PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Riley Roy (Laconia, N.H.) and sophomore
Crosby Fay (Waterville Valley, N.H.) combined for six goals and Plymouth State University nearly completed a furious fourth quarter rally, but Norwich University was able to hold on for a 13-10 win over the Panthers in a non-conference men's lacrosse game at Panther Field on Sunday afternoon.
Norwich jumped out to a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter before the Panthers' offense found its groove. Roy and Fay scored back-to-back goals to cut the margin to 7-2 at the half, and PSU tallied three of the first four goals of the third quarter to pull within 8-5.
The Cadets answered to close the frame on a 4-1 surge to make it 12-6 heading into the fourth quarter, but Plymouth State rallied with four consecutive goals to slice the deficit to 12-10 with over four minutes remaining. PSU nearly cut the margin to one, but the Cadets' goaltender made a key save and the visitors were able to get an insurance goal on the ensuing possession to account for the final score.
Plymouth State (0-1) drops its season opener, while the Cadet (1-0) pick up the win in their first game of the year.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 10, Norwich 13
- Plymouth State (1-0)
- Norwich (0-1)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- Norwich jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and extended the lead with the first four goals of the second to push the advantage to 7-0.
- Plymouth State started the comeback as senior Riley Roy (Laconia, N.H.) converted a feed from freshman Matt Miner (Chelmsford, Mass.) for the Panthers' first tally of the year.
- Sophomore Crosby Fay (Waterville Valley, N.H.) picked up his first of the season on a perfect pass from junior Mike Fleury (Lebanon, N.H.) to cut the margin to 7-2 entering halftime.
- Norwich struck first in the third quarter, but Roy whipped in a shot after a feed from behind the cage by Fay to start a 3-0 spurt as PSU cut the deficit to 8-5.
- The Cadets answered back with three straight goals of their own. Junior Nick Drew (Chelmsford, Mass.) stopped the streak with his first of the year, but a Norwich goal in the final minute left the Cadets up 12-6 heading into the final 15 minutes.
- Fay scored twice to open the quarter and Fleury and Roy added tallies to bring the Panthers to within two, 12-10, with 4:21 to play, but the Cadets added an insurance goal and PSU was unable to pull even.
By the Numbers:
- Roy led the Panthers with five points (three goals, two assists), while Fay (three goals, one assist) and Miner (one goal, three assists) each added four in their PSU debuts.
- Sophomore Owen McNichols (Manchester, N.H.) finished with 13 saves in his first career start in the cage.
- Freshman Leif Charbonneau (North Grafton, Mass.) won 13-of-26 faceoffs in his collegiate premier while also leading the team with seven ground balls.
- Sophomore Marc Hirshom (East Walpole, Mass.) and freshman Joey Loeber (Chelmsford, Mass.) combined for seven caused turnovers.
- The Cadets held a 45-34 advantage in total shots and 26-16 edge in shots on goal, but the Panthers outshot Norwich 12-4 in the fourth quarter.
- Neither team was able to convert in man-up opportunities. PSU finished 0-for-8, while the Cadets were 0-for-4.
- Plymouth State had a 35-34 edge in ground balls.
Up Next:
- The Panthers head to Curry College on Wednesday (Mar. 2) for another non-conference contest. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.
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