Wurszt Hat Trick Powers Men's Lacrosse Past Regis, 13-6, Wednesday Night

WESTON, Mass. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team opened Great Northeast Athletic Conference Play in convincing fashion, picking up the teams fourth consecutive victory after taking down Regis College (Regis), 13-6, Wednesday night at Regis Stadium in Weston, Mass. With the result the Blue Jays move to 5-1 overall on the year and 1-0 in GNAC play, while the Pride drop to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in GNAC play. The 5-1 start to the season is the best beginning to a single season in program history.

KEY MOMENTS 

• USJ wasted little time finding the back of the net, opening the scoring 18 seconds into the game as senior attack Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) found junior midfielder Garrett Lazor (Monroe, Conn.), who fired his shot into the net, establishing a 1-0 lead.
• Regis answered at the 13:37 mark, netting a goal to tie the game at 1-1.
• The Blue Jays continued to pepper the net but would be denied by the Regis goalkeeper. USJ finally retook the lead at the 2:52 mark, as freshman long-stick midfielder Vinny Pusateri (Fitchburg, Mass.) scored a man-up goal after an assist from Paltauf, taking a 2-1 lead for USJ.
• Paltauf turned goal scorer moments later, increasing the edge to 3-1 after a solo strike with 1:56 left in the first. The score line would hold for the Blue Jays entering the second quarter.
• The Blue Jays carried the scoring into the second quarter, as junior midfielder Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) increased the lead to 4-1, finding the back of the net after a pass from freshman attack Matthew Wurszt (Wilbraham, Mass.) with 9:57 on the clock.
• Wurszt found the back of the net himself moments later, scoring back-to-back goals, increasing USJ's lead to 6-1 with 6:37 left in the half.
• The Blue Jays offense continued to roll to close out the opening half, as sophomore midfielder Nick Pestrichello (Newington, Conn.) scored a solo goal, sending the visitors into the halftime break with a 7-1 advantage.
• USJ opened the third quarter just like how they started the game, as Pestrichello found the back of the net 30 seconds into the half, increasing the lead to 8-1.
• Regis would put an end to the Blue Jays run, but Wurszt fired back, rounding out his hattrick at the 10:27 mark, increasing the Blue Jays lead back to seven, 9-2.
• The Pride and Blue Jays traded goals minutes later, as senior midfielder Sam Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) maintained USJ's seven-goal lead, 10-3, with 4:40 left in the third.
• The lead extended to 11-3 after Paltauf found junior attack Evan Zimnoch (Southington, Conn.), who rifled his shot into the net at the 3:26 mark. The advantage would be maintained as the game reached the fourth quarter.
• USJ would increase the lead to 13-3 early in the fourth, gaining goals from freshman attack Adam Pelletier (North Kingstown, R.I.) and senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.).
• The Pride tried the mount a late comeback, scoring three unanswered goals, but the deficit was too much to overcome as USJ took home a 13-6 victory.

NOTES 

• Paltauf paced the USJ offense with five points from one goal and a team-high four assists.
• Wurszt netted a hattrick for the Blue Jays.
• Barbetti hauled in a team-best nine ground balls.
• Six different Blue Jays forced a turnover on the night.
• The Blue Jays significantly outshot the Pride, 56-21, including a 28-11 edge in shots on goal.
• USJ also dominated at the faceoff "X", winning 17 of 22 attempts.
• Barbetti was a faceoff machine, winning 14 of his 17 attempts.
• Senior goalkeeper Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) played all 60 minutes in-between the pipes, tallying five saves to move to 4-1 overall.
• The Blue Jays remain undefeated against the Pride, moving to 3-0 all-time.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays return home to continue GNAC play, hosting conference newcomers New England College on Saturday, March 16. Opening faceoff against the Pilgrims on the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn., is set for 1:00 p.m.

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