goals and five assists. Quarles finished with four goals and four assists. A complete team victory with 13 of the 17 goals scored by an assist!

The Jackets will now face the winner of the Auburn vs South Carolina quarterfinal game in Jacksonville, Florida on April 18 in the SELC Semi Finals.