Saints Clinch Top Seed in GNAC with 14-2 Win vs. Albertus Magnus

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel College, 14 vs. Albertus Magnus College, 2

Records: 
Emmanuel Saints (11-4, 9-0 GNAC)
Albertus Magnus Falcons (7-7, 1-7 GNAC)

Location: New Haven, Conn. – Celentano Field

Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

THE LEAD - The Emmanuel College men's lacrosse team posted a 14-2 road win against the Falcons of Albertus Magnus College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash Tuesday evening under the lights at Celentano Field. With the victory, EC has clinched the No. 1 seed in the 2023 GNAC Men's Lacrosse tournament which is slated to begin on Saturday, April 29.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Saints controlled the opening half as the visitors held a commanding 9-0 lead over the Falcons heading into the halftime break.
• Emmanuel was led offensively in the first half by senior Ryan Castle (Boxford, Mass.), who tallied a hat trick over the first 30 minutes of play.
• Albertus was unable to find the back of the net despite seven shot attempts in the first, including four from Matthew Hutchings (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.), and four in the second half.
• In the third quarter, the Saints increased their lead by a tally of four goals to put them up 13-0 over the Falcons.
• Jon Olson (Bellmore, N.Y.) broke the scoreless drought for the Falcons as the senior attackman netted his 37th goal of the season at the 1:58 mark following a crisp pass from Bailey Kirwin (Barrie, Ontario).
• Coincidentally in the fourth period, the dynamic duo of Olson and Kirwin struck again as Olson was able to find an open Kirwin, who put one past the Saints' keeper, for his 17th tally of the spring, with 7:40 remaining in regulation.
• The Saints managed to add an additional goal at the 3:54 mark to conclude the game with a 14-2 scoreline.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus: Wally Carroll (Longbeach, N.Y.) (L, 1-1) -  10 Goals-Against | 15 Saves | 25 Shots
Albertus: Dane Walsh (Bethany, Conn.) - 4 Goals-Against | 1 Save | 5 Shots
Emmanuel: Randy Castle (W, 11-2) - 0 Goals-Against | 6 Saves | 6 Shots
Emmanuel: Eric Anderson - 2 Goals-Against | 6 Saves | 8 Shots

TOP PERFORMERS

Emmanuel:
Cole Cloney: 4 Goals | 1 Assists | 8 Shots | 1 Ground Ball 
Ryan Castle: 4 Goals | 9 Shots | 4 Ground Balls 
Drew Chant: 1 Goal | 3 Assists | 2 Shots | 1 Ground Balls 

Albertus:
Jon Olson: 1 Goal  | 1 Assist| 3 Shots | 2 Ground Balls
Bailey Kirwin: 1 Goal | 1 Assist | 3 Shots | 2 Ground Balls

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Today's game marked the eighth meeting between the Falcons and Saints with Emmanuel now owning a perfect 8-0 mark vs. AMC.
• The victory clinches the regular-season GNAC crown for the Saints for the first time since the 2016 season when the squad went on to win its third consecutive GNAC crown.
• The 11 wins for Castle in net marks the third highest single-season total in program history at Emmanuel, trailing only Austin Lauzier who posted 15 in 2014 and 12 in 2015.
• Carroll earned his second start in goal for the Falcons and is now 1-1 on the season, collecting a season-high 15 saves. 
• Following the defensive performance, EC is averaging 8.28 goals allowed per game to rank second in the GNAC and 16^th in the country among NCAA Division III programs.
• Olson has scored a goal in 10 games this season for the Falcons.

UP NEXT

• Emmanuel is back in action on Saturday, April 22 for their final GNAC game of the regular season vs. Lasell University at 12:00 PM. Prior to the start of the game, the Saints will hold a brief Senior Day ceremony to honor the members of the Class of 2023.
• The Falcons return to the field the same day for a home GNAC contest against the Pride of Regis College on Senior Day. Game time is set for 1:00 PM, with seniors being honored prior to the face-off.

*Release content provided courtesy of Albertus Magnus College Athletic Communications staff