Men’s Lacrosse Falls on Senior Day in 7-6 OT Loss vs. Lasell
BOSTON - Only 34 seconds into overtime, Lasers senior Nate Taggart (Scarborough, Maine) scored the game-winning goal, ending the Emmanuel Saints unbeaten Great Northeast Athletic Conference record, as the Lasell Lasers picked up a 7-6 win on Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
Score:
Lasell 7 – Emmanuel 6 (Final/OT)
Records:
Emmanuel College Saints (11-5, 9-1 GNAC)
Lasell University Lasers (9-6, 7-2 GNAC)
Location: Boston, Mass. – Roberto Clemente Field
Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
THE LEAD – Only 34 seconds into overtime, Lasers senior Nate Taggart (Scarborough, Maine) scored the game-winning goal, ending the Emmanuel Saints unbeaten Great Northeast Athletic Conference record, as the Lasell Lasers picked up a 7-6 win on Saturday afternoon.
Prior to the start of the game, the Emmanuel Saints men's lacrosse program held their Senior Day, honoring Class of 2023 members Randy Castle (Boxford, Mass.), Ryan Castle (Boxford, Mass.), Drew Chant (Warwick, R.I.), Mason Colwell (Needham, Mass.), Riley Cranson (Newport, R.I.), Derek DelVecchio (Saugus, Mass.), Colin Dickinson (Barre, Vt.), and Micah Schlabach (South Royalton, Vt.).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Saturday's GNAC match needed overtime to decide a winner and following a faceoff win and timeout by the Lasers, the visitors would execute on the first possession, claiming the victory on Emmanuel's Senior Day.
- On a quick developing play, sophomore Ryan Stone (Granby, Conn.) received a pass at the left of the Saints net at goal-line extended. Taggart cut toward the Saints goal, found a pocket of space, and managed to force a shot into the top-right netting, ending the Saints unbeaten run in the GNAC.
- The Saints forced overtime in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Dickinson from behind the Lasell goal found first-year Cole Cloney (Medfield, Mass.) 15 yards from goal. After a quick shift to set for a shot, Cloney fired a top-corner attempt past the Lasers goalie, tying the game at 6-6 with just 12 seconds remaining.
- The game's first four goals belonged to Lasell, scoring over the first 22 minutes of the game to hold an early lead. First-year Jack Tauson (Northbridge, Mass.) scored a pair while graduate student David Burke (Cohasset, Mass.) and junior Anthony DeRosa (Hudson, N.Y.) added one goal each, amounting to the LU 4-0 lead with 7:10 left in the second quarter.
- Cloney broke through for the Saints with 2:56 left in the first half, getting EC on the board and trailing 4-1. Junior Thomas Quigley (Marblehead, Mass.) opened the second half scoring, cutting the Emmanuel deficit to 4-2.
- After the Lasers reestablished a three-goal lead, Cloney would score three-in-a-row between the third and fourth quarters, tying the game at 5-5. Stone found the net with 4:14 remaining in regulation, giving LU a 6-5 edge, but Cloney responded with the goal that forced overtime in the final seconds.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Tauson finished with two goals while being one of three Lasers to finish the day with two points. Burke and Stone each finished with one goal and one assist.
- Lasell graduate student Patrick Mulhern (Pembroke, Mass.) led the Lasers in points, finishing the day with three assists.
- Sophomore goalie Michael Catalano (Norwood, Mass.) finished with 10 saves, improving to 8-6 (6-2 GNAC) following the win.
- Cloney scored five goals for the second time this season, matching a March 8 performance against Alfred State. The first-year attackman added a ground ball and caused turnover.
- Junior Robert Favuzza (Saugus, Mass.) had a pair of assists, both coming on goals scored by Cloney.
- Ryan Castle, Chant, and Dickinson all had one assist on the afternoon.
- Randy Castle made a season-high 25 saves while dropping his first conference decision of the season, falling to 11-3 (9-1 GNAC). The 25-save performance is the second-most saves in a single game in program history, a record that already belongs to the senior goalie, who made 27 stops in a game in his junior year.
UP NEXT
- The Saints return to play with their regular season finale on Tuesday, April 25, welcoming New England College to Clemente Field for a 7:00 p.m. game. Despite the Saints loss, they hold the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage in the upcoming GNAC postseason, starting on Saturday, April 29.
- The Lasers also return on April 25, finishing their regular season with a GNAC game vs. Johnson & Wales. Three teams are currently tied with a 7-2 GNAC record, meaning the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 seeds in the postseason are still up for grabs.