WALTHAM, Mass. – Despite seven different Mavericks scoring and a game-high 12 saves from junior Cameron Dorfman (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip), the No. 14 Mercy University Men's Lacrosse Team dropped a hard-fought 9-8 decision to No. 15 Bentley University on Saturday afternoon.
The Mavericks (3-1) suffer their first loss of the season and fall to the Falcons (1-0) for the second straight year.
Mercy began the first quarter with a focus on defense, as Dorfman made several key saves to keep Bentley at bay. The Falcons capitalized with a man-up goal by Charlie David, assisted by Nick Berglund, to open the scoring. Mercy responded with disciplined clears and defensive stops, but Bentley extended its lead to 2-0 with a goal from Berglund.
The Mavericks rallied late in the quarter, as freshman Dean Kott (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) found the net to put them on the board. Dorfman continued to be a strong presence in goal, making crucial saves to limit Bentley's offensive opportunities. As the quarter concluded, Mercy trailed Bentley 2-1, setting the stage for the next quarter.
The second quarter began with senior Jack Agres (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) quickly scoring a goal, following a successful faceoff and ground ball recovery by sophomore Michael Mitrano (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton). Junior Dillon Osorio (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Saint Anthony's) then gave the Mavericks the lead, 3-2, with a goal assisted by freshman Jackson Wilkinson (Scarborough, Ontario/Everest Academy), maintaining momentum early in the quarter.
Bentley responded with two goals, the first by Charlie David, assisted by Nick Berglund, and the second by Alex Ryan during a man-up opportunity, assisted by Beckett Mehlhorn, to take a 4-3 lead with 3:07 left in the half. The Falcons headed into halftime with a 4-3 lead.
Mercy opened the third quarter with effective offensive execution, capitalizing on a man-up opportunity as sophomore Cole Hunsberger (Waterloo, Ontario/Grand River Collegiate Institute) scored with an assist from Wilkinson at 12:45 to tie the game at 4-4. Bentley responded shortly after, with Tate Fitzmaurice finding the net, giving the Falcons a 5-4 advantage with 8:11 left in the quarter.
Midway through the quarter, Mercy's defense held strong as Dorfman made several critical saves, keeping Bentley at bay. Mercy maintained pressure and tied the game at 5-5 with a goal from senior Connor Abrahall (Holtsville, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Diocesan), assisted by sophomore Trey Weinstein (Kitchener, Ontario/Newberry College), in the final seconds of the quarter.
Mercy opened the fourth quarter with a ground ball recovery by senior Matthew Magyar (Floral Park, N.Y./Wingate University), who then scored to give the Mavericks a 6-5 lead. Bentley responded quickly, equalizing with a goal from Charlie David and took the lead shortly after with a score from Harrison Murray, bringing the tally to 7-6 in favor of Bentley.
Later in the quarter, sophomore Gavin Lamere (Plainview, N.Y./Herricks) found the net to tie the game at 7-7, maintaining pressure on Bentley. Bentley regained the lead with a man-up goal by Beckett Mehlhorn, but Hunsberger answered back, leveling the score at 8-8 with 2:47 left.
Bentley managed to secure the game with a late goal by Tate Fitzmaurice with 22 seconds left, giving the Falcons the 9-8 win.
Hunsberger led the scoring for the Mavericks, netting two goals. Agres, Osorio, Abrahall, Magyar and Kott each added a goal and Lamere recorded his first collegiate goal with three ground balls and a caused turnover. Wilkinson had a team-high two assists and Weinstein added an assist. Senior Daniel Fitzgerald (Bellmore, N.Y./Mepham) had a game-high four caused turnovers and Mitrano went 5-of-19 on faceoffs with four ground balls. Dorfman made a game-high 12 saves to take the loss.
Charlie David led Bentley with three goals. Fitzmaurice also made a significant impact with two goals. Dante D'Amico was dominant in face-offs, winning 15 of 20 attempts. Ryan Bordiere made eight saves to earn the win.
Bentley held a 43-24 edge in shots, a 21-16 edge in shots on goal, a 30-28 edge in ground balls and Mercy went 5-of-20 on faceoffs.
Head Coach Ryan MacSpadyen and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, March 7th when they host Caldwell at 2 p.m.
