Magical playoff run ends with second place at the Men's National Collegiate Club Championship

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 2024 Men's National Collegiate Club Championship Most Valuable Player Graham McClone scored five times to power Southwest Division Champion/No. 1-ranked the UC San Diego to the program's third national championship in a row with a 17-10 defeat of Sierra Pacific Division Champion/No. 3 Cal Maritime.

Following the championship game, McClone was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, while Coach of the Tournament status went to the Cal Maritime coaching staff of Aldric Terral and Kerry Deaver.

The Tritons never trailed in the contest as Braden Clark broke the ice 23 seconds into the first quarter before Kevin Kraatz notched an equalizer with a man-up strike at 5:41. Clark responded with back-to-back tallies at 5:24 and 3:08 to push UCSD's lead to 3-1 before Warren Cooper spun in a goal at 2:30 to move Cal Maritime back to within a goal at 3-2.  

Andrew Cagney returned UCSD's lead to a pair at 4-2 with 1:52 remaining in the opening period but the Keelhaulers trimmed their deficit back to one, via a man-up score by Kraatz 14 seconds into the second quarter, to pull the Keelhaulers within one strike with the score at 4-3.

However, the Tritons stifled CSUM's initial comeback bid as TJ Turner, Clark and McClone scored unanswered goals before Matthew Turecek ended that run to pull Cal Maritime back to within three at 7-4.

Turner tacked on a pair of goals prior to the halftime horn to hand UC San Diego a 9-4 lead at intermission.

Cagney pushed the Tritons into double-digits in the first minute of the third quarter with his tally at the 6:16 mark of the third period before K. Kraatz shaved the Keelhaulers' deficit back to five, at 10-5 with 5:51 on the clock.

UC San Diego responded with goals from Filippo Sallustio and McClone, expanding the Tritons' lead in the process with the score now at 12-5.

Cooper ended that mini scoring run with a strike for Cal Maritime at 4:23 before Riley Kraatz lined in a penalty shot at 3:44; when Cooper connected for another goal at 2:55, Cal Maritime closed its gap on the scoreboard to four with UCSD leading 12-8.

The trio of Connor Stauffer, McClone and Gonzalo Rivera put the game out of reach as the Tritons' trio found the back of the cage with 1:28, 55 and 39 seconds, respectively in the third period, to make it a 15-8 contest heading into the fourth quarter.

Following a goal by Cooper 34 seconds into the fourth quarter to inch Cal Maritime back to within six at 15-9, the Tritons saw McClone score twice, one on a 6v5 and another at full strength, to build his team's lead to 17-9. 

Riley Kraatz capped off the game's scoring with 18 ticks on the clock to establish the 17-10 final score.

For UC San Diego, McClone (five), Clark (four), Turner (three) and Cagney (two) combined for 14 of their teams 17 goals with Stauffer, Rivera and Sallustio each accounting for solo scores. Goalkeeper Bryce Elsner stopped eight shots guarding the cage to pick up the win.

Cooper (four), Kevin Kraatz (three), Riley Kraatz (two) and Turecek combined for Cal Maritime's 10 goals in support of a nine-save effort by goalkeeper Jacob Idris.

The Keelhaulers' runner-up finish is historic for both the program and the Sierra Pacific Division since it represents the best finish in this tournament in school and league history.

A two-time Men's National Collegiate Club Championship qualifier after capturing eighth place in 2019 at the University of Pittsburgh as the team stopped Oregon State (16-12) before falling to the UC San Diego (10-7), Michigan State (15-11) and Penn State (12-6), Cal Maritime equals the 2012 runner-up California squad for the highest finish by a Sierra Pacific Division team since the group was created prior to the 2011 season.

Cal Maritime Scoring
Warren Cooper 4; Kevin Kraatz 3; Riley Kraatz 2; Matthew Turecek

UC San Diego Scoring
Graham McClone 5; Braden Clark 4; TJ Turner 3; Andrew Cagney 2; Connor Stauffer, Gonzalo Rivera, Filippo Sallustio 1