Fourth Quarter Favors Wentworth in Men’s Lacrosse Loss to Leopards, 12-10

BOSTON – Tied 9-9 entering the fourth quarter, the Wentworth Leopards outscored the Emmanuel Saints men's lacrosse team 3-1, scoring all three goals in a 1:03 span, as the Leopards held on for a 12-10 victory over the Saints on Wednesday night at Clemente Field in Emmanuel's home opener.

The Saints fall to 0-6 this season, still in search of their first win while the Leopards move to 5-2 with the victory and are 3-1 in the month of March.

Wentworth looked poised to control the play in the second half, leading 8-5 at halftime, but the Saints put together a 4-1 third quarter surge to enter the fourth tied 9-9.

Saints senior Thomas Quigley (Marblehead, Mass.) scored consecutive goals to open the second half while sophomore Cole Cloney (Medfield, Mass.) netted a third, tying the game 8-8 with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter. Leopards senior Colin Ocampo (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) helped retake the lead with 2:59 to go in the third before Saints junior Ryan Etzo (Bedford, Mass.) scored in the final minute of the quarter, setting up the 9-9 tie, entering the fourth.

Emmanuel and Wentworth played a scoreless 10:25 to start the fourth quarter as turnovers played a role in Wednesday's tied match at 9-9. Emmanuel senior goalie Eric Anderson (Sparta, N.J.) and Wentworth junior goalie Tom Gardner (West Windsor, N.J.) each made one save in the scoreless drought.

A critical 63 second stretch started with Leopards junior Kobi Buffa (Craryville, N.Y.) finding the back of the net, giving Wentworth a 10-9 edge. Just six seconds later, senior faceoff specialist Connor Charron (Tewksbury, Mass.) won the draw and attacked the Saints cage, firing a shot past Anderson, for an 11-9 lead. Ocampo added a third goal, giving the Leopards three goals in 1:03, and a 12-9 advantage with 3:32 left.

Saints first-year Cooper Mehlhorn (South Portland, Maine) pulled Emmanuel back within a pair, scoring his second of the night with 1:48 to go. Emmanuel created plenty of chances in the final two minutes after winning the faceoff following Mehlhorn's goal, but no shot found its way on net, as the Leopards ran out the clock in their 12-10 win.

Ocampo scored a game-high four goals on 11 shots to go with two ground balls. Charron scored a pair of goals, both in similar fashion, coming just seconds after a faceoff win. For the night, the Leopards were unstoppable at the faceoff mark, winning 21 of 25 draws.

Cloney finished the night with a hat trick, firing 11 shots on the Leopards net. Quigley and Mehlhorn each scored a pair with the rookie attack adding three assists. Emmanuel finished the evening 19-for-26 on clear attempts.

Gardner picks up the victory, improving to 5-2 with a 13-save outing. Anderson remains winless at 0-6 this season, making 15 stops in the loss.

The Saints return to action on Saturday, March 16, with a trip to Dean College for a 12:00 p.m. faceoff to start Great Northeast Athletic Conference play. The Leopards travel to Plymouth State on March 16 for a 1:00 p.m. game against the Panthers.