MANCHESTER, N.H. – Neither team held more than a one-goal lead throughout, but a Greyhound score at the 6:21 mark of the fourth quarter proved the game-winner as Assumption College escaped an upset-minded Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team Wednesday night under the lights of Grappone Stadium, 8-7.
The loss—the third in the last four outings by just a one-goal differential—drops Saint Anselm to 1-11 overall on the year and 1-9 in conference play. Assumption improves to 9-6 overall and 6-4 in league play while securing the #5-seed for the Northeast-10 Championship tournament starting early next week.
Junior Ben Warren (Georgetown, Mass.) recorded his third hat trick of the season with three goals on six shots Wednesday evening, while senior Geoff Kennedy (Gloucester, Mass.) added a pair of goals on nine shots. Assumption's Garrett Smith scored five goals to lead the Greyhounds, tying Assumption's own all-time career scoring record in the effort.
Freshman Lucas DeAngelo (Byfield, Mass.) recorded nine saves in his fifth start of the season, while Assumption goalkeeper Will Contento recorded a game-high 16 stops.
After Assumption took advantage of an early penalty to grab the first lead of the game, Kennedy put away an unassisted tally to tie it 1-1 at the end of the first quarter. The Hawks took their first lead with one minute off the clock in the second period, as sophomore Chris McCormack (Ipswitch, Mass.) won the faceoff and senior Andy Budz (Williamstown, Mass.) found Warren to go up 2-1.
Assumption and Saint Anselm then traded goals throughout a back-and-forth second quarter with Warren and senior James Peters (Medway, Mass.) each tallying a goal to once again tie the game at 4-4 heading into halftime.
McCormack, who went 11-for-19 at the faceoff 'x', snagged the opening draw to start the third quarter, leading to a Warren goal just 11 seconds into the second half. Assumption would respond with two goals of their own—including making good on another man-up opportunity—to take a slim 6-5 lead into the final stanza.
Kennedy led off a flurry of early-period goals thanks to Budz's second assist of the evening just 44 seconds in to tie the game at 6-6, but Smith responded to break that tie a minute and a half later. With just under 12 minutes remaining, Olsen sniped a Jimmy McCurdy (Canton, Mass.) pass to draw the seventh tie of the night, but Assumption rallied on a Ty Martina would-be game-winner with just over six minutes remaining.
The final three minutes were a whirlwind of action as a shot by sophomore Dylan Ryan (Framingham, Mass.) was saved by Contento, starting a break for the Greyhounds. After a good clear and an ensuing Assumption timeout, Saint Anselm junior Jake Stokes (Beverly, Mass.) caused a turnover that was picked up by freshman Oliver Ouellet (Salem, N.H.). On the clear attempt, DeAngelo was checked hard outside the crease and lost control of the ball, resulting in a scrum that drew coinciding penalties for both teams. After Assumption threw the ball away, Saint Anselm handed it right back with a substitution violation with less than a minute to go. The Hawks were able to disrupt the Greyhound clear and scooped up a loose ball near midfield, but a Kennedy shot in heavy traffic was covered by Contento to preserve an emotional and dramatic road win for Assumption.
After playing so many close games late in the season, Saint Anselm will look to snap its six-game losing streak against American International College Saturday evening. The matchup will be the season finale for both teams as Saint Anselm will also recognize its five-member senior class prior to the 6 p.m. start time.
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