MLAX Drops Season Opener to Dean College

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's lacrosse team opened the 2023 season with a 24-3 loss to Dean College on Wednesday afternoon.

A total of 16 Bulldogs scored a goal in the contest. Will Brooks paced Dean with four goals and an assist, while Greg Centeio and Diego Alvarez-Segee each added three goals in the win.

Dean scored seven times in the opening quarter and tallied nine more goals in the second quarter to build a 16-0 halftime advantage. The third quarter saw the Bulldogs tack on six more unanswered goals, including the second and third of the day by Brooks

The Mariners picked up their first goal 19 seconds into the fourth quarter when sophomore Ian Falconi (Littleton, Mass.) fired one home unassisted to put Mitchell on the board. Less than a minute later, junior Weston Schumacher (Sherborn, Mass.) notched his first goal of the season for the Mariners, also unassisted. The final Mitchell goal of the game came with 8:35 remaining, when freshman Xavier Haney (Montville, Conn.) sent one past Dean's Matthew Fenlason to make it 23-3. Brooks chipped in the game's final goal at the 2:37 mark, ripping it past Mitchell's Ethan Wheeler (Annapolis, Md.) to cap the scoring.

James Rollins earned the clean win for the Bulldogs, working 30 perfect minutes in goal. Ethan Wheeler got the starting nod for the Mariners and recorded 13 saves against 37 shots.

The Bulldogs were dominant at the face-off spot, winning 20 of 30 chances to help boost their offensive attack. Tyler Benedetto was particularly effective, going 9-11 with seven ground balls. Ray Randall was also 10-17 from the face-off spot and scooped up a game-high 13 ground balls. Keeano Gonzalez (New London, Conn.) recorded a team-high six ground balls for Mitchell.

The Mariners (0-1) will travel to face MCLA on Saturday, February 25^th, at 1:00 pm. Dean (1-0) returns to action on Wednesday, March 1^st, when they host Russell Sage College.