Men's LAX Falls to NEC
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New England Col. (5-8, 3-0) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 22 |
|
Mitchell (3-11, 1-2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Behind a game-high 11 goals from Sam Crary, the New England College men's lacrosse team cruised to a 22-6 victory over Mitchell College on Wednesday afternoon in a New England Collegiate Conference showdown.
Crary's career day also included a pair of assists, two ground balls and two caused turnovers. The 11 goals are tied for the second-highest single-game total in NCAA Division III this season.
Lucas Ferreira also had a solid day with six goals and three assists, and Thomas Norton recorded a hat trick to go with three assists. NEC improved to 5-8 overall and 3-0 in league play.
Aidan Messuri and Weston Schumacher paced the Mariners with two scores apiece. Joseph Hayes and Desmond Knowles also added single goals in the setback.
The Pilgrims vaulted out to a 5-0 lead after only 10 minutes of play, with Crary supplying a pair of scores during the stretch. Hayes put Mitchell on the scoreboard with 2:28 left in the first quarter, but NEC opened the second period with three straight goals to extend the lead to 8-1.
Mitchell trailed 10-2 when Messuri responded with a pair of goals during a 71-second span, the first off a feed from Schumacher and the second from John Porcelli. However, the Pilgrims still led 10-4 at halftime, with Crary responsible for half his team's scoring output.
The Pilgrims scored the first eight goals of the second half to take command. Crary netted the first three of the spurt and had four total in the third quarter. He tacked on his final two tallies in the fourth, which also saw a pair of scores from Ferreira.
NEC's Connor Almstrom picked up the win in goal, recording seven saves against 11 shots on goal. Mitchell starter Steven Turchetta finished with 11 saves while John Grieco played the second half and stopped 10 shots.
Quint Bartush was dominant on face-offs, finishing 27-for-31 on the day with a game- and season-high 21 ground balls. That total also ties for the second-most ground balls in a Division III game this season.
Mitchell (3-11 overall, 1-2 NECC) will close out the regular season at Eastern Nazarene College on Wednesday, April 27 at 8:00 p.m.
