Gettysburg and Washington College remained close through the first quarter, but the Bullets outscored the Shoremen 7-1 in the second quarter en route to a huge 26-13 victory in the final game of the regular season.
Kyle Howard (Skillman, N.J./Montgomery) scored a career-high seven goals and added four assists for a career-high 11 points while George Raymond (Darien, Conn./Suffield Academy) tied a career-high seven assists and achieved a career-high 10 points, tallying three goals on the day. Kieran Ward (Malvern, Pa./Malvern Prep) had two goals and four assists for six points. Declan Harrigan (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck) led the Bullets defensively with five ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
For Washington, Cam Carrigan, Parka Barta, and Connor Garrison each scored two goals.
Gettysburg came out firing, going on a 3-0 run in the first 4:46 of play. George Raymond dished to Kieran Ward for the first tally of the game, which was followed immediately after a Jack Dunleavy (New Providence, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) solo tally before Ward dished to Dunleavy. Out of a timeout by Washington, the Shoremen broke up the shutout with an unassisted goal by Mac Hale. Kyle Howard grabbed a pass from Raymond to respond with his first goal of the day before Washington scored the final two goals of the quarter to yield a 4-3 score after the first quarter.
The Bullets then outscored Washington 7-1 in the second stanza to take a commanding lead. Howard got the scoring started with an unassisted run with 11:30 on the clock, and two Shoremen penalties, one unreleasable, allowed Gettysburg to net three, from Quinton Mather (Avon, Conn./Avon Old Farms), Ethan Kessler (Ridgefield, Conn./Millbrook School), and Howard, within 2 minutes and 7 seconds. Three quick goals, one from Ward and two from Howard, capped a 7-0 Bullets run. Washington scored their only goal of the quarter with just over 90 seconds remaining in the half on a Brady McFalls solo run, as the Bullets took an 11-4 lead going into the break.
Washington came out of the locker room ready to play, outscoring Gettysburg 4-1 within the first four minutes to bring the game back within four goals. Kessler had the lone Gettysburg tally in the stretch, assisted by Raymond. The Bullets soon got things back under control, scoring three straight within less than 90 seconds. Raymond dished to Mather with 9:51 showing, and Aidan Wykoff (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) finished a Howard run only 34 seconds later. Raymond scored his first of the day off a pass from Howard to put the Bullets back out to a 15-8 lead. Parker Barta scored a man-up goal for Washington with just under five minutes left in the third, but Gettysburg closed out the quarter with two more tallies, as Howard dished to a charging Zack Kinsella (Annapolis, Md./Severn School), and Ryan Cernuto (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) dumped a pass from Raymond in the final 16 seconds of the quarter for a 17-9 lead going into the final quarter.
The Bullets’ dominance continued into the final fifteen minutes, which started with a 4-minute, 13-second run wherein Gettysburg scored six straight. Brett Ginac (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia/Trinity Pawling), Raymond, McCain Wnek (Wilmington, N.C./New Hanover), Cernuto, and Howard tallied goals in the run, while Kessler added three helpers. The run was broken up by Tom Merritt of Washington, who picked up a ground ball and drove straight to cage, but Howard responded only 40 seconds later for a 24-10 Bullets lead. Washington and Gettysburg traded goals over the next 3 minutes, 26 seconds, with Brady McGovern (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) and Ginac finding the back of the net for the Bullets. The Shoremen scored the final tally, a man-up goal by Parker Barta, for a 26-13 final score.
Gettysburg not only doubled up on goals against Washington, but they also doubled up on shots, keying a 64-32 shot advantage. Thirteen Bullets registered a point on the day, with 12 Bullets scoring goals. Brett Ginac, Mather, Ethan Kessler, Ward, and Ryan Cernuto each scored two goals. Chase Morgan (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) and Joey Fox (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) each tended the goal for the Bullets. Morgan made six saves.
Gettysburg returns to action in the Centennial Conference tournament semifinals on Friday. Game time and opponent are to be announced.