Men's Lacrosse Stopped by #1 Mercyhurst, 10-4
Box Score PURCHASE, N.Y. (Mar. 10, 2012) – On Saturday, the Mercy College men's lacrosse squad dropped an East Coast Conference affair to #1 and defending national champions Mercyhurst College, 10-4 in Purchase, N.Y. With the win, the Lakers improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the league. Following the loss, the Mavericks fell to 0-3 on the year and 0-2 in conference play.
Mercy opened up the game with two goals in the first quarter. Senior attack Sal Spinelli (East Islip, N.Y.) scored the first one with 10:27 left, while junior attacker Mike Marzocca (North Babylon, N.Y.) notched the second marker with three and a half minutes remaining in the quarter. The Mavericks held a 2-0 advantage going into the second period.
The second stanza was all Mercyhurst as the Lakers rattled off four unanswered markers. Four different Lakers scored and two of the tallies were man-up. At halftime, Mercyhurst led, 4-2.
After trading a goal each to start the third quarter, the Lakers reeled off a trio of goals to grab an 8-3 lead. Sophomore midfielder Patrick Hodapp (Oak Ridge, N.J.) had the Mavericks' goal at 10:22.
Sophomore attackman Brady Heseltine (Elora, Ontario) scored a pair of man-up goals to further secure Mercyhurst's lead in the last quarter. With 1:33 remaining in regulation, Mercy junior attacker Joe Poppe (Elbridge, N.Y.) notched Mercy's final goal of the contest. Junior midfielder C.J. Fleming (Middletown, N.Y.) was responsible for the assist.
For the Mavericks, junior midfielder John Lionetti (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) had 10 ground balls, while rookie defender Owen Krezmien (West Seneca, N.Y.) caused two turnovers. In goal, junior T.J. DiCarlo (Farmingdale, N.Y.) stopped 11 shots.
For the Lakers, Heseltine and sophomore midfielder Matt Hummel (Kitchener, Ontario) recorded two goals each, while junior midfielder Zac Reid (St. Catharines, Ontario) had two assists. In the cage, sophomore Michael Grace (Warwick, N.Y.) recorded 11 saves.
Head Coach Steve Manitta and the Mavericks return to action on Saturday, March 17 when they venture down to Wheeling, W. Va. to take on Wheeling Jesuit University in ECC play. The opening faceoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
