Men's Lacrosse: Knights Finish Runner-Up in Region XX Tournament, Now Prepare for National Quarterfinal

By Rocco Geppi

Bel Air, Md. -- The Knights returned to the Region XX Championship game last Saturday for the first time in five years. Unfortunately, No. 1 seed and championship host Harford defeated CCBC Essex 16-8 to take home the title. 

"I think the fact that this team got our program back into the region final and national tournament discussion, all while dealing with a pandemic and new coaching staff, speaks volumes about their competitive character," said Knights head coach Shawn Burke. "It's not always pretty with this team, but the way the care about playing for each other, no matter what the situation, has really been special."

The Knights trailed 6-3 after the first quarter. A goal by Kyle Guenther (Haymarket, Va.) cut the lead in half minutes before the end of the frame.

Both teams scored just once in the second. 

CCBC Essex's defense held strong, keeping the Fighting Owls off the scoreboard for 14:21 - much of the second and into the third quarter.

"We just started doing some basic things better and Piers [McGinn] made some nice saves in the cage," Burke said about his defense. " We also started to win some face offs, which helped the defense get some rest."

In the third, the Knights once again pulled to within three, as Guenther scored the second of his three goals on a feed from Joshua Schelfe (Pasadena, Md.).

Guenther now has 35 goals, which is fourth best in the NJCAA.

Schelfe finished with a game-high four assists and a goal. His 21 assists rank second in the nation.

Harford (8-0) answered back, scoring two of the final three goals in the quarter to take a 10-6 lead into the fourth.

The Fighting Owls closed out the game by outscoring the Knights 6-2 in the last quarter. 

Guenther, Schelfe, Evan Clement  (San Diego, Calif.) and Caleb McNaull (Vienna, Va.) earned Region XX All-Tournament Team honors.   

Vienna, Va. native Pat Ruffolo scored two goals on five shots. Gabe Lichtenstein (Pikesville, Md.) and Will Schmidt (Glen Arm, Md.) finished with a goal each. 

Making it back to the regional final is a huge step forward for the Knights. 

In 2019, they were eliminated by Harford in the first round and did not qualify for the 2018 tournament.

There was no tournament in 2020 due to the pandemic.

"It means a great deal for this team to have gotten back to the regional final," said Burke, who is in year-one of his second stint as Knights' head coach. "We played the toughest schedule in the country this year and for this team to be so resilient and get us to this level is really special.

"I think recruits and their families see this as well and that's a big reason we have such a big and talented group coming in next year, because of this current team bringing the program back to the national stage."   

The Knights now sit at 8-4 overall and await the release of the NJCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship seeding and schedule.

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