Men's Lacrosse Suffers Setback In First-Ever OT Game, 14-13

BOSTON, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team played in its first overtime game in program history, ultimately dropping a hard-fought decision, 14-13, Wednesday evening to the Saints of Emmanuel College (EC), in a critical Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) road contest, held at Roberto Clemente Field under the lights. 

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Saint Joseph 13, Emmanuel 14 (OT)
Records: USJ 5-7 (2-4 GNAC), EC 3-8 (2-4 GNAC),
Location: Roberto Clemente Field | Boston, Mass.

Junior midfielder Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.) was the high scorer with a career-high six goals, while sophomore attackman Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) added a goal and a game-high six assists to lead the Blue Jays. Paltauf currently remains the GNAC leader with 45 assists. Senior attackman Matt Guerin (East Longmeadow, Mass.) also added four goals for the visitors. Emmanuel received 14 goals from seven different players, including sophomore Thomas Quigley (Marblehead, Mass.), who put in a team-high four on the night.

The game was primarily controlled by the hosts who took a commanding 8-3 lead at the half after at one point scoring six straight goals, three coming from Quigley. Both teams were able to make successful clears all night, but the Blue Jays committed seven more turnovers, which led to more opportunities for the Saints. Emmanuel landed an additional eight shots, and still managed five second-half goals. Give credit to USJ though for continuing to fight as the Blue Jays doubled up the Saints in consecutive quarters in the second half, coming all the way back and tying the ballgame with less than three minutes to play. The contest then went to overtime, where a goal about nearly midway through the period ended the game in favor of the Saints.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

USJ – Junior goalkeeper and captain Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) dipped to 4-6, allowing 14 goals and making 13 saves in a full 61+ minutes of work between the pipes.

EC – Sophomore stopper Eric Anderson (Sparta, N.J.) picked up the win to improve to 2-4 on the season, allowing 13 goals with 12 saves, and also went the distance in the cage.

BATTLE AT THE 'X'

Faceoffs were practically split down the middle, as USJ held a 17-14 advantage overall. Freshman faceoff Luke von Borstel (Massena, N.Y.) was the high-man for Saint Joseph with 11 of 15 successful faceoffs.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays are headed home for a GNAC matchup against the Raiders of Rivier University on Saturday, April 16 at 1:00 p.m. on the USJ Lacrosse Field. USJ lost to Rivier, 18-7, in its only ever matchup on March 27, 2021.

Follow USJ Athletics
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays