Men's Lacrosse Dominates NEC, 22-4, for Fifth-Straight Win

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team dominated at home against New England College (NEC), defeating the Pilgrims, 22-4, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Saturday afternoon at the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn. The victory extended the Blue Jays' winning streak to five games. With the result, the Blue Jays moved to 6-1 overall on the year and 2-0 in GNAC play, while the Pilgrims dropped to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in conference action.

KEY MOMENTS 

• USJ wasted little time opening the scoring as junior midfielder Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) found freshman attack Matthew Wurszt (Wilbraham, Mass.) in space before Wurszt launched a shot into the net, giving USJ a 1-0 lead at the 13:33 mark.
• Ten seconds later, senior midfielder Sam Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) won the ensuing face-off and rushed down the field, launching a shot into the goal and extending the Blue Jays advantage to 2-0.
• The Blue Jays continued to roll, as Barbetti fought his way past the Pilgrims defense, ripping a shot into the net, increasing the lead to 3-0 at the 9:56 mark.
• USJ added a fourth with 8:16 left in the first when freshman midfielder Brendan Tedeschi (Orange, Vt.) picked out a pass to sophomore midfielder Nick Pestrichello (Newington, Conn.) who fired a shot into the goal, increasing the lead to 4-0 and forcing a NEC timeout.
• Pestrichello netted his second in the closing moments increasing the lead to 5-0, but the Pilgrims put an end to the USJ scoring run, netting their first goal of the game, and cutting the deficit to 5-1 entering the second quarter.
• USJ answered back to open the second quarter as senior attack Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) found Pestrichello who rifled a strike past the NEC goalkeeper to round out his hattrick and increase the lead to 5-1 at the 11:54 mark.
• Thirty seconds later, USJ took full advantage of a man-up situation, when senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.), fired a shot into the goal, increasing the gap to 7-1.
• The Blue Jays offense continued to fire on all cylinders as Wurszt, Barbetti, Paltauf, Pestrichelo, Baden and junior midfielder Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) all found the back of the net, sending USJ into the half with a 13-1 lead.
• NEC would score in the third quarter, but strikes from Tedeschi, Decker, Baden and Paltauf, whose strike to make the score 19-2 with 1:03 left in the third was assisted by senior goalkeeper Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) saw the hosts hold a commanding 19-2 edge entering the fourth quarter.
• The Blue Jays continued to control the game, a Barbetti, Baden and Tedeschi all scored in the fourth, powering the Blue Jays to a 22-4 victory.

NOTES 

• Paltauf paced the team with six points off three goals and three assists.
• Baden, Barbetii and Pestrichello all scored four goals to top the team.
• Barbetti also hauled in a team-best 12 ground balls.
• The USJ offense was a perfect 4-for-4 in man-up opportunities.
• The Blue Jays were a perfect 20-for-20 in clear attempts.
• USJ won the battle at the faceoff "X", going 18-for-29.
• McCann (5-1) picked up the win in net, making nine saves in 50:08 minutes of action.
• Junior Nick Schilling (Brookfield, Conn.) played the remaining 9:52 in goal, tallying two saves.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays round out the non-conference portion of its 2024 schedule, hosting Nichols College on Wednesday, March 20. Opening faceoff against the Bison on the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn., is set for 4:00 p.m.

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