(boxscore)
Senior Justin Upp (Camden, DE) scored a career-high five goals for Widener, which seized momentum in the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 15-9 triumph over Lycoming in the Middle Atlantic Conference Tournament semifinals in Williamsport, PA.
Third-seeded Widener (10-8) advances to the MAC final on Saturday in search of a fifth straight conference title and 12th overall. The Pride either visit top-seeded FDU-Florham or host No. 4 seed Elizabethtown with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Widener took control by scoring the final six goals of the first quarter, the last five of which came in a span of 3:17 for a 6-2 lead. Upp tallied three goals in that span with sophomore JJ Hoeffler (Cranford, NJ) netting two.
The scoring run hit 11 straight with 2:40 to go in the first half as the Pride opened an 11-2 lead. Sophomore Andrew Janusz (Easton, PA) found the back of the net twice in the quarter and Upp netted his fourth in the half for Widener, which owned an 11-4 halftime lead thanks in part to a 22-18 shots edge.
The game at that point no longer was in question as Widener improved to 17-2 in this tournament, advancing to the final a fifth straight year. It is the Pride’s eighth consecutive 10-win season and 12th overall.
Upp needed just eight shots to reach his mark for the Pride, who won despite being on the wrong end of a 42-36 shots margin. Hoeffler scored three goals, freshman Nick Fluharty (West Grove, PA) notched eight ground balls and sophomore Kevin Carney (Ridley, PA) made 15 saves.
Edward Williams and Rick DeNenno scored three goals apiece for the second-seeded Warriors (11-5).