Box Score Box Score
DANBURY, Conn. (March 7, 2020) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's lacrosse team lost on the road at non-conference Western Connecticut State by the final score of 14-11 on Saturday afternoon at the Colonials' Westside Athletic Complex. The defeat drops the Mariners' record to 0-2, while WestConn improves to 5-1 with the win.
Senior Liam Connors (Bellmore, N.Y.) led all players in the game with six points on four second-half goals to go along with two first-quarter assists. Juniors Tristan Kelehan (Elkridge, Md.) and Nick Alberici (Auburn, N.Y.) both registered three points each, as Kelehan found the back of the net three times and Alberici dished out three assists.
Freshman Carter Hall (Annapolis, Md.) also had a multi-point game with two goals. Senior Jackson Misner (Tampa, Fla.) and junior Michael Carbone (Hamilton, N.J.) rounded out the Mariner goal-scorers with one tally each, while senior Joe Gardella (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) added an assist.
The Mariners struggled at the faceoff-X, winning just 11-of-28 draws, with junior Michael Zurlo (Millersville, Md.) leading the way with eight wins. Sophomore Lukas Peregoy (Medford, N.Y.) had a team-high five groundballs and was one of seven USMMA players with a caused turnover (Hall led with two CTs). Classmate Ben Mathews (Chesapeake, Va.) was right behind with four GBs.
In goal, junior Brendan Kane (Lewes, Del.) suffered the loss despite making 19 saves over the 60 minutes of action.
The two teams scored a combined 11 goals in a busy first quarter, but seven were in favor of the Colonials, as they ended the frame scoring five of the last six tallies to lead 7-4 after the first 15 minutes.
The Mariners crept back to within two goals twice in the second quarter, but three-straight by WestConn before halftime gave them an 11-6 advantage into the break.
There were just three goals scored in the third quarter, two by the Mariners, as they trailed by four going into the final stanza.
Connors' second-straight goal made it a three-goal game, 12-9 just 10 seconds into the fourth, but the Colonials answered with two consecutive tallies to go back up by five. Connors found the back of the net twice yet again, this time within just a 48-second span and the Mariners were down 14-11 with 7:11 to go.
WestConn controlled most of the possession in the closing minutes, as they forced Kane to make six saves in the final six-plus minutes, and the Mariner offense wasn't able to muster up any more quality chances.
For the Colonials, seniors Eric Caldwell and Timothy Yannucci both had five points each on three goals and two assists. Freshman faceoff man Nick Grimaldi won 16-of-27 faceoffs and picked up a game-high 10 groundballs. On defense, junior Billy Youngblood led all players in the game with five caused turnovers and junior goalie Perry Cassidy got the victory after making 13 saves in the 60 minutes.
Up next, the Mariners will begin their Spring Break trip with a neutral-site game against Skidmore this Tuesday, March 10. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Virginia Beach SportsPlex. Any live links for the game will be posted on the USMMA Men's Lacrosse Schedule Page.
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