PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Matt Miner (Chelmsford, Mass.) potted four goals as Plymouth State University downed Castleton University, 16-9, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse game at Panther Field on Wednesday night.
Miner scored twice in the opening period as the Panthers raced out to a 6-2 lead. Senior
Jake Dolcimascolo (Georgetown, Mass.) started a 5-0 surge through the first half of the second quarter as the lead ballooned to 11-2 and PSU remained in control the rest of the way.
Prior to the game Plymouth State honored its senior class during a brief, on-field ceremony;
Ian Gibbons (Billerica, Mass.),
Joey Lusardo (Norwalk, Conn.),
Declan Alexander (Beverly, Mass.),
Nick Drew (Chelmsford, Mass.),
Joe Catino (Plaistow, N.H.),
Mike Fleury (Lebanon, N.H.),
Karl Flinter (Pittsburgh, Pa.),
Musaab Abu Zaid (Laconia, N.H.) and Dolcimascolo.
Plymouth State jumps to 11-3 (4-2 LEC), moving within one win of tying the program record for victories in a season. Castleton slides to 4-10 and 1-4 in LEC play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 16, Castleton 9
- Plymouth State (11-3, 4-2 LEC)
- Castleton (4-10, 1-4 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Flinter got the Panthers out to a good start four minutes in, but the Spartans answered right back.
- Miner scored back-to-back goals and juniors Nolan Burke (Worcester, Mass.) and Crosby Fay (Waterville Valley, N.H.) followed to push the lead to 5-1.
- Castleton responded, but Fleury got the goal back in the final minute for a 6-2 lead after one.
- Dolcimascolo buried his first of the night to spark a 5-0 run. Freshman Zach Marvel (Raynham, Mass.) notched his first collegiate goal in the spurt, with classmate Cam Jenkins (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Dolcimascolo and Miner also finding the back of the cage.
- Castleton scored the final two goals of the half, then added the only two scores of the third quarter to pull within 11-6, but that was as close as the visitors would get.
- Dolcimascolo poured in his third of the day during a 4-0 run, with Fleury adding a pair and Miner recording his fourth of the night to increase the margin to 15-6.
- The Spartans tried to rally with three straight goals, but freshman Ethan Gerry (Atkinson, N.H.) stopped the run with his first career goal to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Miner finished with five points on his four goals and an assist.
- Dolcimascolo and Fleury added three goals apiece.
- Marvel and Burke notched a goal and an assist each, while both added five ground balls.
- Sophomore Leif Charbonneau (Grafton, Mass.) won 14-of-19 faceoffs and led the Panthers with eight ground balls.
- Sophomore Joey Loeber (Chelmsford, Mass.) had a game-high three caused turnovers.
- Junior Owen McNichols (Manchester, N.H.) made 14 saves to pick up the win.
- PSU went 18-of-22 on clear attempts and won the ground ball battle by a 37-26 margin.
- Plymouth State improves to 22-3 against the Spartans dating back to the 1988 season.
Up Next:
- The Panthers visit Southern Maine on Tuesday (Apr. 25) for the penultimate game of the regular season.
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