No. 20 Endicott downs Springfield in season opener
Feb. 27, 2008
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The 20th-ranked Endicott College men's lacrosse team closed the game on a 4-0 run, firing its way past Springfield College, 10-8, in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday afternoon at Stagg Field in Springfield, Massachusetts.
With the win, Endicott improves to 1-0 on the young season while Springfield dips to 0-1.
Endicott entered the third quarter with a 6-3 lead, however the Springfield defense clamped down after several halftime adjustments, holding the visitors scoreless for the next 22:10. During that span, Springfield went on a 5-0 run to grab an 8-6 lead.
Springfield held the Gulls scoreless in the third quarter as it eventually knotted the score at six all. Back-to-back Joe Macchi (Mahopac, N.Y.) goals at the 7:19 and 5:10 marks brought the Pride to within one. After a save by goalie Tom Albano (Ridgewood, N.J.), the Pride cleared the ball in transition as Jason Farrell (Mahopac, N.Y.) found Kyle Gable (Somers, Conn.) on the doorstop for the game-tying goal with 2:50 left in the quarter.
The Pride continued the pressure at the start of the fourth as Macchi connected with Tyler Montgomery (Brunswick, Maine) with 13:03 remaining to give SC its first lead 3-2. Springfield increased its lead to two after pre-season All-American Jake Beebe (Sudbury, Mass.) scooped up a groundball off his own blocked shot and buried it into the back of the cage with 11:38 on the clock.
Endicott responded by closing the game out on a 4-0 run to capture the 10-8 victory. Goals from Brandon Dube (Danvers, Mass.) and Dan Cain (Billerica, Mass.) over the next 6:56 tied the game at eight all. Nick Cosco (Londonderry, N.H.) found the back of the cage for the eventual game-winner after a terrific dodge with 3:48 remaining in the game. An Eddie O'Reilly (Beverly, Mass.) tally with just over a minute left gave the Gulls an insurance goal.
The first quarter ended in a one-all tie, only to have the visitors outscore SC, 5-2, in the second quarter to open up a 6-3 lead heading into the locker room. Endicott's sixth goal came with one second remaining in the half as John Curtis (Chelmsford, Mass.) finished a long clear from Robert Crossett (Katonah, N.Y.) into the back of the net.
Macchi finished with three points off two goals and an assist while Montgomery and Beebe each recorded a pair of goals. Greg Welch added a goal to go along with Gable's in the win.
Albano made 14 stops in the cage while pre-season All-American Chris Sharpe (Derry, N.H.) led the defensive unit with a team-best six groundballs and four caused turnovers.
For Endicott, Eddie O'Reilly finished with a game-high four points off three goals and an assist while Dube added two goals and two assists. Cosco added a pair of goals, while John Ortolani (Billerica, Mass.) scooped up a game-high 11 groundballs after going 10-of-20 from the midfield X. Goaltender Eric Hagarty (Sudbury, Mass.) made nine stops in the winning effort.
Springfield returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it travels to take on Nazareth. Due to a winter storm forecast for the Rochester area , the game which was originally scheduled for Saturday (Mar. 1), will now be played at 1:00 pm on Sunday, Mar. 2. Endicott will also travel to New York over the weekend, as the Gulls will square-off with Rensselaer at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.