IRVINE, Calif. -- Danny Orr scored the game-winning goal with four minutes left, lifting the 14th-seeded Siena Heights men's lacrosse team to a thrilling 8-7 comeback win over third-seed Missouri Valley in an MCLA Division II Tournament first-round matchup at California-Irvine on Monday.
Orr's goal completed a furious rally which saw the Saints (13-2) climb back from a 6-2 halftime deficit. He was assisted by Spencer Macek.
Shane Lewandowski finished with two goals and two assists while Spencer Macek added two goals and one assist for SHU. Goaltender Ryan Mailloux made 22 saves.
Nate Woods, Tom Kreitzer and John Holowaty also scored goals. Orr also had an assist. Stephen Bloxam picked up four groundballs.
Missouri Valley jumped ahead with the game's first two goals before Lewandowski drew the Saints even at 2-2 with his two tallies. The Vikings (11-2) then answered with four straight scores to take their 6-2 halftime lead.
SHU responded with a strong third quarter, outscoring MVC 4-1. Macek scored two of those goals while Woods and Kreitzer added their netters.
Holowaty tied the contest at 7-all in the fourth quarter with an assist from Lewandowski. That set the stage for Orr's go-ahead score. SHU's defense held on the rest of the way.
The Saints became the first 14-seed to win in the MCLA Division II Tournament; 14s were previously 0-5. As a whole, double-digit seeds were 6-38 in the first round -- and 7-44 overall -- since 2007. Two doubles won on Monday: SHU and 12-seed Western Washington, which defeated five-seed Grand Valley State in overtime, 10-9.
Doug Brown was MVC's leading point-getter with two goals and one assist. Carson Brezinski added two goals while goalie Matt Heinzerling-Weis finished with seven saves.
Siena Heights will play its next contest on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. PST (9:45 p.m. EST) against six-seed Dayton (Ohio), which defeated Kennesaw State (Ga.), 20-6, in its first-round game. The Saints previously lost to the Flyers, 10-8, in a Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association Tournament semifinal.
MCLA Tournament First Round
Concordia (Calif.) 16, Briarcliffe (N.Y.) 11
Saint John's (Minn.) 15, Grove City 13
Western Washington 10, Grand Valley State 9
North Dakota State 13, Sierra Nevada (Nev.) 8
Dayton (Ohio) 20, Kennesaw (Ga.) State 6
Siena Heights 8, Missouri Valley 7
Florida Gulf Coast 9, California State-Fullerton 8
Saint Thomas (Minn.) 21, Utah State 14
MCLA Tournament Quarterfinals
9-Saint John's (10-6) vs. 1-Concordia (18-0)
12-Western Washington (11-3) vs. 4-North Dakota State (11-3)
14-Siena Heights (13-2) vs. 6-Dayton (13-3)
7-Florida Gulf Coast (13-2) vs. 2-Saint Thomas (10-2)
