WENHAM, Mass. – Junior
Crosby Fay (Waterville Valley, N.H.) snapped an 8-8 tie with his 28th goal of the year midway through the fourth quarter as Plymouth State University held off Gordon College, 9-8, in non-conference men's lacrosse action at Brigham Athletic Complex on Wednesday night.
The Panthers raced out to a 6-1 first quarter lead and still maintained a 7-3 advantage at halftime. The Fighting Scots rallied in the third quarter, though, outscoring Plymouth State by a 5-1 margin to pull even.
Fay beat the Gordon goalie with 8:13 left on the clock and PSU was able to hold on for the win.
PSU wins its fourth straight to improve to 7-1 on the season. Gordon falls to 3-4.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 9, Gordon 8
- Plymouth State (7-1)
- Gordon (3-4)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State got out to a quick start with four goals in the first seven minutes. Senior Jake Dolcimascolo (Georgetown, Mass.) opened the scoring three minutes in and, after the Fighting Scots pulled even, he set up back-to-back goals before senior Karl Flinter (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made it 4-1.
- The Panthers continued to apply the offensive pressure as freshman Brady Hunt (Billerica, Mass.) and sophomore Shea Clark (North Woburn, Mass.) each scored to push the margin to 6-1, before Gordon scored late in the frame.
- Scoring was at a minimum in the second period, as each team found the back of the cage once and Plymouth State took a 7-3 lead into halftime.
- Gordon used a huge third quarter to turn the tables. The hosts scored consecutive goals to pull within 7-5. Junior Ryan Hanlon (Hull, Mass.) briefly stopped the spurt with 3:45 left in the frame, but the Fighting Scots scored three times in the final three minutes to pull even.
- The fourth quarter went back and forth until Fay found the back of the cage with 8:13 remaining to put the Panthers back in front.
- Junior Owen McNichols (Manchester, N.H.) made a key save to preserve the lead and the PSU offense was able to possess the ball and run down the clock to hold on for the win.
By the Numbers:
- Dolcimascolo finished with a goal and two assists, while Fay and Flinter notched a goal and an assist apiece.
- Nine different players scored for the Panthers.
- Freshman Zach Marvel (Raynham, Mass.) posted game-highs of five ground balls and three caused turnovers.
- McNichols posted nine saves to pick up the win.
- PSU held a narrow 34-32 advantage in shots.
- The Panthers were 17-for-18 on clear attempts.
- The teams have split four lifetime meetings, with PSU taking each of the last two.
- The victory was Plymouth State's first road win against the Fighting Scots.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State opens its Little East Conference (LEC) schedule on Saturday (Mar. 25) when UMass Boston visits Panther Field for a 1:00 p.m. game.
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