Endicott defeats Amherst 13-9 in neutral site showdown at Harvard

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Playing at Harvard University's Soldiers Field, the Endicott men's lacrosse team recorded their first victory over Amherst since the 2006 season with a score of 13-9 as freshman goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Mass.) made 13 saves in net and helped the Gulls improve to 4-3 overall this spring.

Amherst (2-3) junior attacker Devin Acton (Sudbury, Mass.) added to his team-leading point total with four goals and an assist, but the Lord Jeffs surrendered a 6-4 lead early in the second quarter as the Endicott attack put up five straight goals to gain a lead they would not relinquish. 

Two of Endicott's goals during that stretch came during a two-minute locked in penalty for Amherst as Gulls senior Connor McCormack (Norwalk, Conn.) and sophomore Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.) both scored man-up goals.  Pinciaro's man-up tally put the Blue and Green ahead 7-6 with 2:57 remaining in the first half and 22 seconds later at 2:35, Pinciaro struck again to put the Gulls ahead by two.  Endicott junior midfielder Chris Murphy (Holden, Mass.) scored the first of his two goals to cap the five-goal run at the 4:06 mark of the third quarter with his squad leading 9-6.

Amherst pulled within two at 9-7 after Acton's third goal of the game, but Endicott went on another run of back-to-back-to-back goals including two by sophomore Harrison Cotter (Lordship, Conn.).  Cotter's second goal capitalized on another man-up opportunity as Endicott went 3-for-4 on the extra-man advantage. 

With a 12-7 lead with under 10 minutes remaining, Amherst looked to make some noise with two straight goals by first year attacker Quinn Moroney (Manhasset, N.Y.) and Acton.  Moroney had two goals on the day, but totaled a game-high seven points as his passing led to five assists on the day.  Gulls sophomore Kyle Weber (West Hartford, Conn.) delivered the game's final goal with 6:14 remaining in the fourth quarter off an assist from Pinciaro to make it a 13-9 game in favor of the Gulls.

McCormack, Pinciaro, and sophomore Joshua Tordik (Sayville, N.Y.) all finished with three points with Cotter and Murphy each adding two goals apiece.  Endicott defenseman Ryan Sutherland (Sudbury, Mass.) scored his first goal of the season while causing a turnover on the defensive end.

Also contributing defensive was junior Lucas Paratore (Wenham, Mass.) who recorded all three of his caused turnovers in the first half.  Face-off specialist Sam Ozycz (Cheshire, Conn.) won 16-of-26 face-offs, scooped 12 groundballs, and scored a goal. 

Amherst was led defensively by Moroney and Ryan Cassidy (Wellesley, Mass.) who both tied with three caused turnovers.  Senior midfielder Ramsey Bates (McLean, Va.) led the team with five groundballs while adding an assist.  The combination of goalies Rob Dickinson (Memphis, Tenn.) and Thomas Gilligan (Edina, Minn.) combined for 19 saves between the pipes. 

Endicott outshot Amherst 51-43 and had the advantage in groundballs at 49-40.  Amherst was 23-of-27 on clear attempts compared to just 17-of-28 for Endicott.

Endicott returns to Beverly on Saturday, March 23^rd with a home contest against Springfield starting at 1:00 pm.  Amherst plays Nazareth, at Albany, on Saturday at 4:00 pm.