Men's LAX Sinks Becker in NECC Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (2-4 (1-0 NECC)) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
|
Becker (3-8 (0-1 NECC)) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
LEICESTER, Mass. - Mitchell College opened New England Collegiate Conference play with a 10-7 victory over Becker College on Saturday afternoon in men's lacrosse action at Alumni Field.
The rematch of last year's NECC title game ended with a different result, as rookies Jacob Setzko, Kyle Marsh and Owen LaPorte combined for seven goals on the day. The Mariners never trailed and improved to 2-4 (1-0 NECC) on the season.
Mitchell got the scoring started 6:49 into the opening quarter when LaPorte tickled the twine with a quick shot. The Mariners added to their lead just 21 seconds later when Setzko ripped a shot into the bottom-left corner of the Hawks net.
Becker pulled within a goal when Ryan Kearney fed Blake Gordon off the ensuing face-off to make the score 2-1 at the end of the first quarter.
Marsh put the Mariners in front 3-1 with the opening goal of the second quarter. Mitchell later increased its lead to 4-1 with a man-advantage goal from Aaron Sladyk. The score remained the same until Blake Boutiette cut the Hawks deficit to 4-2 with just 40 seconds remaining in the first half for his 19th maker of the season.
Setzko lifted the Mitchell lead to 5-2 when he found the back of the net just 40 seconds into the second half. Becker responded 1:14 later with a Daniel Johnson man-advantage goal to pull the hosts back within two. Dan DiGioia then gave the Mariners a three-goal advantage when he threaded a shot into the top-left corner of the cage for another man-up tally.
With 9:12 remaining in the third quarter, Avyay Chaganty cut the Becker deficit to 6-4 when he found the top-left corner on a man-advantage opportunity. The Hawks pulled within striking distance just 23 seconds later when Kearney took the ensuing face-off the length of the field. Marsh sent Mitchell into the fourth quarter with 7-5 cushion when scored from 10 yards out.
Mitchell took its largest lead of the game when Setzko and Brian Jordan tallied back-to-back goals to open the fourth quarter. Cruz Desrochers and LaPorte then exchanged man-advantage goals for their respective teams to make the score 10-6 in favor of Mitchell. Johnson gave the Hawks some hope when scored an unassisted goal with 3:20 remaining, but the Mariners were able to run out the clock to capture the 10-7 victory.
Despite the Hawks taking 17 of 20 face-offs on the day, the Mariners outshot the hosts by a 40-37 margin. Mitchell goalie JD LeMay earned the victory after making 12 saves, including four in the final quarter of action. Jordan Mudd also made 12 saves for the Hawks in a losing effort.
Mitchell will next play at Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, April 6 at 7 p.m.
