Men's Lacrosse Trounces Anna Maria, 22-8, at Home Saturday Afternoon

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team bounced back in convincing fashion, taking down Anna Maria College (AMC), 22-8, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) cross-divisional play Saturday afternoon on the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn. With the result the Blue Jays move to 9-3 overall on the year and 5-1 in GNAC play, while the AMCATS drop to 1-11 overall and 0-6 in the GNAC.

KEY MOMENTS 

• AMC grabbed an early lead, but freshman midfielder Mike Decker (Bristol, Conn.) quickly leveled the score at 1-1, scoring at the 11:40 mark.
• Mike's brother Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) scored 31 seconds later, establishing a 2-1 USJ lead before increasing the gap to 3-1 with another goal at the 8:57 mark.
• Freshman attack (Wilbraham, Mass.) increased the gap to 4-1, before the AMCATS pulled back within two, 4-3, after a man-up goal with 6:53 on the clock.
• However, USJ continued its impressive offensive start, as Wurszt and senior attacks Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.) and Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) combined to score three unanswered goals to close out the quarter, establishing a 7-2 USJ edge after the first.
• The Blue Jays continued to dominate in the second, as Paltauf opened the quarter with a man-down goal 16 seconds in, before sophomore midfielder Nick Pestrichello (Newington, Conn.) increased the gap to 9-2 with a goal at the 12:23 mark.
• AMC put a stop to the USJ scoring run, converting on a man-up chance at the 11:55 mark before Christian Decker rounded out his hat trick, keeping the Blue Jays lead at seven, 10-3, with 10:17 left in the half.
• The AMCATS answered right back with a goal at the 9:37 mark, but USJ closed out the half on a 5-0 run, as Pestrichello and Baden netted twice each, while junior attack Evan Zimnoch (Southington, Conn.) found the back of the net with 28 seconds left, sending USJ into the half with a 15-4 edge.
• USJ kept their foot on the gas to open the third, as Pestrichello, Baden, Christian Decker, Wurszt and sophomore attack Freeman Johnson (Swanzey, N.H.) all notched goals, increasing the Blue Jays lead to 20-4 with 2:14 left in the third.
• AMC put a stop to the Blue Jays scoring run, scoring a man-up goal with five seconds left in the quarter, decreasing the gap to 20-5 entering the fourth quarter.
• The AMCATS grabbed another goal to begin the fourth before freshman attack Adam Pelletier (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Christian Decker netted back-to-back goals, giving USJ a 22-6 lead.
• AMC would score two goals late, but the Blue Jays advantage proved too difficult to overcome as USJ secured a 22-8 victory.

NOTES 

• Paltauf paced the team with seven points off two goals and five assists.
• Christian Decker netted five goals, while Baden and Pestrichello notched four tallies.
• Wurszt also netted a hat-trick, scoring three goals.
• AMC held the edge at the faceoff "X", winning 20 out of 33 attempts.
• Senior Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) got the win in the cage for USJ, allowing seven goals and making nine saves in 53:30 minutes of play.
• Freshman Noah Isleib (Easton, Mass.) played the remaining 6:30 in goal.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays return to GNAC South Division play, making the quick trip north to Elms College on Saturday, April 13. Opening faceoff against the Blazers is set for 3:30 p.m. on Timothy J. Leary Field in Chicopee, Mass.

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