Men's Lacrosse Earns First Victory of 2023 Following 10-7 Win over Alfred

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel 10 – Alfred 7

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (1-2, 0-0 GNAC)
Alfred University Saxons (2-2, 0-0 Empire 8)

Location: Sparks, Md. – USA Lacrosse HQ / William G. Tierney Field

Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023

THE LEAD – A career-high five-goal performance by first-year Cole Cloney (Medfield, Mass.) matched with a 15-save outing by senior Randy Castle (Boxford, Mass.) all helped the Emmanuel Saints men's lacrosse team to their first win of the 2023 season, thanks to a 10-7 victory over the Alfred Saxons on Wednesday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a scoreless first six minutes, the Saints found their offensive footing with Cloney scoring a pair of goals 53 seconds apart, giving EC a 2-0 lead. Later in the first quarter, Emmanuel would double that lead with goals by junior Thomas Quigley (Marblehead, Mass.) and senior Ryan Castle (Boxford, Mass.), giving Emmanuel a 4-0 edge.
• Saxons junior Kevin Matson (Chenango Bridge, N.Y.) would finally get Alfred on the board with seven seconds left in the first, helping Alfred to gain momentum into the second quarter, as the Saints led 4-1 after a quarter.
• The Saints and Saxon split goals in the first five minutes of the second half, leading Emmanuel to a 5-2 advantage. Alfred managed to cut the deficit to one by halftime with goals by Matson with 7:45 remaining and first-year Brendan Riley (Fairport, N.Y.) with 5:52 to go, cutting the deficit to 5-4 at the half.
• A trio of man-up goals started the second half; two for the Saxons and one for the Saints, eventually tying things at 6-6. Cloney scored just 22 seconds into the half, but goals just 18 seconds apart by sophomore Ian DiDomineck (Bath, N.Y.) and Matson erased the Emmanuel lead, tying the game with 10:40 left in the third.
• The Saints steadied themselves, taking back the lead thanks to the last three goals of the quarter, including a buzzer-beating goal with 2.3 seconds left by Cloney, which left EC leading 9-6 after three quarters.
• AU senior Paul Forte (Rochester, N.Y.) opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 9-7 with 7:08 to play.
• The most pivotal plays of the afternoon came in the final 2:26 after Saints sophomore Jack Antico (Elkridge, Md.) was assessed a two-minute, locked in penalty. Forte and senior Drew Cartwright (Elmira, N.Y.) had good opportunities to tie the game, but on both occasions, Saints goalie Randy Castle was there to deny the Saxons, preserving a two-goal lead.
• The Saints were in the process of running out the two-minute Antico penalty and the remaining seconds on the game clock when junior Robert Favuzza (Saugus, Mass.), from the left corner of the offensive zone, split a double team, carried the ball toward goal, and netted a man-down shot, clinching the game with the fantastic individual effort, giving EC a 10-7.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Cloney finished the afternoon with a career-high five goals, leading the scoring on the afternoon.
• Quigley and Ryan Castle each scored a pair of goals with Quigley adding a pair of assists. Ryan Castle chipped in with an assist and now sits at 99 career points.
• First-year defender Paul Hardcastle (Upton, Mass.) had a team-high seven ground balls while fellow defender, sophomore Evan Decker (Milwaukee, Wis.) added four ground balls and three caused turnovers.
• Randy Castle picked up his first win of the season, making 15 saves to move to 1-0 this season.
• Matson finished with a hat trick on the day to go with one ground ball and one caused turnover.
• First-year Marcus Darminio (Marcellus, N.Y.) finished with a goal and two assists.
• First-year Hunter Cupp (Bath, N.Y.) had an impressive day of faceoffs, going 16-for-20 in controls while grabbing a game-high 11 ground balls.

UP NEXT

• The Saints continue their Spring Break trip through the Mid-Atlantic with a Friday afternoon game at Mary Washington, set for 3:30 p.m., in Fredericksburg, Va.
• The Saxons have a week off before heading to Lycoming College for a 5:00 p.m. game on March 15.