Men's LAX Tops Anna Maria For First Win

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's lacrosse team picked up its first win of the season on Wednesday afternoon, edging Anna Maria College by a 13-12 final.

Jade Shields led all scorers with five goals and an assist while Joe Schley added four scores. Dominick Reposa and Ethan LePain each chipped in a pair of tallies to help fuel the offense to a season-high 13 goals.

Defensively, the Mariners got a stellar effort in goal from Marcel Quinlan, who finished with 21 saves against 33 shots. Desmond Knowles and Reposa each scooped up seven ground balls while the former also caused a pair of turnovers.

Cameron Perry paced Anna Maria with five goals and Eric Glover contributed a hat trick. Nick Massaro added two goals and three assists while Tommy Girard finished with a goal and two helpers.

AMCATS goalie Gage Garcia made 10 saves against 23 shots. Tyler Shaw grabbed seven ground balls and caused a game-high four turnovers.

After leading the entire game and by as many as four goals in the second half, Mitchell saw its lead shrink late. The Mariners led 10-8 heading into the fourth quarter thanks to a goal by Reposa in the final minute of the third. However, the AMCATS scored the first two goals of the final stanza to pull even at 10-10 with 8:26 to play.

Reposa stepped up to the challenge again, bouncing in his second goal of the day to put Mitchell back in front with 7:44 remaining. Just over 1:30 later, it was Glover who responded with his second tally to tie the game once again.

The Mariners grabbed the lead for good when LePain scored on an unassisted effort with 5:02 to go. Shields later tacked on a much-needed insurance goal off a feed from James Giovanniello at the 2:15 mark, a cushion that proved handy when Glover tallied 24 seconds later.

After Anna Maria won the ensuing faceoff to gain possession for a chance at the tie, Knowles forced a critical turnover to swing the momentum. The AMCATS eventually got the ball back and put one last shot on goal, but Quinlan was there to make the stop. The Mariners ended up a man-up for the final 18 seconds and ran out the clock to secure the victory.

Jadyn Gonzalez and Jonathan Urrutia led Mitchell to a 15-for-27 day at the faceoff spot. Gonzalez went 13-for-23 and also picked up a game-high 10 ground balls. 

Mitchell (1-2 overall) will next host Albertus Magnus College on Thursday, March 25 at 4 p.m. Anna Maria (0-1 overall) returns to action at Albertus Magnus on Saturday, March 20 at noon.