Men's Lacrosse Drops GNAC Opener Against Emmanuel Saturday

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team dropped its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener against Emmanuel College (EC), 11-10, Saturday afternoon at the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in GNAC play, while the Saints move to 1-5 on the year and 1-0 in conference action.

KEY MOMENTS 

• After a slow start to the game, the Blue Jays grabbed the lead after graduate student attack Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) picked out classmate Kevin Carr (West Hartford, Conn.), who rifled a shot into the net at the 6:27 mark.
• The Saints responded with two unanswered goals to close out the quarter, taking a 2-1 advantage.

• EC carried the momentum into the second, scoring 51 seconds into the quarter to extend the gap to 3-1.
• USJ answered at the 12:22 mark, as graduate student midfielder Aidan D'Amato (Tolland, Conn.) notched a solo goal to cut the gap to one 3-2.
• The Saints fired back with a strike at the 11:28 mark, before graduate student midfielder Ryan Paltauf found the back of the net with 7:29 on the clock, closing the deficit back to one, 4-3.
• EC reestablished a two goal lead at the 3:41 mark, but D'Amato would find the back of the net for the second time, closing the score to 5-4, with 1:01 left to play.
• On the ensuing face-off, senior Luke von Borstel (Massena, N.Y.) would win the face-off before rushing down the field and firing a shot into the net, tying the game at 5-5 entering halftime.
• The Saints struck first to open the second half, but Baden quickly found the equalizer at the 9:02 mark, tying the game at 7-7.
• The two teams would trade goals again, as Carr would net his second of the contest with 2:59 on the clock, levelling the game at 8-8.
• Emmanuel would regain the lead to open the fourth, but USJ again quickly equalized, as D'Amato netted a man-down goal, tying the game at 9-9 with 7:46 left to play.
• Carr would then complete his hattrick, establishing a 10-9 USJ lead with 5:12 on the clock.
• However, the Saints would shut down the Blue Jays for the remainder of the game, scoring twice while keeping USJ off the scoreboard to take home the victory, 11-10.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• D'Amato paced the team with four goals.
• Carr netted his first hattrick of the year.
• Sophomore Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) and von Borstel both hauled in a team-high five ground balls.
• The Saints dominated at the faceoff "X", going 17-of-25.
• Graduate student Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) got the start in the cage, posting 14 saves.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays round out a three-game homestand, stepping out of conference play with a showdown against cross-town foes the University of Hartford on Saturday, March 22. Opening faceoff against the Hawks on the USJ Lacrosse Field is set for 3:00 p.m.

FOLLOW
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