STANDISH, Maine – University of New England (1-1) rallied from a 3-1 deficit with six unanswered goals to defeat Saint Joseph's College (0-1), 13-9, in a non-conference men's lacrosse contest at the SJC Athletics Complex on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a scoreless first quarter, UNE senior Colin Watt (Somers, Conn.) kicked off the game scoring with a man-up goal 4:11 into the second stanza. The visitors' lead lasted just 42 seconds, as SJC junior Tim Goodfellow (Wayland, Mass.) drilled his first marker of the season, a man-down goal off a Xavier Michaud (Wales, Maine) pass, to knot the game at 1-1.
Senior Noah Tierney-Honan (Dracut, Mass.) and Michaud followed with goals in quick succession to make it a 3-1 contest midway through the second period, but the Nor'easters closed out the half with tallies from Gavin Tanis (Glenburn, Maine) and Jordan White (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) in the quarter's final 90 seconds as the tilt headed into intermission deadlocked at 3-3.
Unfortunately for the hosts, the late second-quarter goals were just the start of a 6-0 run, as White scored twice in a matter of 45 seconds and assisted on a Finn McCoy (Wernersville, Pa.) marker at the 11:14 timestamp to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.
Sophomore Tyler Moscato (West Haven, Conn.) finally put his team on the board with an unassisted goal at the 10:11 mark, but UNE countered with three-consecutive strikes to secure a 10-4 cushion with 4:31 left in the third period.
The Monks showed some mettle with goals from Eli Arsenault (Saco, Maine) and Tierney-Honan to close out the penultimate frame and sophomore Will Levesque (Marlow, N.H.) kicked off the fourth with a tally to cut the Monks' deficit to 10-7, but the Nor'easters all but closed the door with another three-goal run, which spanned seven minutes.
TEAM STATS:
The Monks held the lead in shots (40-25), shots on goal (27-19), and turnovers (21-29) while the Nor'easters posted advantages in face-off wins (18-8) and ground balls (35-28) in what was the 2023 season-opener for Saint Joseph's…UNE was 3-for-6 in man-up scenarios while SJC hit pay dirt on 3-of-11 extra-man opportunities…The game was littered with penalties, as UNE was called for 14 infractions and SJC was hit with eight flags.
THE KEEPERS:
SJC sophomore goalie Scott Walsh (Brookline, N.H.) turned away six shots and picked up four ground balls in the setback…UNE sophomore keeper Evan Hazard (Milford, Mass.) posted 18 saves in the come-from-behind triumph.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Goodfellow and Tierney-Honan registered two goals and an assist apiece
- Levesque contributed a pair of goals with two ground balls and a caused turnover
- Moscato scored a goal with three assists
- Michaud netted a marker with a pair of assists
- Senior Connor Bogdanski (Southington, Conn.) produced four caused turnovers and a pair of ground balls
- Arsenault notched a goal with three ground balls and a caused turnover
- Junior Devin Rheaume (Londonderry, N.H.) added two ground balls and two caused turnovers
LEADERS – UNE:
- Watt delivered three goals, three assists, three ground balls, and a caused turnover
- Sophomore Ben Gowell (Plymouth, Mass.) was 18-for-26 on face-off bids and picked up a game-high 11 ground balls
- White registered three goals and three assists along with a pair of ground balls
- Junior Andrew Lawrence (North Yarmouth, Maine) scored a goal with two assists and two ground balls
- Freshman Shea Fogarty (Melrose, Mass.) netted two goals with two ground balls
- Senior Ryan Hazard (Milford, Mass.) chipped in with two goals
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 0-7 all-time versus University of New England, a team that defeated the Monks by a 13-4 margin in Biddeford last spring…The Monks' nine goals in today's setback is the most scored by the Royal Blue versus UNE in the history of the series.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Emerson College on Saturday in a non-conference game slated to start at 1:00 PM.
