QUICK HITS
- Cleveland State stunned No. 16 Air Force, 12-11, in overtime
- The win was the first-ever over a ranked opponent for the Viking program
- Tristan Hanna had a single-game school record seven goals
- Hanna tallied the game-tying and game-winning goals
- Danny Tesler had game highs in faceoff wins (13) and ground balls (8)
- The victory was the first-ever overtime win for Cleveland State
- The victory also represented the first win as a collegiate head coach for Andy German
GAME REACP
Junior Tristan Hanna was the hero as the Cleveland State University lacrosse team accomplished another program first Saturday as the Vikings claimed a thrilling, 12-11, win in overtime over No. 16 Air Force in the opening game of Denver's Face-Off Classic Saturday at a partly cloudy Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
The win for CSU was the first over a nationally ranked opponent in program history.
Hanna tallied a single-game school record seven goals to lead the Vikings to their milestone win. He was highly efficient as his seven strikes came on just 10 shots. Hanna, who had the tying goal with under a minute left and the winning goal in overtime, also tied the CSU record for goals in a quarter, as he had all four of CSU's strikes in the fourth frame.
The ranked win was no fluke as CSU had advantages in nearly every statistical category, including shots, shots on goal, faceoffs won, clear percentage and caused turnovers.
Junior Michael Wilson added three points (1G, 2A) while senior Noah Gleeson (2A) and sophomore Ryan Haigh (1G, 1A) both had multi-point efforts. Gleeson tallied the helper on Hanna's game-winning strike.
The game was a close-knit affair with neither team leading by more than two goals throughout and neither side leading by more than one goal in the final 22 minutes.
Neither team scored for the opening eight minutes before Wilson and then Hanna, from Wilson, scored about two minutes apart to put CSU on top, 2-0.
Air Force scored two goals in the final three minutes of the quarter, sandwiched around an unassisted Gabe Reno strike, to put CSU up 3-2 after one.
The Falcons scored two of the three goals in the second quarter, with senior Chase Baker scoring for CSU, to leave the score level, 4-4, at the half.
The scoring pace then picked up in the second half.
After Air Force scored fewer than three minutes into the third to take the lead, CSU responded with three consecutive goals by three different Vikings. Hanna, Haigh and senior defenseman Brandon Ruditz, who scored for the first time since 2017, put CSU up, 7-5.
Air Force came straight back with three straight of its own, including one with 11 seconds remaining in the third, to take an 8-7 lead heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter featured seven goals, with neither team scoring consecutively. The Vikings, through Hanna, kept tying the game before the Falcons would pull ahead by one.
With CSU trailing, 11-10, Hanna came through again as his sixth goal tied the game with 59 seconds left in regulation.
Air Force had the ball in its offensive half in the final 20 seconds, but a stout CSU defense did not allow the Falcons to get a shot off.
Senior captain Danny Tesler won the crucial overtime faceoff cleanly with senior long-stick midfielder Zach Whitenack scooping up the ground ball.
The ball worked its way to Gleeson on the left wing. After starting slowly, Gleeson accelerated past his man running toward the cage. Drawing a slide from another defender as he got to the crease, Gleeson alertly found the uncovered Hanna making a curl cut from below goal line extended. It was simple from there for Hanna who found himself 1v1 with the goalie right out in front as he deposited the winning goal, his seventh of the game.
After struggling early, Tesler rebounded as the game wore on. He won 12-of-16 faceoffs after halftime and finished with a game-best eight ground balls.
Whitenack and junior Michael Harris both had big games from their LSM positions, posting matching lines of five ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Sophomore Gareth Haigh made seven saves in the cage while collecting his first win. Senior Gideon Brockenbrough and junior Derek Radke added assists for CSU, as the latter made his first start of the season.
Hanna has now scored in eight straight games while Wilson has assisted on a tally in nine straight, as both extended their school records in those categories. Hanna's 11th career hat trick also featured four ground balls and two caused turnovers while Wilson has multiple points in nine straight games.
Ryan Haigh now has a five-game goal streak while Gleeson has a five-game point streak.
Cleveland State will have no time to celebrate its noteworthy win as the Vikings will face the host Pioneers, their third straight ranked foe, Sunday at 6:30 p.m. (ET).
