MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Tournament Most Valuable Player Thomas Fies (So., Evanston, Ill.) scored four goals to collect Player of the Game accolades as Division III No. 1-ranked Washington University in St. Louis of the Missouri Valley Division built an early lead and never looked back in dispatching Division III No. 6 Tuts University of the New England Division, 10-6, in the 2018 Men’s Division III Collegiate Club Championship game at Wesleyan University.
The championship adds to the legacy of the Bears as the now six-time Division III National Champions (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) capture their fifth consecutive crown. The only team to win four or more consecutive Men’s National Championships in either the Division III or National Collegiate Club ranks, Washington has dominated the Division III ranks dating back to its first National Championship in 2011 as the Bears defeated Bowdoin College, 13-10, at Hamilton College and lost a 12-11 heartbreaker in sudden death overtime to Monmouth College in 2012 at Middlebury College. In 2013, University of California-Santa Cruz claimed a 13-9 victory at Franklin & Marshall College against the Bears prior to Washington tying for the National Championship with UC-Santa Cruz in 2014 due to a snowstorm induced power outage at Bowdoin to prevent the National Championship game from taking place. Washington repeated as National Champion in 2015 at Macalester by handling Middlebury College (14-9 W) and again in 2016 at Hamilton against Carnegie Mellon University (14-7 W). Last year, the Bears handled Tufts (17-7 W) to claim its fourth consecutive crown as the 2018 title tilt marks the fourth time two teams met in back-to-back seasons for the Division III National Championship (2000/2001 – University of Rochester vs. Wesleyan; 2004/2005 – New York University vs. Wesleyan; 2013/2014 – UC-Santa Cruz vs. Washington in St. Louis; 2017/2018 – Washington in St. Louis vs. Tufts).
In a rematch of the last year’s title game, the Bears jumped in front early and stayed in front until the final horn as Levi Kohl (So., Brentwood, Calif.) and Fies buried even-strength chances with 3:31 and 2:53 left in the first quarter to stake the Bears to a 2-0 lead. Alexander Burnam (Jr., San Franciso, Calif.) moved Tufts within one at 1:02, but Kohl canned a five-meter penalty shot with 52 seconds remaining in the quarter to return Washington’s lead to a pair at 3-1.
Fies found the back of the cage again in the second quarter (4:19) to make it 4-1, but Ross Wood (Sr., Forth Washington, Pa.) and Gabe Haddad (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) responded at 2:14 and 1:46, respectively, to inch the Jumbos within 4-3. However, John Hooker (Jr., Calabasas, Calif.) delivered some insurance for Washington by pounding a ball into the mesh (1:30) to provide the Bears a 5-3 lead at halftime.
Hookers’ heave ignited a 3-0 run by Washington spanning into the third quarter as Fies cashed in a man-up chance (6:04) and Max Bernstein (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) rifled in an even-strength strike (5:42) to increase the gap between the teams to 7-3.
Tufts attempted to rally back as Andrew Barber (Jr., New Haven, Conn.) and Haddad buried power-play bids with 5:12 and 3:30 to go in the third quarter, respectively, as the Jumbos stampeded back into the game by pulling within two at 7-5.
Washington terminated Tufts’ momentum 17 seconds following Haddad’s man-up strike as Jacob Hepp (Fr., Seattle, Wash.) stroked home a shot at 3:13 to make it a three goal game at 8-5 going into the fourth quarter of play.
Haddad finished out his team’s scoring at the 5:21 mark of the final frame to pull Tufts within a pair at 8-6, but a five-meter penalty shot by Kohl (4:36) and a natural marker from Fies (3:55) widened the lead to four (10-6) to insulate and guarantee Washington’s sixth Division III National Championship victory.
For Washington, Kohl netted three goals to join Fies in posting hat-tricks. Hooker, Bernstein and Hepp each chipped in solo tallies in support of a combined 12 saves performance by Bears’ goalies Michael Lorberg (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) and Brian Xu (So., Irvine, Calif.).
Tufts, which adds to its own legacy of previous First (2009), Second (2017), Third (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013), Fourth (2014, 2016) and Fifth (2012, 2015) place finishes, received three goals from Haddad and single scores by Barber, Burnam and Wood. Goalie Gian Marco Visani (So., Faenza, Italy) took the loss with eight saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Tufts University | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | 6 |
| Washington University in St. Louis | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | 10 |
| Washington Goals: | Thomas Fies (4); Levi Kohl (3); John Hooker; Max Bernstein; Jacob Hepp | |||||
| Tufts Goals: | Gabe Haddad (3); Andrew Barber; Alexander Burnam; Ross Wood | |||||
| Saves: | Washington – Michael Lorberg (7, 18:20), Brian Xu (5, 9:40) ; Tufts – Gian Marco Visani (8) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Washington – 13 ; Tufts – 8 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Washington – 3-for-8 ; Tufts – 2-for-12 | |||||
| Sprints: | Washington – 2-for-4 (1st, 2nd) ; Tufts – 2-for-4 (3rd, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Steve Sargalski, Gabriel Maldonado | |||||
Tufts University’s Gabe Haddad (#11) struggles against Washington University in St. Louis’ Eric Olaya (#7)
Washington University in St. Louis’ Ricky Kuehn (#2) spots an open player as Tufts University’s Alexander Burnam (#6) defends
Tufts University goalie Gian Marco Visani
Washington University in St. Louis’ Jacob Hepp (#13) attempts to pass over Tufts University’s Gabe Haddad (#11)
2018 Men’s Division III Club Champion – Washington University in St. Louis
2018 Men’s Division III Club Championship Runner-Up – Tufts University
2018 Men’s Division III Club Championship Third Place – New York University
| 2018 Men’s Division III Collegiate Club Championship All-Tournament Team | |
| Most Valuable Player: | Thomas Fies (Washington University in St. Louis) |
| Coach of the Tournament: | Ross Wood, Abe Massik, Gabe Haddad (Tufts University) |
| First Team | |
| Michael Lorberg (Goalie) | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Thomas Fies | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Levi Kohl | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Abe Massik | Tufts University |
| Ross Wood | Tufts University |
| Aaron Lawrence | New York University |
| James Calhoon | Bates College |
| Second Team | |
| Charlie Nadel (Goalie) | Bates College |
| Alexander Rolph | Bates College |
| Vivaan Bahl | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Alexander Lavery | Grinnell College |
| Ben Conley | New York University |
| Gabe Haddad | Tufts University |
| Miguel Hernandez | U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| John Hooker | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Max Wimer | Wesleyan University |
