Two MCLA champions were crowned Friday in Round Rock, Texas — including a first-time champion that leaves its mark on the MCLA with an impending move to NCAA Division II happening next spring.
Continue below to read more about the champions.
DIVISION I
Concordia trailed by three to Virginia Tech late in the second quarter, but the Eagles were still very much in striking distance. Perhaps what nobody expected was the pace at which they would turn the corner.
The Eagles scored 15 of the next 20 goals, beating the Hokies 17-10 to claim the MCLA Division I championship. Concordia is the first program to win a national title in both Division I and Division II and is the first program to leave the MCLA with a title, as the Eagles are readying for a jump to NCAA Division II.
As flashy as the offense played in the second half, it was goalie Daniel Yang who might have made the biggest difference. The Concordia netminder made 16 saves. Cade Poe helped with earning possessions, winning 25 of 31 faceoffs.
Concordia deposited a record 25 goals in the semifinals Thursday night, but the Eagles couldn’t have started slower on Friday. They were shut out in the first quarter and trailed 5-2 with 2:29 left in the second quarter. The Eagles chipped away, going into the break down 5-4 after goals by Tyler Collins and Eric Obispo.
The halftime conversation evidently worked. Yungte Young opened the second-half scoring, then Andrew Buckley followed to give Concordia its first lead at 6-5.
Virginia Tech certainly didn’t go away, at least not at first, as Aidan Smith knotted the score at 6 midway through the third quarter. Chad McFadden fueled Concordia’s next run, a five-goal spurt to take an 11-6 advantage. McFadden dropped a gaudy 10 goals against Liberty in the semifinals.
Concordia extended its lead to 15-7, and the Hokies couldn’t come close the rest of the way.
It took overtime to decide a Division II champion, and Dayton was certainly willing to wait it out after not winning a title since 2015.
Jake Meyer sent the Flyers into celebration mode by finishing a Kyle Collett feed with 2:52 left in the extra period, finishing off a 6-5 Dayton national title victory over St. Thomas.
It was a stark contrast to the high-scoring Division I game. The Flyers led 2-0 when Matt Cesario scored a couple minutes into the second quarter. The Dayton defense was holding strong, keeping the Tommies scoreless until Jack Stone cut the lead in half with 6:35 left in the second quarter.
Dayton led 4-1 and 5-2, but that three-goal lead early the fourth quarter was coughed up by the end of regulation. Stone made it 5-3, then Garret Hoch made it 5-4 with 4:15 remaining. Cam Gelling knotted the score with 2:46 left.
That set up an overtime period in which St. Thomas had the first possession but couldn’t capitalize — leading to Meyer’s heroics.
