Men's Lacrosse Takes Down JWU, 11-9, at Home Tuesday Night

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team picked up a statement victory Tuesday night, defeating Johnson & Wales University (JWU), 11-9, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest at the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Saint Joseph 11, Johnson & Wales 9
Records: USJ 7-8 (3-5 GNAC), JWU 10-4 (5-3 GNAC)
Location: USJ Lacrosse Field | West Hartford, Conn.

USJ wasted little time taking the lead, as senior attack Matt Crisco (North Haven, Conn.) found freshman midfielder Cam Fonseca (Saunderstown, R.I.) who rifled his shot into the net, establishing a 1-0 Blue Jays lead at the 11:24 mark. The Wildcats equalized a minute later, but Crisco displayed great playmaking again, passing to senior midfielder Benjamin Green (Chelmsford, Mass.), who ripped his shot past the JWU goalkeeper, giving USJ a 2-1 lead with 8:48 left in the first. However, the Wildcats tied the game minutes later, as a JWU shot trickled past senior goalkeeper Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) at the 5:20 mark. The score would hold as the Blue Jays and Wildcats entered the second quarter tied at 2-2.

JWU opened the scoring to start the second, taking a 3-2 lead, but sophomore midfielder Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) quickly leveled the score, fighting through contact before finding the corner of the net at the 11:18 mark. Junior midfielder Samuel Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) broke the deadlock, spinning past his defender before rifling his shot into the net, establishing a 4-3 USJ edge with 7:40 left in the half. The Wildcats went on to tie the game, but two unanswered goals from senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.) and Fonseca, marking a 6-4 USJ lead with 2:17 left in the half. However, JWU responded with two goals of their own, tying the score at 6-6 entering the halftime break.

The two teams traded goals to start the half to keep the game even, but Decker swung the lead back in USJ's favor, 8-7, with his second goal of the game at the 5:54 mark. However, the Wildcats responded with two straight goals, holding a slim 9-8 edge entering the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter started quiet as both teams could not find a clear-cut scoring chance. However, the Blue Jays took full advantage of a two-man up chance, tying the game at 9-9 with 6:04 remaining, as sophomore attack Evan Zimnoch (Southington, Conn.) caused a loose ball before firing into an empty net. Baden continued the USJ comeback, netting his second to give the Blue Jays a 10-9 edge with 4:07 left to play. The USJ defense stood strong, not allowing JWU a chance back into the game, as Decker put the game to rest in the final minute, securing an 11-9 victory for USJ.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

JWU – Trent Madigan picked up the loss in net for JWU (9-4), allowing 11 goals while making eight saves.

USJ – McCann played all 60 minutes in goal for USJ, picking up the win (6-8) after allowing nine goals and making 14 saves.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays head on the road for the final time in the 2023 regular season, traveling to Northfield, Vt., to battle Norwich University in GNAC play on Saturday, April 22. First faceoff against the Cadets is set for 1:00 p.m.

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