PAXTON, MA – Senior Andrew Hamill (Wolfeboro, N.H.) netted the game-winning goal with 36 seconds remaining in the fifth overtime to lift Saint Joseph's (3-1, 2-0 GNAC) past Anna Maria College (1-5, 1-1 GNAC), 5-4, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's lacrosse action on Wednesday afternoon.
Hamill tallied a hat trick in the victory while juniors Dalton Eldridge (South Gardiner, Maine) and Max Meserve (Kennebunk, Maine) netted a goal apiece in the victory. Junior goalkeeper Ethan Rettew (Ephrata, Pa.) made nine saves in 79:24 between the pipes with six ground balls in the contest, which counts as the longest in GNAC Men's Lacrosse history.
Anna Maria sophomore Lucas Stralka (East Greenwich, R.I.) notched a pair of goals and an assist, Rodrigo Henriques (Saugus, Mass.) chipped in a goal and a helper and Rex Wall (Osterville, Mass.) potted his fourth marker of the season in the losing effort. Franco Francioso (Walpole, Mass.) made 18 saves in goal for the AMCATS.
Hamill opened the game scoring just 1:57 after the opening whistle and the 1-0 edge stood until Henriques scored a man-up marker off a Stralka helper 12 seconds into the second stanza.
Eldridge scored for the Monks and Wall found the back of the net for the AMCATS in a 90-second span early in the second frame and the 2-2 stalemate remained heading into intermission.
Meserve netted a man-up score 50 seconds after the break to push the Royal Blue to a 3-2 lead, a margin that held true until Stralka scored twice in a matter of 22 seconds late in the fourth to provide the AMCATS with their first, and only, lead of the contest.
With time winding down and the Monks staring down their first GNAC setback of the season, Hamill netted his first of two game-saving goals, tying the contest at four-apiece off a Eldridge feed with 34 seconds remaining in regulation.
Both teams had opportunities during extra play, as the Monks tallied 15 shots – six on target – and the AMCATS recorded seven shots, with three on goal, over nearly 20 minutes of overtime action. Saint Joseph's managed to kill four Anna Maria man-up situations and was held to two shots in one extra-man situation midway through the second OT frame.
After clanging three shots off posts during the contest – including a Hamill bid with 1:31 left in the fourth extra period – the Monks finally found netting when the senior attack scored following a successful SJC clear with 36 seconds to play in the fifth overtime.
Saint Joseph's held advantages in shots (48-34) and ground balls (36-33) and was successful on 21 of 31 clear attempts in the thrilling victory.
With the win, the Monks are 3-0 in the history of the series with Anna Maria College. All three meetings have been decided by two or fewer goals.
Saint Joseph's, which had played in just one overtime game (11-10 win over Daniel Webster, March 21, 2009) in the program's first six seasons, has already played in two OT contests this season. The Monks nipped Husson University by the same 5-4 score in overtime last Tuesday in Bangor, Maine.
The longest men's lacrosse game in NCAA DIII history was played on April 9th, 2011 when Ohio Wesleyan University defeated The College of Wooster, 10-9, in Wooster, Ohio.
The lengthiest NCAA men's lacrosse contest occurred on March 28th, 2009 when DI powerhouses University of Maryland and University of Virginia required seven OT frames to declare a winner. NCAA DII programs Queens (NC) and Pfeiffer also played seven overtime periods on March 26th, 2011.
Both teams play on the road on Saturday, as Saint Joseph's faces GNAC-rival Lasell College at 1:00 PM and Anna Maria takes on Massachusetts Maritime Academy in a non-conference contest slated to start at 1:00 PM.
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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 430-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.