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Saturday, March 22, 2008
M-LACROSSE DOWNS WHEATON FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN
Warriors hold Lyons scoreless in two of four periods in 10-6 non-conference victory
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Men’s lacrosse held Wheaton College (MA) from scoring in two out of four periods in posting its eighth straight win over the Lyons, 10-6, Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.
The win is the second straight this year for Eastern (2-4) after four opening losses and is the first at home for first-year head coach Justin Axel. Axel, a former assistant coach at Salisbury University, had recorded his first collegiate coaching win Tuesday in a 14-12 win over SUNY Plattsburgh at Huntington, NY. In 13 years of intercollegiate play, Eastern has now won 78 and lost only six matches on Nevers Field
The Warriors scored the first three goals of the match and did not allow Wheaton (1-3) a goal until 16:30 at expired in the match. Leading 3-2, Eastern shut out the Lyons for nearly 20 minutes and used a run of seven straight goals to put the game away, 10-2, with ten minutes left. The Lyons compled a total of 16 shots in the first and third periods, but were unable to score against Eastern junior goalie Kyle Savage (Southington), who came up with five saves in those periods.
In Eastern’s decisive seven-goal run, junior attack Matthew Savage (Southington) and freshman attack Brendan Hoppey (Shoreham, NY) each had two goals.
Kyle Savage allowed only two goals over the first 49:13, making 11 saves and giving way to freshman Stephen Goomrigian (Norwalk) with the Warriors in command of a 9-2 lead with 11 minutes left.
On speciality teams, freshman midfielder Eric Vasil (Southington) won nine of 11 faceoffs for Eastern and the Warriors’ man-down unit surrendered just one extra-man goal on ten Wheaton attempts. That extra-man goal came with eight minutes left in the match and Eastern safely in front, 10-2.
Vasil led Eastern to a 37-32 advantage in ground balls by scooping up seven, with defensemen Jon Snedeker (Southington) and Steve Lane (Groton) collecting five each.
Senior defenseman Tom Ahern led Wheaton with five ground balls. Freshman attack Chris Landers was the only Wheaton player with more than one goal, finishing with three to take over the team lead in that department, with seven.l
Two of Wheaton’s top two goal-scorers this season -- senior midfielder Richie Rasamny and freshman attack Ben Cederberg – combined to take14 shots (eight of them on goal), but managed only one goal. Cederberg had scored four goals when the Lyons upset No. 13 natioanlly-ranked Endicott College, 11-9, Tuesday.
Eastern hosts Babson College Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Eastern Conn. 10, Wheaton College (MA) 6
Wheaton (1-3) 0 2 0 4 -- 6
Eastern Conn. (2-4) 3 2 4 1 -- 10
Goals: W-Chris Landers 3, Warren Garceau, Richie Rasamny, Bobby Barry; E-Matthew Savage 3, Vinny Tornatore 2, Pete Hamilton 2, Brendan Hoppey 2, Zach Malouf.
Assists: W-Jeff Gomer, Rasamny; E-, Gavin Byrne, Brian Fechtmann, Jon Snedeker, Tornatore, Hamilton.
Shots: W-40, E-30; Saves: W-Schuyler Horn 5, E-Kyle Savage 11 (2 goals allowed, 49:13), Stephen Goomrigian 3 (4, 10:47).
