By Corey Wheeler, '18

ALBION, Mich. - Albion College scored eight goals to open the third quarter to turn back Olivet College's upset attempt in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Men's Lacrosse Tournament semi-final game.

Albion went on to earn a 26-13 victory, scoring its most goals in a contest since April 5, 2014, when they hung 28 on Olivet in another game at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium.

With the win, Albion improved to 11-5 and punched its ticket for a 4 p.m. Saturday date against Adrian College for the MIAA Tournament championship. Albion will be seeking its first championship after falling to Adrian the last two years.

Dakota Badder scored his third goal as Olivet forged a 4-4 tie with 3:32 left in the first quarter.

Albion called timeout and responded by scoring the game's next nine goals. The run was started by back-to-back goals from Alexander Dziewit, the MIAA's Most Valuable Offensive Player. He now has 43 goals on the season after putting up five Wednesday night.

"We play a lot of freshmen; they are a big part of our team. I asked them in the timeout if they were a little nervous and they said no," explained Coach Decola. "I think at that time they were, but our old guys are always comfortable in these types of games. We been here a lot and once we started going we began to feel comfortable and confident. "

Zach Hubell scored seven points for the Britons on five goals and two assists, giving him 31 total goals on the season.  Tim Urso added three goals and two assists for five points. Cameron Braun chipped in with three goals and an assist.

Joe Silvestri, a senior co-captain, shared his thoughts heading into the championship game.

"It's just one game at a time and it's our last game of the season," Silvestri said. "We have to come out and ready to play. We all know Adrian is pretty good, but we have to buckle down and practice hard these next two days. We will put in the work to get to where we want to be on Saturday."