Men's Lacrosse Posts 14-13 Win Over USJ in OT Thriller

THE BASICS 

Score:             
University of Saint Joseph (CT), 13; Emmanuel College, 14 (OT)
Records:         
Emmanuel College Saints (3-8, 2-4 GNAC)
USJ Blue Jays (5-7, 2-4 GNAC)
Location:         
Boston, Mass. – Roberto Clemente Field
Date:               
Wednesday, April 13, 2022

THE LEAD:  For the second straight game, sophomore Aidan Sullivan (Burlington, Conn.) netted the game-winning goal in overtime to power Emmanuel College past the University of Saint Joseph (CT), 14-13, Wednesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's lacrosse action at Roberto Clemente Field.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Saints were in control early on, building a 10-3 lead with 13:43 remaining in the second quarter following a score by Derek DelVecchio (Saugus, Mass.) before the Blue Jays rattled off seven consecutive goals to even the score at 10-10 on a man-up tally by Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.) with 11:55 to play in the fourth.
• EC responded with a man-up goal by junior Ryan Castle (Boxford, Mass.) followed by a score from sophomore Thomas Quigley (Marblehead, Mass.) just 34 seconds later to give the hosts a 12-10 cushion with 10:25 to play in regulation.
• USJ matched the flurry with back-to-back score by Noah Mocksfield (Colchester, Conn.) and Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) to tie the game at 12-12 with 6:53 left in the fourth.
• Senior Colin Dickinson (Barre, Vt.) briefly gave the hosts a 13-12 lead with his third goal of the night before Matt Guerin (East Longmeadow, Mass.) netted the equalizer with 2:50 remaining in the final quarter.
• Emmanuel had a great chance to win in regulation as Drew Chant's (Warwick, R.I.) shot with two seconds to play in regulation hit the post.
• In overtime, the Saints won the opening face and controlled the possession until Sullivan registered the game-winner with 2:39 showing on the clock to give EC the 14-13 conference win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Quigley continued his strong play with a four-goal effort while Dickinson added four points on three goals and one assist. Castle and Chant both finished with two scores in the win.
• Baden led all scorers with six goals while Guerin ended the game with four scores. Paltauf contributed with seven points on a goal and six assists.
• Sophomore Eric Anderson (Sparta, N.J.) earned the win in next making 12 saves while Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) suffered the loss to fall to 4-6 despite a 13-save game.
• EC senior David Roa (Warwick, R.I.) paced the hosts with 13 faceoff wins while collecting a game-high nine groundballs.
• Both squads had productive nights in man-up situations as USJ was 3-for-4 on the extra man while EC was a perfect 2-for-2.
• The Saints outshot the Blue Jays by a 49-41 margin.
• Emmanuel is now 3-0 on the year when scoring 11 or more goals in games played in New England while going 0-7 when scoring 10 or fewer in games in the region.

UP NEXT

• The Saints look to keep it rolling on Saturday, April 16 for another GNAC tilt, traveling to Dean College for a 3:00 PM match up.
• USJ hosts Rivier University the same day with the first faceoff scheduled for 1:00 PM in West Hartford, Conn.