LAX Tops Green Mountain on Senior Day

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men’s lacrosse team picked up a 17-10 victory over Green Mountain College on Monday afternoon, earning a win for its three seniors in the final home game of their careers.

The 17 goals were a season-high for the Mariners, who improved to 2-9 overall. Senior John Kearney and sophomores Adam Grillo and Aharon Wall led the attack with five goals apiece, a career high for each player. Grillo also added four assists to lead all scorers with nine points. Wall handed out two assists while Kearney dished out one.

Green Mountain (1-10 overall) came out strong and went up 2-0 behind a pair of goals from Matt Tarricone. Mitchell responded with scores from Grillo and Wall before the end of the quarter, and the score was knotted at 2-2 after the opening 15 minutes.

The Mariners took the lead in the first minute of the second stanza on a tally by junior Joseph Rice and never trailed again. Grillo and Wall each scored twice in the quarter as Mitchell finished the first half with a 7-5 lead.

The Eagles opened the second half with a quick goal, with Tarricone winning the face-off and dishing to Adi Portojoyo for a score just 10 seconds into the period. Kearney, however, kept the Mariners in front with three goals in the quarter, and Mitchell led 10-7 heading into the final 15 minutes.

The Mariners sealed the win by outscoring the Eagles 7-3 in the fourth. In the first four minutes of the stanza, Grillo scored twice and Wall netted a goal to give Mitchell its biggest lead up to that point at 13-7. Green Mountain’s Kyle Pike made it 13-8 on an extra-man opportunity, but Mitchell answered with three straight goals to go up by eight.

Sophomore Joseph Nott made eight saves in goal for the Mariners before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter. Classmate Gregg Jameson played the final 23:18 between the pipes and recorded nine stops.

Tarricone finished with four goals and added four assists to lead the Eagles with eight points. Portjoyo also tacked on two goals to help the cause. Goalie Keith Drinkwine recorded 12 saves against 42 shots.

Mitchell was outshot 48-42 for the game but held a 55-51 advantage in ground balls. The Eagles went 4-for-8 on extra-man opportunities while the Mariners went 2-for-6.

Before the game, the Mariners honored Kearney and classmates Seth Naphen and Chris Saunderson. Kearney is a two-time captain and four-year letterwinner. Naphen has played at Mitchell for three seasons while Saunderson joined the team this season.

Mitchell returns to action for its season finale at Saint Joseph’s College (ME) on Wednesday, April 26 at 4 p.m.