FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Panthers and Hawks Advance to Friday's NE10 Semifinals
Third-seeded Adelphi held serve at home, while fifth-seeded Saint Anselm went on the road to post a slight upset during the First Round of the 2018 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship. Here's how Tuesday's games went -
#3 Adelphi 9, #6 Pace 7
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Starting off the week of Northeast-10 Conference tournament play, Adelphi kept no. 6 Pace quiet for nearly two quarters en route to a 9-7 win in first round action Tuesday evening on Motamed Field.
It was all Panthers in the first quarter, as four different players scored for the Brown and Gold. Sean McGovern caused a Setter turnover in their offensive third and managed to get all the way down field to net the first tally of the game after five minutes had gone by. He sparked a four-goal run that starred James Hall, Dylan Crossan and Angelo Caiazzo all after the six-minute mark. The Panthers were supported in the faceoff X by Mark Andrejack who won all five in the first frame and went 19-21 for the contest.
Pace was held scoreless for the game until the 5:44 mark in the second quarter, when Joseph Diggle got the visitors on the board. In goal for the Setters, Robert Beshlian accounted for 11 saves in the first half against strong offensive pressure from Adelphi. In-all, he fell one save short of his career high, ending the night with 16. The Panthers did not score a goal in the second half, but outscored their opponents 3-2 in the following quarter to maintain their advantage. Michael Osmundsen and Justin Napolitano both scored in the third en route to a 7-3 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of play.
Pace's Peter Bashar was the first to strike in the last frame, but was quickly answered by John Arcidiacono in a man-up possession. He netted his second almost two minutes later to help Adelphi extend their lead to five. The Setters continued to press on defense, causing a few turnovers that led to back-to-back goals from Ryan O'Hagan to cut the deficit to three with less than four minutes remaining. Brendan McDougal, who managed nine saves between the pipes for the hosts came up with a big save down the stretch, however a late tally from Diggle kept the Setters alive.
Adelphi will travel to take on second-seeded Merrimack in North Andover, Mass. on Friday, May 4 at 4:00 p.m.
#5 Saint Anselm 19, #4 Saint Rose 9
ALBANY, N.Y. – Looking to avenge a one-goal loss to the Golden Knights in the team's regular-season finale, Saint Anselm left little room for doubt in Tuesday's 19-9 victory over Saint Rose in a Northeast-10 Conference First Round tilt. Saint Anselm (10-4) earned its first NE10 postseason victory in nearly 10 years while Saint Rose, making its first-ever appearance in the league playoffs, sees its season end with a 9-8 record.
The Hawks advance to the NE10 Semifinals and will take on the nation's top-ranked team, Le Moyne, this Friday at 12 p.m. in Syracuse, N.Y.
Junior Patrick Sweeney set the pace for the Hawks, scoring six goals and adding an assist for seven points to tie a career-high mark. Freshman Matt Ward, pictured, potted three goals and two assists while junior Anthony Busconi and senior Ryan Hesseltineeach scored two goals for the Hawks.
The Hawks matched a season-high mark with 12 caused turnovers as junior Chris Tully forced Saint Rose into four miscues. Senior John Maginnis and Teo Olsen each had two as the defensive unit also contributed to the Hawks holding a 43-to-40 edge in ground balls.
Ward and Sweeney scored back-to-back goals to open the first quarter, but Saint Rose countered with two strikes within nine seconds to even the score at two. The Hawks closed the first quarter with unassisted goals from Busconi and Sweeney, carrying the visitors to a 4-2 lead after the first 15 minutes.
Leading by a 7-4 margin out of halftime, three quick goals for the Hawks out of the break ended any chance of a Saint Rose comeback as a whopping eight goals were put home by Saint Anselm in the third quarter. In total, the Hawks poured home 12 second-half goals and limited the hosts to only five tallies in the final 30 minutes of action.
Nick Richard made a career-high 16 saves for Saint Anselm, allowing only nine goals before CJ Hart played the final 45 seconds for the Hawks. Liam Guiton, one of the nation's top backstops, yielded 19 goals on 33 shots to draw the loss.
2018 NE10 Men's Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 1st
First Round
Game 1: #3 Adelphi 9, #6 Pace 7
Game 2: #5 Saint Anselm 19, #4 Saint Rose 8
Friday, May 4th
Semifinals
Game 3: #5 Saint Anselm at #1 Le Moyne – 12:00 pm
Game 4: #3 Adelphi at #2 Merrimack – 4:00 pm
Sunday, May 6th
Championship at Highest Remaining Seed
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner – 1:00 p.m. at Higher Seed **
** The championship game time may be adjusted if one institution ends up hosting both the men's and women's championship games.
- Information for this release provided by the athletic communication staffs at Adelphi and Saint Anselm
ABOUT THE NE10
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Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
