LAX Rallies but Falls Short Against Emerson

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men’s lacrosse team threatened to erase a four-goal deficit in the final minutes of Tuesday’s contest with Emerson College, but the Mariners came up just short and lost an 11-10 decision.

Emerson (2-3 overall) held a 10-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter and went up 11-7 with 3:27 to play following a goal from Zoe Fisk. Mitchell (1-4 overall), however, rallied to score three goals over the final 2:27 and had chances to net the equalizer, but solid defense helped the Lions stave off the comeback.

Fisk led Emerson with four goals while Justin Zawlinski added three goals and an assist. Dan Gold chipped in with two goals and three assists while Phil Shore had one goal to go along with three assists.

Sophomore Adam Grillo led the Mariners with four goals, his third straight game recording a hat trick. Senior John Kearney and sophomore Aharon Wall each had two goals apiece.

Emerson netted the first four goals of the game and never trailed. Zawlinski started the spree with a man-up score just over five minutes into the contest, and the Lions added their next three goals within a 46-second span. CJ Nadeau, Gold and Shore each found the back of the net as Emerson jumped out to the 4-0 lead.

Mitchell’s first goal came courtesy of Grillo and closed out the first-quarter scoring. Emerson then outscored Mitchell 5-2 in the second stanza and took its biggest lead of the day into the halftime intermission at 9-3. Fisk scored three of his four goals in the first half to pace the Lions.

Mitchell cut into the deficit by outscoring Emerson 3-1 in the third quarter. Wall netted his second goal of the game on an extra-man opportunity to pull the Mariners to within 9-5 midway through the period. Grillo’s third goal came with 2:45 left in the quarter and made the score 10-6 heading into the final 15 minutes.

A goal by senior Chris Saunderson with 9:29 to go in the game pulled Mitchell to within 10-7. After six minutes of scoreless lacrosse, Fisk recorded his final tally on an unassisted effort, a goal that eventually proved to be the game-winner.

The play of junior Joseph Rice was crucial for Mitchell in the closing minutes. Following Fisk’s goal, Rice won four straight face-offs for the Mariners to fuel the comeback attempt. Sophomore Chris Santapaola got things started with a goal with 2:27 remaining, and Kearney notched his second of the game just 26 seconds later. Grillo then brought Mitchell to within a goal with 58 seconds to go, and Rice followed by winning the ensuing face-off.

Mitchell took three shots in the final minute but couldn’t connect for the game-tying goal. Emerson’s defenders blocked the final two attempts, securing the victory for goalie Braden Campbell. Campbell played the entire game and finished with 11 saves while sophomore Joseph Nott made seven saves in net for the Mariners. Rice finished with a team-high 10 ground balls and went 17-for-24 in face-offs.

Mitchell returns to action at Mount Saint Mary College on Saturday, April 10 at 6 p.m.