Blue Jays Break Records, Handle Mariners For First Win, 22-4

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Records were set on the USJ Lacrosse Field on a breezy Wednesday afternoon, as the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team handled the Mitchell College (MC) Mariners, 22-4, to get win number one on the 2021 season. The 22 goals set a new school record for number of goals scored in a game.

Senior captain and attackman Owen LaPorte (Farmington, Conn.) came out guns blazing, scoring five goals in the second period alone, and tied the school record with nine goals in one game in the process. Freshman attackman Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) has wasted no time making an impact at the college level, and set the school record with 10 assists (the previous record was four) in the win over the Mariners. The Blue Jays (1-1) led 3-1 after the first quarter, but quickly picked up the pace, outscoring the Mariners (0-2) 9-2 in the second period, to take full control of the contest. USJ never trailed in the victory.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mitchell 4, Saint Joseph 22
Records: USJ 1-1, MC 0-2
Location: USJ Lacrosse Field | West Hartford, Conn.

COACH QUOTE [Andrew Fink on the victory and school-record 22 goals scored]
"We had a great opportunity [today]. We respect Mitchell coming out here and playing, we respect the game, as a lot of teams aren't playing yet. We wanted to get our offense going [after only scoring two goals in the opener]. The guys wanted to show that they could score. I'm super happy that they took on the challenge."

PLAYER QUOTE [Owen LaPorte on tying the single-game school record for goals in a game]
"It was all a team effort. The guys just found me every single time I was open, and it just went in. The defense really took over and gave me the opportunities to score."

GAME NOTES

• It marked the first-ever meeting between the Blue Jays and Mariners.
• Eight players scored for USJ, with six recording multi-goal games.
• USJ scored 11 unanswered between the second and third periods.
• The Mariners were held to single-digit shot attempts in all four quarters.

NUMBER TO KNOW

22 – The Blue Jays broke the school record with 22 goals in one game. The previous high was 14 in a win over Becker College in February of 2020.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

USJ – Sophomore Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) was solid in goal once again for the Blue Jays, making a series of impressive stick saves. He stopped nine of 12 shots, and picked up his first win (1-1) of 2021 in 38 minutes between the pipes. Sophomore goalie Sebastian Fusco (Berlin, Conn.) also made an appearance, saving three of four shots in the final 21-plus minutes.

MC – The Mariners relied on senior goalie Marcel Quinlan (Uniondale, N.Y.) who played nearly 52 minutes, allowing 20 goals on 32 shots. He drops to 0-2 on the season with the setback. Sophomore goalie Ethan Wheeler (Annapolis, Md.) also saw action for MC.

UP NEXT
The USJ men's lacrosse team will be back home again for another matchup, this time against Anna Maria College in its Great Northeast Athletic Conference opener. The opening faceoff is set for Tuesday, March 23 at 4:00 p.m.

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