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The win established UT as the southernmost school to win a men’s lacrosse title, and head coach J.B. Clarke won his fourth national championship.

The University of Tampa men’s lacrosse team won the program’s first NCAA Division II National Championship in East Hartford, CT on Sunday, May 29. Photo by Todd Montgomery

Three minutes into the matchup against Mercy College, Daniel Fitzpatrick '23 scored the first goal for the Spartans. 

Tampa would carry the 1-0 lead until Mercy’s Matt Eccles tied the game with 2:55 left in the quarter. 

The quarter ended with each team having six turnovers and the game tied.

In less than eight minutes, the Spartans were up 7-1 with 7:26 until halftime. Just 19 seconds into the second quarter, National Player and Defender of the Year Matthew Beddow '23 scored with an assist from Christian Borodiak '22. 

Graduate student Cole Willard scored the next three goals, with the first assisted by Owen Miller '22. 

Miller scored the fourth goal, followed by one from Luke McAnaney '22 assisted by Harry Kilkowski '22. 

With 5:26 left until halftime, Mercy scored the first of three goals, bringing the score to 7-4 Tampa.

Fitzpatrick scored a critical goal with 2:01 left until halftime, bringing the teams into the third quarter with the score at 8-4.

Five minutes into the third quarter, Tampa was the first team on the board with a score from McAnaney assisted by Miller. 

Mercy scored a pair of goals to trim the Spartans lead to three at 9-6. 

Willard scored at 5:18 with an assist from Miller, ending the quarter at 10-6 Tampa. 

Tampa would register a game-high 12 shots in the third period, though the Mercy goalkeeper Tommy Umano had five saves that quarter.

In the final 15 minutes, both teams picked up their defensive efforts, with a combined 13 turnovers in the period.

Tampa would force six Mercy turnovers, as the Mavericks defence had seven takeaways. 

The Spartans goalkeeper Blake Ulmer ‘23 came away with three crucial saves, as Mercy was only able to score one in the fourth. 

The Mavericks goal was matched by an unassisted goal from Fitzpatrick, who sealed the national championship for the Spartans at 3:08.

Stand Out Stats

• Seven Spartans scored during the game, with four players having a role in multiple goals.
• Willard scored four goals and finished the season with a total of eight goals in the final two games of the season, the national semifinals and championship.
• Fitzpatrick scored the first and last goal of the game, finishing with three goals and one assist.
• Ulmer had nine saves and finished the season with 298 saves.
• Tampa had its first undefeated season in program history at 21-0. Sixteen of the victories came over nationally ranked opponents.
• UT is the first Sunshine State Conference school to win a men’s lacrosse crown.
• Tampa now has 21 national championships as a University.