|
|
| Gus Sturm |
Tim
Cleary |
|
|
| Ryan
Saraceni |
Colin
Panayi |
Box Score
SCRANTON, Pa.—If defense truly wins championships, then The
University of Scranton men’s lacrosse team has to like its
chances in the upcoming Landmark Conference tournament.
The Royals locked up a Landmark tournament berth today by holding
Susquehanna University to one goal in the final 30 minutes of play
en route to a 9-3 victory at Fitzpatrick Field.
Senior goalkeeper Ben
Worthington (Jenkintown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) finished
with nine saves and junior attacker Gus
Sturm (Devon, Pa./Conastoga) finished with three goals
and senior attacker Taylor Nelson (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown
East) and senior midfielder Dillon McInerney (Hawthorne, NJ/Bergen
Catholic) combined for four goals and three assists as
Scranton improved to 8-4 overall and 4-0 in the Landmark.
Freshman attacker Connor Moran (Dalefield, Wisc./Kettle Moraine),
sophomore midfielder Nick Kifolo (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg), and
junior attacker Austen Lein (New Vernon, NJ/Madison) scored a goal
apiece and senior goalkeeper Will Torrence (Wallingford, Pa./Strath
Haven) stopped 10 shots for the Crusaders, now 8-5 overall and 3-2
in the conference.
The Royal backline of senior Tim
Cleary (Shrewsbury, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) and
Brendan Synan (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac),
junior Ryan
Saraceni (Lansdale, Pa./LaSalle), and sophomore
Colin Panayi (Bedminster, NJ/Bernards)
have been instrumental in holding three of Scranton four conference
opponents to four-or-fewer goals.
Offensively, Scranton jumped out to an early 4-0 in the first
period on goals by junior attacker Joe
Johnson (Annapolis, Md./Gonzaga), freshman attacker
Andrew Callaghan (Maplewood, NJ/St.
Peter’s Preparatory), McInerney and Nelson.
The Crusaders did cut the margin to two before Sturm answered with
a goal off a play set up by Nelson to give the Royals a 5-2 cushion
by intermission. Susquehanna did close to within three on a
man-up goal by Lein with 2:46 left in the third period, but the
Royals regained the momentum moments later when McInerney tallied
his 24th goal of the season, unassisted, to give Scranton a 7-3
lead entering the final 15 minutes of play. Sturm closed it
out with back-to-back goals in the fourth period.
The Royals have now qualified for the Landmark Conference
tournament for the third straight year and for the fifth time in
the conference’s six-year history.
Scranton will take on Centenary College in Hackettstown, New
Jersey, this Wednesday, April 17, at 3:30 p.m., before hosting
defending champion Goucher College next Saturday, April 20, at 1:00
p.m. at Fitzpatrick Field. Both Scranton and Goucher enter
next Saturday’s game unbeaten in conference play.
--ROYALS--
