Rossi Records Hat-Trick as No. 3 Men's Lacrosse Faces No. 2 NYIT in First Ever ECC Semifinal Appearance
Box Score OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Apr. 29, 2015) – Despite a team-high three goals from junior Robert Rossi (North Massapequa, N.Y./Adelphi), the No. 3 seeded Mercy College men's lacrosse team suffered a 13-7 defeat to host No. 2 seed NYIT in the program's first ever appearance in the ECC semifinals on Wednesday afternoon at President's Stadium.
The Mavericks (10-6) will now wait for a possible postseason berth, while the Bears (12-3) will face No. 1 seed LIU Post in the championship game on Saturday.
Senior Jesse Wood (Binghamton, N.Y./Seton Catholic Central) finished with two assists, while senior Owen Valance (Glen Cove, N.Y./McDaniel College) added a goal and an assist. Sophomores Richie Morris (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) and Daniel Speicher (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) and junior Connor McLachlan (Albany, N.Y./Guilderland) recorded the Mavericks other three goals.
Will Kistinger scored three times to lead NYIT.
Mercy was up against a tall task facing a Bears program that is a perennial national power, having won four national titles and they would show why early on with a goal less than a minute in to take a 1-0 lead.
NYIT would tack on two more early goals to take a 3-0 lead with 10:28 left in the first quarter, leaving the Mavericks looking for answers.
Speicher got Mercy on the board off an assist from junior Kyle Stockton (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) to make it 3-1, but the momentum would be short lived as the Bears added a goal just before the end of the quarter to take a 4-1 lead after one.
NYIT opened up the second quarter with three straight goals to take a 7-1 lead with 10:29 left before half. Rossi got the Mavericks closer with a goal 16 seconds later off a feed from sophomore Nick Wilcox (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) to make it 7-2 heading into halftime.
Each team would tally a goal in the third quarter making it 8-3 heading to the final quarter. McLachlan started the scoring in the fourth with a man-up goal to make it 8-4. The Bears came back with a goal just over a minute later to take a 9-4 advantage.
However, the Mavericks as has been the case all season would not go down without a fight and Rossi answered with back-to-back goals to get Mercy within three, 9-6, with just over nine minutes remaining.
The Mavericks looked to have momentum on their side but NYIT showed why they are among the nation's best, responding with four goals in a row to take a 13-6 lead with 2:27 left and held on for the victory.
The Bears held a 36-25 edge in shots and 29-25 advantage in ground balls on the day.
