GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- Second-seeded Gwynedd Mercy advanced to the CSAC Championship game with their 9-3 win over third-seeded Marywood in semifinal action on Saturday.

The Griffins (10-3) will play at top-seeded Cabrini, who were winners over Centenary in the other semifinal, next Saturday in the title game. It marks the fourth appearance in the championship game for GMercyU and the first since the 2016 season. Time is TBA.

Ryan Simpson scored three times, including a man-up tally, and Dominic Moscariello added two scores and two assists, but it was the Griffin defense, one of the top ranked units in Division III, not allowing a single second-half goal in the win. The defense yielded zero Pacer shots in the fourth quarter alone.

After the teams traded scores in the first, the Pacers' Matt Casto gave them their first lead with his tally 2:34 into the second. The Griffins cashed in late in the frame with both tallies from Moscariello with under a minute in the second quarter to take a 4-3 lead at the half. His first came on the man-up after a Marywood penalty during a timeout. Joey Giordano won the ensuing faceoff to give possession and another Gwynedd timeout to set up one last play before halftime. With just three seconds left, Jacob Snavely fed Moscariello for the eventual go-ahead goal.

Goals from Jordan Dzierzgowski and Kohler Setley in the third quarter opened up a three-goal advantage. In the fourth, Lucas Gray got on the scoring act, as the sophomore netted his first tally of the season to make it 7-3. Simpson closed out the scoring with two more, the last coming on diving effort across the crease with 3:43 to go.

Defensively, goalie Chris Burns made eight saves and added two caused turnovers to help keep the Pacers off the board in the final two quarters. Giordano was 4-for-8 and Nick Heiler was 4-for-6 on faceoffs.

Casto added two assists while teammate Zach Vaughan tallied twice for Marywood (8-8).