PORTLAND, ME – Lasell College (5-5, 4-1 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (5-7, 4-1 GNAC), 13-6, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse contest at Deering Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Saint Joseph's held a 3-2 lead after freshman Jake O'Brien (Andover, Mass.) scored off an Austin Watts (Westbrook, Maine) with 38 seconds remaining in the first quarter, but Lasell reeled off four-consecutive tallies, including a pair by Robbie Palazzo (Redding, Conn.), and carried a 6-4 edge into intermission.
Lasell sophomore Dylan Fernandes (Billerica, Mass.) and Saint Joseph's junior Jake Ricciardi (Sharon, Mass.) traded man-up markers in the opening five minutes of the third stanza as the Monks maintained a two-goal deficit. The margin was short-lived however, as Palazzo proceeded to net three unanswered scores in a 1:05 span to put the game out of reach for the hosts.
For the Monks, junior Andrew Hamill (Wolfeboro, N.H.) tallied a goal and an assist, Ricciardi potted a pair of markers, Watts dealt a pair of assists and O'Brien and Dalton Eldridge (South Gardiner, Maine) notched a goal apiece in the losing effort.
Watts added a team-high six ground balls and sophomore Brandon Boutin (Hackettstown, N.J.) collected five ground balls for the Monks. Senior goalkeeper Christopher Driscoll (Saco, Maine) faced a total of 52 shots and made 14 saves in net.
For the Lasers, Palazzo scored seven goals, including four of the man-up variety while Fernandes added two goals and two assists and Andy Puopolo (Duxbury, Mass.) recorded a goal and three assists with a game-high seven ground balls in the victory.
David Walen (Longmeadow, Mass.) faced 32 shots overall and made 12 saves in goal for the Lasers.
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Wednesday when the team travels to Becker College for a 7:00 PM GNAC contest. Lasell hosts GNAC-rival Anna Maria College on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
