ALBION, Mich. – Cameron Braun scored five goals to become Albion College's single-season leader as the Britons completed an undefeated season against its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rivals with a 15-11 victory over Olivet College.
Braun scored four times in the first half as Albion owned a 9-4 lead at halftime. Braun's fifth goal – his 55th of the season – gave Albion a 10-5 lead with 12 minutes left in the third quarter.
Albion led by as many as six on three occasions in the second half, but it never pulled away from the pesky Olivet squad.
"It was a numbers game with the shutoffs they were trying," Head Coach Jake DeCola said. "I told our guys that over the course of time if we make the most of the 1 on 1 matchups, and share the ball when they finally slide, we would be OK."
While the Britons recognized seniors Braun, Brad Bogus, Nicholas DiMaggio, Jordan Hempfling and Dylan Neal before the game, DeCola said younger players made important contributions. Zach Hubbell, a junior, finished with two goals, sophomore Brandon Lebioda tacked on two goals and an assist, first-year Paul Lewis put up two goals and two assists, and first-year David DiRado added a goal and an assist.
"I am extremely proud of our seniors," DeCola said. "Winning back to back championships is a credit to them and the way they have continued to build our program. They have really done a great job developing our first-year players, and they will be missed."
Albion will take an 11-game winning streak into its MIAA Tournament semifinal home game at 8 p.m. Thursday. As the No. 1 seed, Albion will play host to the No. 4 seed.
