Men’s Lacrosse Falls Just Short Against Centenary

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Sophomore Xavier Haney (Montville, Conn.) recorded the third hat trick of his collegiate career but it proved not enough for the Mitchell College men's lacrosse team, as the Mariners dropped a non-conference tilt against Centenary University by a 14-9 final on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.

Haney opened up the scoring a minute and a half into the game, giving Mitchell their only lead of the day. He added his second goal of the season midway through the opening quarter to knot the score at 2-2, and then completed the hat trick with 8:59 remaining before the half. Seniors Weston Schumacher (Sherborn, Mass.) and Dylan Kinsella (Waterbury, Conn.) finished with two goals apiece, while Joseph Hayes (Stonington, Conn.) and Raphael Vogt (Montville, Conn.) each found the back of the net for the first time this season.

Junior Keeano Gonzalez (New London, Conn.) assisted on two of Mitchell's goals, while Schumacher, Kinsella, and Hayes were each credited with an assist. Gonzalez was also 12-25 from the face off position and collected a game-high 11 ground balls.

Following Haney's second goal of the afternoon, Brandon Verderber scored his second goal to give the Cyclones a lead which they would not relinquish during a rainy and physical battle between two squads searching for their first wins of the year. Verderber would finish the day with five goals and five assists, helping guide Centenary to an 8-6 lead at halftime, which grew to 10-7 by the end of the third quarter. The Cyclones opened the final frame with two unanswered goals to push their lead to five, but the Mariners refused to go down without a fight, trimming the deficit to three after goals by Kinsella and Vogt. Verderber went on to ice the game down the stretch, notching his fourth and fifth goal of the day in the final minute to seal Centenary's first victory since March of 2022.

Centenary's Travis Austin logged all 60 minutes in goal and made nine saves for the victory. Mitchell freshman Cameron Haefs (Cary, Ill.) also played the entire game in the cage and suffered the loss, recording eight saves on 22 shots.

The Mariners registered 38 shots, 18 of those on goal, scooped up 38 ground balls, and went 12-27 from the face off position. The Cyclones tallied got off 42 shots, 22 of those on goal, had 39 ground balls, and were 15-27 on face offs.

The Mariners (0-2, 0-2 GNAC) will look for their first victory of the season when they travel to Salem State Unviersity for a non-conference tilt on Wednesday, March 6, at 4:00 pm. Centenary (1-2, 0-0 AEC) return to action on Saturday, March 9, at home against Chatham University.