Men's Lacrosse Holds Off Lasell, 11-10, Wednesday Night

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Junior midfielder Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) recorded his 100th career point as the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team held off the visiting Lasell University Lasers (Lasell), 11-10, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) South Division play Wednesday night on the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn. With the result the Blue Jays move to 11-3 overall on the year, 7-1 in GNAC play and 3-1 in the South, while the Lasers drop to 8-6 overall, 6-2 in the GNAC and 2-2 in the South.

KEY MOMENTS 

• The Lasers jumped out to a quick lead, scoring twice to hold a 2-0 edge at the 12:58 mark.
• Senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.) quickly answered back, netting a solo strike to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 11:38 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays tied the score late in the first quarter, as Decker found the back of the net, recording his 100th career point to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the second quarter.
• USJ carried the momentum into the second, as sophomore midfielder Nick Pestrichello (Newington, Conn.) found Baden for an easy man-up goal nine seconds into the quarter, establishing a 3-2 USJ lead.
• Decker increased the lead to 4-2 roughly a minute later, scoring a man-up goal after reciving a pass from senior attack Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) at the 13:59 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to dominate the game, as Decker rounded out his hattrick with a solo goal at the 9:59 mark, extending the lead to 5-2.
• USJ kept its foot on the gas, increasing the scoring run to seven goals, as freshman attack Matthew Wurszt (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Paltauf netted back-to-back goals, establishing a 7-2 Blue Jays advantage with 3:11 left in the half.
• Lasell put an end to the Blue Jays scoring run, converting on a man-up opportunity with 2:42 on the clock, but Pestrichello fired back with his first goal of the game, sending USJ into the locker room with an 8-3 halftime lead.
• The visitors began to chip away at the deficit to open the second half, scoring two unanswered goals in the opening moments of the third, closign the score to 8-5 at the 10:05 mark.
• Pestrichello found the back fo the net again, slowing the Lasers momentum and increasing the USJ lead back to four, 9-5, with 7:42 on the clock.
• Lasell would score again to close the gap back to three, 9-6, but Baden completed his hattrick at the 1:27 mark, reestablishing a four goal lead for USJ, 10-6, entering the fourth quarter.
• The Lasers continued to try and mount a comeback, utilizing two goals in the beginning of the fourth to pull back within two, 10-8, with 9:37 left to play.
• Senior midfielder Sam Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) would score a crucial goal at the 3:18 mark, extending the lead back to three, 11-8, at the 3:18 mark.
• Lasell continued to try and level the score, scoring two goals, including a man-up goal with 25 seconds left, closing the score to 11-10.
• However, the USJ defense would cause a vital turnover in the closing seconds, as USJ held on for the 11-10 victory.

NOTES 

• Decker, Baden and Pestrichello all paced the offense with four points each.
• Decker and Baden netted hattricks.
• Pestrichello dished out a team best two assists.
• Junior defender Jay Kajander (Reading, Mass.) caused a team-high three turnovers.
• Barbetti corralled a team-best five ground balls.
• Lasell won the faceoff battle, winning 14 of 22 attempts.
• Senior Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) got the win in the cage for USJ, recording 13 saves on the night.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays play their final game at home in the 2024 regular season on Saturday, April 20 against intrastate foes Mitchell College. Opening faceoff against the Mariners from the USJ Lacrosse Field is set for 3:00 p.m. The matchup will also serve as Senior Day for USJ, as the Blue Jays will honor the senior class of 2024 prior to the opening faceoff.

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