Men's Lacrosse Falls in Overtime at SJC Friday Night, 16-15

STANDISH, Maine – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team fought hard, but fell in heartbreaking fashion, 16-15, in overtime on the road at the Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC), Friday night at the SJC Athletics Complex in Standish, Maine. The Blue Jays tied the game with 16 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but the Monks would score the deciding goal to take home the victory.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: SJC 16, USJ 15 - OT
Records: SJC 7-7 (5-2 GNAC), USJ 6-8 (2-5 GNAC)
Location: SJC Athletics Complex | Standish, Maine

USJ wasted little time finding the back of the net, as senior attack Matt Crisco (North Haven, Conn.) took full advantage of a one-on-one situation with the SJC goalie, firing his shot into the corner of the net to give USJ a 1-0 lead at the 13:22 mark. Senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.) quickly increased the edge to 2-0, finding space in front of the goal before rifling his effort past the Monks goalkeeper with 10:20 left in the first. SJC looked to fire back, getting a pair of man-up opportunities, but the USJ defense expertly killed off the penalties to keep the Monks off the board. Baden rewarded his defense, fighting for space in front of the SJC goal before netting his second of the game, increasing the USJ lead to 3-0 at the 6:43 mark.

The Blue Jays continued to put their foot on the gas offensively, taking advantage of a man-up opportunity as freshman midfielder Cam Fonseca (Saunderstown, R.I.) picked up a loose rebound off a shot before firing his strike into the net, increasing the gap to 4-0 and forcing SJC to call for time with 4:22 left in the first. Fonseca quickly made it 5-0, making an ice move to get past his defender before beating the Monk's goalkeeper in the bottom left corner of the net at the 3:39 mark. However, the Monks put an end to the Blue Jays run, getting on the scoreboard at the 1:12 mark to cut the gap to 5-1 entering the second quarter.

SJC started the second quarter red hot, scoring three unanswered goal to pull back within one, 5-4, forcing USJ to call a timeout at the 12:54 mark. The Blue Jays took full advantage of the timeout, as sophomore midfield Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) fought through contact before rifling his shot past the SJC netminder, increasing the lead back to two, 6-4, at the 12:18 mark. The Monks would pull the score back to one, 6-5, but junior midfield Samuel Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) utilized a nice wrap around effort to fire his shot into the net, increasing the lead back to two for USJ, 7-5, at the 5:08 mark.

The game would continue to go back-and-forth as freshman attack Freeman Johnson (Swanzey, N.H.) received a great pass from Baden, before firing his shot into the goal, canceling out a prior SJC goal to see the Blue Jays lead, 8-6, at the 2:57 mark. However, the Monks would score late in the half, sending the Blue Jays into the locker room leading, 8-7.

The Monks quickly leveled the game in the second quarter, taking advantage of a man-up opportunity, but Barbetti quickly responded, winning the faceoff before sprinting down the field and firing his shot past the SJC netminder, reestablishing the USJ lead, 9-8, at the 12:28 mark. Decker immediately followed up with a man-up goal for USJ, increasing the gap to two, 10-8, with 11:53 left in the third quarter. The Blue Jays continued to fire on all cylinders, as Baden rounded out his hattrick, moving down the right side of the field, fighting through contact before firing his shot into the top right corner of the net, establishing an 11-8 USJ lead at the 11:30 mark.

USJ would show no signs of slowing down, as freshman midfield Nick Pestrichello (Wethersfield, Conn.) found space to the right of the goal, firing his shot in-between the SJC's netminders legs, increasing the Blue Jays lead to 12-8 with 7:19 remaining in the third. However, the Monks were able to put an end to the run, finding the back of the net at the 1:53 mark, cutting the deficit to 12-9. SJC found the net again in the closing moments of the quarter, pulling back within two, 12-10, entering the fourth quarter.

The Monks started the fourth quarter like they did the third, scoring two quick goals to tie the game at 12-12 with 10:55 left to play.  The Monks continued their strong start, taking the lead, 13-12, but Decker did not let the deficit last long, utilizing a man-up chance to level the score at 13-13 with 10:16 to play. SJC continued to fight back though, retaking the lead 14-13, at the 9:38 mark and forcing USJ to call a timeout with 7:17 on the clock. The Monks increased the gap to two, 15-13, but the Blue Jays continued to fight back, as Decker received a great pass from Barbetti before rifling his shot into the net, pulling USJ back within one, 15-14, with 2:36 left to play.

The Monks looked to be icing the clock out, but the USJ defense forced a turnover before firing the ball down field. Decker picked up the loose ball, passing it to Baden who fired his shot into the top right corner, sending the game into overtime tied, 15-15. The Blue Jays would win the opening faceoff to start overtime, calling a timeout to plan out the offensive attack. The Monks though would shut the Blue Jays down, gaining possession before ending the game with the deciding goal 3:47 minutes into the overtime period, securing the win, 16-15.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

SJC – Brannon Gilbert got the start for SJC, playing 37:41 minutes, allowing 12 goals while making eight saves. Liam Greene played the remaining 25:06 in net for the Monks, picking up the win (1-2) after making five saves and allowing three goals.

USJ – Senior Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) played all but 30 seconds in goal for USJ, picking up the loss (5-8) after allowing 16 goals while making 18 saves. Sophomore Nick Schilling (Brookfield, Conn.) played the remaining 30 seconds in goal during the closing moments of regulation.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to West Hartford for a GNAC showdown against Johnson & Wales University on Tuesday, April 18. First faceoff against the Wildcats is set for 6:00 p.m. on the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn.

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