Men's Lacrosse Dominates Intrastate Foe Mitchell Tuesday Afternoon

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team got back in the win column Tuesday afternoon, demolishing intrastate foe Mitchell College (Mitchell), 25-3, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) South Division play at Alumni Field in New London, Conn. The goal tally tied the program record for most goals scored in a single game in USJ history. With the result, the Blue Jays moved to 7-7 overall, 4-3 in conference play, and 3-1 in the South Division, while the Mariners dropped to 0-5 overall, 0-5 in the GNAC, and 0-5 in the South Division.

KEY MOMENTS 

• USJ grabbed the early lead, as freshman midfielder Anthony Bell (Wolcott, Conn.) corralled a loose rebound before firing a shot into the net, establishing a 1-0 USJ lead at the 11:50 mark.
• The Blue Jays extended the edge to 2-0 moments later, as sophomore attack JD DeNicola-Rakvin (Staten Island, N.Y.) converted a man-up chance after a pass from freshman midfielder Sly Curto (South Hadley, Mass.) with 7:48 on the clock.
• Sophomore attack Adam Pelletier (North Kingstown, R.I.) increased the lead to 3-0, before DeNicola-Rakvin scored his second goal of the game at the 5:21 mark, extending the edge to 4-0.
• DeNicola-Rakvin rounded out his hattrick while freshman attack Chris Clancy (Glastonbury, Conn.) found the back of the net to close out the first quarter, sending USJ into the second with a 6-0 lead.
• The Blue Jays continued to dominate in the second quarter, as junior attack Freeman Johnson (Swanzey, N.H.), DeNicola-Rakvin, Curto, freshman attack Dominic Oakes (Southington, Conn.), senior defenseman Nick Schilling (Brookfield, Conn.) and junior midfielder Quinn Perkins (Norwich, Conn.) all recorded goals, increasing the gap to 13-0 with 6:28 left in the half.
• Mitchell would find the back of the net themselves, but Johnson would net his second of the game, giving USJ a 14-1 advantage entering the halftime break.
• The Mariners would add a goal in the third quarter, but Perkins, Milne, sophomore attack Ethan Menard (West Springfield, Mass.), sophomore midfielder Michael Decker (Bristol, Conn.), Oakes and Bell all scored, increasing the Blue Jays' advantage to 21-2 entering the fourth quarter.
• Menard, sophomore midfielder Dylan Hood (Orange, Vt.), Pelletier and junior long-stick midfielder RJ Longo (Newington, Conn.) would all score in the fourth quarter, securing the win for USJ, 25-2.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Oakes paced the team with six points off two goals and a career-high four assists.
• DeNicola-Rakvin netted a career-best four goals.
• Perkins recorded his first career hattrick, scoring three goals.
• Menard tallied his first goal in a USJ uniform, while Bell, Schilling, Longo, Clancy and Curto all recorded their first career goals.
• Sophomore Noah Isleib (Easton, Mass.) got the start in-between the pipes for USJ, picking up the win after tallying two saves in the first half.
• Freshman Geret Madeira (Wakefield, R.I.) made his collegiate debut, playing the entire second half and tallying five saves.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays play their final regular-season road contest of the 2025 season on Saturday, April 19, traveling to Northfield, Vt. to face Norwich University. Opening faceoff between the Blue Jays and Cadets on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m.

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