BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – Sophomore
Aiden Renner (Phillipsburg, N.J.) posted career highs with five goals and seven points as Plymouth State University held off Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 13-11, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse game at Clean Harbors Stadium on Friday night.
With the win, Plymouth State locks up the third seed for next week's LEC Tournament. The Panthers will host sixth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State in a first round game on Tuesday (Apr. 29).
PSU found itself down 4-1 with the first quarter winding down, but a 3-0 spurt over the final two minutes tied the game. The teams traded goals to a 6-6 deadlock before Renner converted midway through the third quarter to spark another 3-0 run, giving PSU a 9-6 advantage early in the fourth.
The Buccaneers answered, but PSU tallied back-to-back goals to create a four-goal cushion, 11-7, with just over five minutes remaining. Mass. Maritime rattled off two quick scores, but Renner's fifth tally of the night pushed it to 12-9 with four minutes left. The Buccaneers mounted a late rally, pulling within 12-11 with 23 seconds on the clock, but Renner won the ensuing faceoff. Senior
Aiden O'Loughlin (Londonderry, N.H.) scooped up the ground ball, sprinted downfield, and buried an insurance goal with 11 seconds remaining as PSU held on for the victory.
Senior
Crosby Fay (Thornton, N.H.) scored twice and is now just one shy of 200 career goals.
Plymouth State closes the regular season with a 10-4 mark (6-2 LEC), reaching double-digit wins for the third straight year – a program record. Mass. Maritime falls to 9-6 (5-3 LEC) and will enter the tournament as the fourth seed.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 13, Mass. Maritime 11
- Plymouth State (10-4, 6-2 LEC)
- Mass. Maritime (9-6, 5-3 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Renner wasted no time, scoring just 13 seconds into the game to give the Panthers an early lead, but Mass. Maritime responded with four straight.
- Plymouth State struck three times in the final two minutes to pull even, 4-4, after one. Renner netted his second of the night, followed by Fay just 14 seconds later. Senior Ryan Jones (Tolland, Conn.) tied it up with seven seconds left in the quarter.
- The Buccaneers regained the lead early in the second, but Jones answered off a feed from O'Loughlin, and Renner's third gave PSU a 6-5 edge at halftime.
- Mass. Maritime tied it again five minutes into the third, but Renner's fourth sparked a 3-0 spurt that would give the Panthers the lead for good. He set up Fay, and senior Ryan Collins (Attleboro, Mass.) made it 9-6 early in the fourth.
- The Buccaneers cut it to 9-7, but Jones and junior Brady Hunt (Billerica, Mass.) scored consecutive goals for an 11-7 advantage with 5:22 left.
- Mass. Maritime mounted one final push, scoring twice, but Renner's final slowed the rally. The Buccaneers pulled within one, 12-11, in the final 30 seconds, before O'Loughlin secured the ground ball and sealed the win.
By the Numbers:
- Renner set career highs in goals (five) and points (seven), while winning 14-of-20 faceoffs and collecting seven ground balls.
- Jones posted a hat trick and two ground balls. Fay's two goals brought him to 199 for his career.
- O'Loughlin and Hunt each finished with a goal and an assist.
- Senior Joey Loeber (Chelmsford, Mass.) led the defense with two caused turnovers.
- Senior goalie Ethan Schena (Methuen, Mass.) made 15 saves to improve to 10-4 on the season, logging his eighth game with double-digit saves.
- Plymouth State has dominated the all-time series, winning 14-of-16 matchups. Notably, four of the last six meetings have been decided by two goals or fewer.
Up Next:
- Third-seeded Plymouth State hosts sixth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State in the first round of the LEC Tournament on Tuesday (Apr. 29). Opening faceoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
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