On Saturday, April 7, in a clash of the top teams in the conference, the Red Devils fell to the Shoremen of Washington College 10-9 in OT. It was the first time that Dickinson dropped a regular season home game since the team lost to Gettysburg in 2010. The game had the feeling of a playoff atmosphere with both teams coming in with perfect record in the Centennial Conference and the top spot on the line.

The Red Devils struck first when Will Scott ’15 found the back of the net off an assist from Nick Leon ’13. The teams would proceed to trade goals as they ended the first quarter tied at two. The Devils went on a 4-1 run in the second quarter, capped off by a Parker Waldron ’12 goal, to take a 6-3 lead. Washington would add a late tally, however, to send the Devils into the break with a two-goal lead. The late first half goal for the Shoremen proved to give the team some momentum, as they would rally back in the third quarter to tie the game at six. A penalty by the visitors, however, would open the door for Matt Cherry ’13, who capitalized on a man-up opportunity to give the Devils the lead once again. Sam Abramson ’12 followed with a tally of his own to give the home team an 8-6 lead heading into the final quarter.

The setting could not have been more perfect for the Red Devils, as they held a two-goal lead at home, in front of a raucous crowd, with the top spot in the conference standings on the line. The Shoremen refused to back down, however, scoring first in the final quarter to cut the lead to one. Suddenly, Washington looked like the team destined to win the game, as they would score two more to take a 9-8 lead with just over six minutes to play. Dickinson looked panicked and out-of-synch, but miraculously Ward Gruppo ’12 fired a shot past the Washington goalkeeper to draw even with barely one minute left to play. A late Washington penalty gave the Devils the opportunity to win the game in regulation, but they were unable to find the back of the net, sending the game into overtime.

Dickinson dominated possession in the OT period though none of their shots would find a way through. Christian Beitel ’13 had a beautiful shot that was heading for the top corner of the net but the Washington goalkeeper came out of nowhere to get his left shoulder on it and deflect it away. It looked as if additional time would be needed to separate the two teams, but the Shoremen found a way to beat keeper Greg Hanley ’13 with just 30 seconds left in the first overtime period, handing the Devils a devastating loss.

“It’s always tough to drop a conference game at home when every game is crucial but we’ll be fully prepared for Swarthmore,” said Abramson after the game. “Washington came out with a lot of emotion and played hard. They’re a great program with a lot of tradition and I think some mental errors and impatience towards the end of the game really cost us. Going undefeated in a conference as tough as the Centennial is nearly impossible and if we respond the right way, which I fully expect us to do, losing this game could prove beneficial in the long run. Hopefully it will light a fire for us and take care of any complacency issues we had.” Both teams had high expectations for the match up, and the Shoremen rose up to meet them when it mattered. The Devils did make great plays but just couldn’t quite close the deal in the fourth. Abramson finished the day with a hat trick while Peter Zouck ’13 caused five turnovers and grabbed six ground balls. Draper Donley ’14 caused three turnovers of his own and added five ground balls. The loss drops the Devils to 9-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference with four games remaining in the season.

Dickinson will travel to Swarthmore on Saturday, April 14 for a 12 p.m.start in what will be a must-win to stay in the race for first in the Centennial Conference. Abramson finished off his quote by saying, “Looking ahead to Swarthmore: we’re a team that loves to push the pace of the game and get up and down the field. Swarthmore has always been a team that sits back and does whatever they can to slow down the game so we’ll have to be smart on offense and take our shots when we get them. On defense we just need to stay alert and not get lulled to sleep by their slowed-down game. Coach Webster will have us fully prepared and we will just need to execute the game plan to get a big road win.”