No. 6 Men's Lacrosse Uses Late Comeback to Stun No. 2 Lasell in Overtime, 10-9, Advances to First GNAC Title Game

NEWTON, Mass. – The sixth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team continued its historic postseason run, using a late comeback to upset second-seeded Lasell University (Lasell), 10-9, in overtime Tuesday night on Grellier Field in Newton, Mass., during the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinals. Trailing by two with 3 and a half minutes to play, the Blue Jays netted back-to-back goals to send the game in overtime, before sophomore midfield Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) netted the game winner.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: #2 Lasell 9, #6 USJ 10 - OT
Records: Lasell 11-7, USJ 11-8
Location: Grellier Field | Newton, Mass.

After a back-and-forth start to the game that saw neither team gain the edge, the Blue Jays broke the scoreless start to take the early advantage. After working the ball around well, junior attack Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) found space behind the net, picking out a pass to senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.), who was left wide open to the left of the goal and fired his shot into the upper corner, establishing a 1-0 lead at the 9:47 mark. However, the Lasers quickly equalized, leveling the score at 1-1 with 9:01 left in the first. The Blue Jays were not deterred though, taking advantage of a man-up opportunity, as senior attack Matt Crisco (North Haven, Conn.) found freshman attack Freeman Johnson (Swanzey, N.H.) in front of the net, as he turned and rifled his shot past the Lasell goalie, establishing a 2-1 USJ edge at the 7:10 mark.

USJ continued to take advantage of man-up chances, as the Blue Jays forced a turnover at the midline, allowing freshman midfielder Nick Pestrichello (Wethersfield, Conn.) to corral the ground ball before sprinting down the field and increasing the gap to 3-1, forcing Lasell to turn a timeout at the 5:33 mark. The Blue Jays offense continued to fire on all cylinders, as Baden powered his way towards the net before firing his shot into the net, increasing the gap to 4-1 with 2:38 left in the first quarter. The goals continued to fly in for the Blue Jays, as Decker rounded out a strong opening quarter, increasing the gap to 5-1 with a solo effort with seven seconds left, sending the Blue Jays with a commanding lead heading into the second quarter.

Lasell though would not go down easy, scoring four unanswered goals in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to one, 5-4, with only six seconds left in the half. However, magic struck again for USJ right before the halftime whistle. With the ball in the USJ defensive end, senior defense Michael Callahan (Hampton, N.J.), launched a full field pass to sophomore attack Evan Zimnoch (Southington, Conn.) who turned and fired a shot that beat the buzzer, sending USK into the break with a 6-4 advantage.

The Lasers would strike first to get back within one, 6-5, but Pestrichello quickly reestablished a two-goal lead, using a solo effort at the 11:55 mark to give the Blue Jays a 7-5 edge. Lasell though would pull one back, closing the gap to one, 7-6, with a strike at the 6:56 mark. The third quarter ended as a defensive battle, as neither team got a clear-cut scoring opportunity, as USJ entered the fourth with a slight 7-6 edge.

Starting the fourth with a man-up chance, Lasell wasted little time leveling the score, finding the back of the net 36 seconds into the quarter, tying the score at 7-7. The Lasers looked to strike again, garnering two more man-up opportunities, but the Blue Jays defense stood firm, not allowing the Lasers to take the lead as they called a timeout with 9:01 remaining in the game. Lasell would gain momentum out of the break, scoring back-to-back goals, jumping out to a 9-7 lead with 3:38 left in the game. However, USJ would fight back, cutting the gap to one, 9-8, after Paltauf found Zimnoch in transition, before firing his shot into the net with 1:54 left. Sophomore midfield Luke von Borstel (Massena, N.Y.) then came up with a huge faceoff win, allowing Samuel Barbetti to find Pestrichello, who picked out the top right corner of the net, tying the game at 9-9 with 1:19 left to play. The Blue Jays looked to get the winner late, but could not find the back of the net, sending the game into overtime tied at 9-9.

The Lasers would commit a faceoff violation to begin the overtime period, allowing USJ to earn possession of the ball. The Blue Jays called a timeout at the 3:48 mark to set up a play that Decker executed to perfection, making space before rifling his shot into the net, 36 seconds into overtime, securing the upset win for USJ, 10-9, and sending the Blue Jays to the GNAC title game.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

LASELL – Michael Catalano was the lone goalie for Lasell, allowing 10 goals while making seven saves.

USJ – Senior Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) played the entire game in goal for USJ, allowing nine goals while making 14 saves.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays advance to the GNAC Championship game for the first time in program history and await the winner of the No. 1 Emmanuel versus No. 5 Dean matchup. The title game is set for Saturday, May 6, and will be hosted by either Emmanuel or Dean.

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