RINDGE, N.H. – Senior Andy Budz (Williamstown, Mass.) led a foursome of Hawks who scored a pair of goals but host Franklin Pierce University used a four-goal flurry over the final five minutes of the game to hold off an upset-minded Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team Saturday afternoon at Sodexo Field, 14-11.
The loss drops Saint Anselm to 1-10 on the season and 1-8 in Northeast-10 Conference play while the Ravens, who were receiving votes in the latest U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll, continue their bid for a host seed in the NE-10 Championship tournament by improving to 11-2 overall and 8-2 in the league.
Statistically, the game appeared to be dominated by the team in navy, as the Hawks outshot FPU 43-32, owned a 43-19 advantage in groundball pickups and sophomore Chris McCormack (Ipswitch, Mass.) was once again a force on the faceoff X, powering to a 22-4 advantage on the day.
The telling difference in the game came in net, as the Ravens' Don Denman recorded 14 saves on 25 total shots on-goal—three of those saves coming in the crucial fourth period. Freshman Lucas DeAngelo (Byfield, Mass.) picked up five saves on 19 shots as the losing decision drops him to 0-4 on the season.
Out of the gate, Saint Anselm looked much more like the third place team in the conference, surging to a 4-0 lead over the first 10 minutes of play. Junior Ben Warren (Georgetown, Mass.), senior Charles Geraghty (Norwich, Vt.) and junior Alex Buxbaum (Medway, Mass.) each scored an unassisted tally to start, then Buxbaum put away a pass from sophomore Mark Vitello (Weymouth, Mass.) with just over five minutes remaining in the opening frame.
After the Ravens cut the lead to two at the first period intermission, Vitello and Budz pushed it back to a four-goal lead through the second period, more than doubling up the host Ravens at halftime, 7-3.
A likely spirited halftime conversation sparked Franklin Pierce out of the break, as the Ravens battled back to tie the game at 7-7 with four straight put-aways in the first seven minutes of the second half. Budz and senior James Peters (Medway, Mass.) reclaimed the lead for the Hawks and sophomore James Olsen (Westford, Vt.) added a late third-quarter score as Saint Anselm held onto a 10-9 lead after three periods.
After Pierce tied the game with a quick goal less than two minutes into the quarter, Warren added his second of the game at the 8:24 mark to retake the lead, 11-10. McCormack won the ensuing faceoff but the Hawks couldn't convert on the offensive opportunity as a Geraghty shot was saved. Both teams swapped turnovers before the Ravens' Kevin Dargin scored the equalizer at 5:14.
With the game tied at 11-11, McCormack picked up the faceoff again, but a pair of Budz shots sailed wide of the target. Franklin Pierce cleared the ball and got off a shot on their end of the field, but DeAngelo scored a huge save. Off the save, however, the Hawks had some trouble clearing the ball and the costly turnover led to a game-winner from Franklin Pierce's Casey Burnett. The Ravens then added two more goals in the closing two minutes to stun the Hawks and complete the comeback victory.
Saint Anselm will complete its 2015 season with a pair of home games this week, welcoming Assumption College Wednesday at 7 p.m. before closing out the year Saturday against American International College. Saturday's matchup will also be Senior Day for the five members of the graduating class of 2015.
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