by Matt Morrison | MCLA.us

ORANGE, Calif. – Top-seed Chapman is taking it one step further and will play for the Division I title on its home field after eliminating No. 4 Georgia Tech, 11-9, at the 2016 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour.

Georgia Tech finishes their best season ever with their only loss, heading home to Atlanta with a 16-1 record. The Panthers advance to Saturday’s title game still unbeaten at 21-0.

“It feels great, first time for this group,” said Chapman coach Dallas Hartley on reaching the championship game for the third time in program history. “We’ll take it one day at a time, practice tomorrow and a big game Saturday.”

The Panthers finished as the runner-up in their two previous trips to the final in 2008 and 2009, both times to the University of Michigan.

Chapman rallied from two goals down late in the 2nd quarter, grabbed the lead early in the second half, and outpunched the determined Yellow Jackets through to the final whistle.

“I think they executed their game plan better in the first half,” Hartley observed. “We executed ours better in the second half.”

Senior attackman Steve Koressel scored five goals, including the icing on the cake with an empty-netter in the final minute. Junior Wesley Greason netted four, including two straight to start the third quarter.

“We’re a team that plays off momentum a lot,” Greason said. “I’d say if we get some good emotions going it could take us a long way.”

“The big goal to me was really the one late in the second quarter,” reflected Tech coach Ken Lovic. “We had a two-goal lead, had a bad turnover, and allowed them to be within one at halftime. I don’t think it deflated us but I don’t think it helped.”

Down as many as three in the final period, the Yellow Jackets revved the offensive pace and pulled within one in the final minute before Koressel’s fifth iced it with the empty netter.

“Usually you’re taught to pull that one out, but it was a heat of the moment thing to put our team up by two,” Koressel explained. “I was a little scared that they’d come back because they can score fast and stop you with on D. It’s a great team.”

“We were able to keep in there,” Lovic summed his team’s final game. “At least our guys kept battling, but in the end they just had a deeper roster and more talented players.”

“We got to the semifinals two years in a row and we lost in a couple close battles, so being able to win this two-goal game is something really special,” Koressel added. “I’m really looking forward to the championship game Saturday.”