Endicott Falls to No. 4 Wesleyan
March 9, 2007
MIDDLETOWN, CT - The Endicott College men's lacrosse fell to fourth ranked Wesleyan University, 9-6 on Friday afternoon in Middletown, Connecticut. The contest was the season-opener for the highly touted Cardinals.
The Gulls got on the board first as Josh Gilbert (Simsbury, CT/Simsbury) took an early feed from Joe Gugino (West Hartford, CT/Conard) and beat Wesleyan netminder Charlie Congleton (Groton, MA/Groton School) just 1:36 into the contest, putting Endicott up 1-0. The Cardinals responded by notching three-straight tallies over the next 12 minutes of play, closing out the first quarter with a 4-1 lead.
The Gulls found themselves in a similar position against Springfield College (a 10-6 Endicott win on February 27th in Beverly, MA) and once again fought their way out of a hole. Senior midfielder Dan Ryan (Billerica, MA/Billerica) scored back-to-back goals in 1:08, to pull the Gulls back within one. Wesleyan once again fired back with a three-goal burst over 5:32, to give the home team a commanding four goal lead.
In the second half, both defenses began to settle in. Senior Patrick Gaffney (Worcester, MA/St. John's) came to play on Friday, as the CCC All-Star frustrated the Wesleyan offense with numerous take aways and a game-high 10 ground balls. Rick Hancock (Wading River, NY/Shorham-Wading River), Alex Marshall (Eliot, ME/Marshwood), Lucien Bolduc (South Windsor, CT/South Windsor) and the entire Endicott defense held the Cardinals to just seven shots in the second frame.
The Gulls battled hard in the third quarter, as Brandon Dube (Danvers, MA/Danvers) scored his third of the year on a man-up opportunity at 5:20 of the third, making the score 8-5. Endicott got back within striking distance early on in the fourth quarter, as Josh Gilbert scored his second of the game at the 12:38 mark, making the score 8-6. That's as close as the Gulls would get however, as the Cardinals notorious zone defense was able to hold the Gulls at bay for the 9-6 win.
Endicott's John Ortolani (Billerica, MA/Billerica) had a big game at the face-off X for Blue and Green, as the sophomore went a dominating 14-of-19 at the midfield draw. Sophomore goalie Sean Kearney (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) had another strong game between the pipes, as the netminder ended the day with eight saves.
Endicott looks to rebound as they get back to work a week from today when they host Babson College in Beverly, MA. The Gulls and the Beavers were set to square-off last week, but cold weather conditions forced the postponement to March 16th. Friday afternoon's contest is scheduled for a 3:00 PM face-off.