LEICESTER, MA - #3 Becker College (12-4, 7-3 GNAC) defeated #6 Saint Joseph's College (6-8, 5-5 GNAC), 9-5, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse tournament quarterfinal on Wednesday afternoon. Junior Andrew Sullivan (Rochester, N.H.) tallied three goals and an assist in the loss.
With the victory, Becker College advances in the GNAC Tournament and will play at #2 Lasell College (11-5, 9-1 GNAC), which defeated #7 Rivier University (8-8, 5-5 GNAC) by a 12-1 margin in other quarterfinal action this afternoon, in a conference semifinal at 4:00 PM on Friday. The loss signals the end of the 2014 campaign for Saint Joseph's.
After a scoreless first quarter, Saint Joseph's got on the board with four minutes remaining in the second when Sullivan scored on an underhand shot from five yards out.
Becker tied the game 1:11 later when Ryan Kearney (Katonah, N.Y.) fed David Deschenes (Gales Ferry, Conn.) for his 43rd goal of the season.
The score remained tied until Blake Boutiette (Burriville, R.I.) put the Hawks in front 3:21 into the third quarter when he scored while falling down in front of the Monks net.
The Monks tied the game with 6:34 left in the third quarter when Sullivan tallied his second goal of the game. Saint Joseph's took a 3-2 lead when Jake Ricciardi (Sharon, Mass.) tickled the twine from 15 yards out for his 16th goal of the season.
The Hawks knotted the score at 3-3 when Deschenes fed Christopher Bell (Campbell Hall, N.Y.) charging down the left side of the field for a shorthanded goal with 3:53 left in the third quarter. Becker took a 4-3 advantage when Deschenes gathered a rebound in front of the Monks net and tossed it past SJC goalie Ethan Rettew (Ephrata, Pa.).
Becker increased their lead to 5-3 when John DeAngelis (Swampscott, Mass.) opened the fourth quarter with his 24th goal of the season. Senior Shane Balestracci (Pawcatuck, Conn.) scored the Hawks fourth unanswered goal just 56 seconds into fourth quarter to up their lead to 6-3. Blake Boutiette netted his second goal of the game on an assist from Deschenes to give the Hawks 7-3 lead with 12:46 remaining in regulation. After Shane Balestracci scored his second goal to make it 8-3, Blake Boutiette capped things off when he completed a hat trick to make the score 9-3.
Sullivan and Boutin (Hackettstown, N.J.) added late goals for the Monks to make the final 9-5.
Becker goalie Jeffrey Candee (Madison, Conn.) made eight saves for the Hawks, while Rettew turned away 14 shots for Saint Joseph's. Freshman Billy Cooke (Pelham, N.H.) tallied five ground balls and five caused turnovers in the setback.
The loss also signals the end of NCAA lacrosse for the Monks' four seniors: Ricciardi, Andrew Hamill (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Ahmed Dorghoud (Alexandria, Va.) and Dominic Cesarini (Bow, N.H.). The 2014 graduating class helped Saint Joseph's post a 31-36 (.463) record overall and a 21-14 (.600) mark in conference play over the last four seasons.
THANKS IN LARGE PART TO BECKER COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
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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.
