Men's Lacrosse Drops Road GNAC Matchup at Dean Tuesday Afternoon

FRANKLIN, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team fell on the road at Dean College (Dean), 14-5, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Tuesday afternoon on Grant Field in Franklin, Mass.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Dean 14, USJ 5
Records: Dean 6-3 (2-3 GNAC), USJ 5-7 (1-4 GNAC)
Location: Grant Field | Franklin, Mass.

Dean would score the first goal of the game three minutes into the first quarter, but sophomore midfield Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) quickly equalized, firing his shot into the top right corner, levelling the score at 1-1 at the 10:39 mark. The game then fell quiet as neither offense would generate a clear-cut chance, until junior midfield Samuel Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) found a wide-open freshman Nick Pestrichello (Wethersfield, Conn.), who ripped a strike into the bottom corner of the net, establishing a 2-1 USJ lead with 5:49 left in the first. However, the Bulldogs would score two goals of their own to close the quarter, taking a 3-2 edge into the second quarter.

The Bulldogs would grab all the momentum in the second quarter, scoring seven unanswered goals to hold a 10-2 edge at the half. Dean continued its scoring streak, netting the first goal of the third quarter, but Decker put an end to the Bulldogs run, firing his shot into the back of the net to cut the gap to 11-3 at the 7:42 mark. Sophomore midfield Gavin Cabral (Burlington, Conn.) quickly made it a 2-0 USJ run, receiving a pass from Pestrichello before firing his shot into the net, decreasing the Dean lead to 11-4 with 5:52 left in the third quarter.

Dean would answer back with a man-up strike, but Barbetti netted his first goal of the game at the 4:13 mark to pull USJ within seven, 12-5, but Dean rounded out the third with a late goal, heading into the fourth quarter with a 13-5 edge. The Bulldogs put the game to rest in the fourth, netting the quarters only goal to secure a 14-5 victory.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

DEAN – James Rollings picked up the win (6-3) for Dean, recording 13 saves while letting in five goals in 60 minutes of play.

USJ – Senior Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) played all 60 minutes in goal for USJ, picking up the loss (5-7) after allowing 14 goals while tallying nine saves.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to West Hartford for a GNAC matchup against Regis College on Friday, April 7. Before the game on Friday, USJ will honor the men's lacrosse senior class of 2023 during its Senior Day ceremony. First faceoff against the Pride is set for 4:00 p.m. on the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn.

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