(box score)
Sophomore Johnny Casey (Glenside, PA) scored the tying goal midway through the third quarter and the go-ahead marker late in the fourth, propelling Widener to its seventh straight Middle Atlantic Conference final with an 8-6 win over Elizabethtown at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium.
Top-seeded Widener (14-2) broke the school record for most victories and established a new school record with its 12th straight win. The team had won 13 games on four previous occasions and posted an 11-game winning streak in 2002.
Widener will face second-seeded Messiah on Saturday at 1:00 pm at Quick Stadium in the teams first meeting in the final since 2008. The winner also earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
The Pride are 5-1 in their last six trips to the MAC final and 21-3 overall in the tournament. The squad has won 12 MAC championships and appeared in the NCAA Tournament eight times.
With the scored deadlocked 5-5 at halftime, the Blue Jays (9-7) struck first in the third quarter as Derek Kline scored off a feed from Derek Neiheiser with 8:36 left.
But Casey and the Pride would not be denied. Just 57 seconds later, Casey received a pass from senior JJ Hoeffler (Cranford, NJ) and buried one for a 6-6 tie.
Elizabethtown's strategy of slowing the game down was a familiar tactic by Widener opponents and the home team was ready. The patience paid off as Casey once again came through, taking a pass from sophomore Josh Fox (Wynnewood, PA) and rifling one home with 4:43 left for a 7-6 contest.
The Blue Jays won the ensuing face-off and looked for the tie, but senior and two-time Honorable Mention Preseason All-American Nick Politarhos (Ridley, PA) was on the spot. Politarhos forces Cory Boushell into a key turnover with just over three minutes left and came up with the ground ball.
Following a Widener timeout and Elizabethtown's best effort to force a turnover, Hoeffler scored an empty-net goal with 1:21 left for the final.
Casey recorded his fifth hat trick of the season and Hoeffler played solidly with two goals and three assists for the Pride. Sophomore Bobby Schluter (Kennett Square, PA) made six saves over 30 minutes and freshman Mac Nestler (Chatham, NJ) had two in the second half.
Greg Kenneally scored twice, Brian Schaaf had a goal and an assist with Mike Kenneally getting seven ground balls for the Blue Jays. Brent Campbell won 15-of-18 face-offs and Brendan Corcoran made seven saves.
Tonight was a re-match of last year's semifinal in which sixth-seeded Widener won at top-seeded Elizabethtown, 8-5.
