WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Sophomore
Crosby Fay (Waterville Valley, N.H.) scored five goals and added an assist, but Eastern Connecticut State University used a 7-1 surge in the fourth quarter to rally past Plymouth State University, 16-13, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse game at Rick McCarthy Field on Saturday.
In a nip-and-tuck game, PSU entered the fourth quarter nursing a 9-8 lead, but the Warriors capitalized on three-straight man-up chances during a 4-0 spurt to go ahead, 12-9. Junior
Karl Flinter (Pittsburgh, Pa.) stopped the streak with his tally, but the hosts responded with the next three scores for a 15-10 advantage with under seven minutes remaining.
Plymouth State attempted to rally, answering back with three straight goals to trim the deficit to 15-13 with four minutes to play, but the Warriors were able to hold on before adding an insurance marker in the final 20 seconds to account for the final score.
Plymouth State slips to 3-8 (0-3 LEC), while Eastern Connecticut moves to 4-6 and 2-1 in the LEC.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 13, Eastern Connecticut 16
- Plymouth State (3-8, 0-3 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut (4-6, 2-1 LEC)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- Senior Riley Roy (Laconia, N.H.) got the scoring started 1:48 into the game before Eastern Connecticut answered three minutes later.
- The Panthers responded with three straight goals, including two from Fay and another from freshman Matt Miner (Chelmsford, Mass.), but the hosts closed the frame with back-to-back goals to cut the lead to 4-3.
- Fay scored twice just 22 seconds apart to open the second, but again Eastern Connecticut answered to pull within one, 6-5.
- Roy added his second of the day, but the Warriors responded with just under two minutes left in the half to make it 7-6 heading into the break.
- The teams traded goals in the third quarter with Roy completing the hat trick and Fay notching his fifth of the afternoon on a man-up opportunity and the Panthers went into the fourth quarter with a narrow 9-8 advantage.
- Eastern Connecticut roared into the final 15 minutes, using a 7-1 surge over an eight-minute span to seize a 15-10 lead.
- The Panthers battled back with three straight scores to pull within two, 15-13, with four minutes left, but that was as close as they would come before ECSU tacked on an insurance goal in the final seconds.
By the Numbers:
- Fay finished with five goals and an assist. It was his third five-goal game of the season. He leads the team with 26 goals on the year.
- Roy posted his second hat trick of the season and finished with four points.
- Miner added two goals and an assist, while sophomore Nolan Burke (Worcester, Mass.) and junior Mike Fleury (Lebanon, N.H.) each chipped in a goal and two assists.
- Sophomore Jack Bonazzoli (Clinton, Mass.) and freshman Joey Loeber (Chelmsford, Mass.) matched a game-high with six ground balls apiece, with sophomore Marc Hirshom (East Walpole, Mass.) and freshman Leif Charbonneau (North Grafton, Mass.) adding four each.
- Hirshom led the team with four caused turnovers, with Loeber adding three, while Charbonneau won 12-of-18 faceoffs.
- PSU held a 38-30 edge in shots and finished 17-of-22 in clear attempts.
- Eastern Connecticut had a 39-31 advantage in ground balls.
- Sophomore Owen McNichols (Manchester, N.H.) had seven saves over the first 48:11 before giving way to classmate Jessy Hirwa (Penacook, N.H.).
Up Next:
- The Panthers remain in conference play when they host Salem State University on Tuesday night (Apr. 12) at 7:00 p.m.
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