MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior
Colin Mulvey (Reading, Mass.) scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in the final minute of regulation, leading the No. 2 seed Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team to a late comeback win against No. 3 seed Pace University, 12-11, in the Northeast-10 Championship Semifinals on Wednesday evening. The Hawks advance to just their third-ever NE10 Championship Title game with the win.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm will take on No. 1 seed Adelphi University in the NE10 Championship game on Saturday, May 4th at 3:00 p.m. from Garden City, N.Y.
Score: No. 8 (2 seed) Saint Anselm 12, No. 7 (3 seed) Pace 11
Records: No. 8 (2 seed) Saint Anselm 10-3 (7-2 NE10); No. 7 (3 seed) Pace 12-3 (7-2 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Grappone Stadium)
Date: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Attendance: 227
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After turning Saint Anselm over near midfield early in the opening quarter, Pace got on the board with the game's first goal with Ryan Kemp setting up Declan Landers. The Setters forced another turnover on the ensuing faceoff, which led to Kemp netting his first goal of the day just over a minute later.
- Senior Noah Larsen (Northborough, Mass.) registered the first shot on target of the afternoon for the Hawks, but Setters goaltender Jack Kern made the save. After a successful clear, Pace jumped out to a 3-0 lead with Kemp scoring his second of the game, forcing a timeout by Saint Anselm just over five minutes in.
- At the 7:52 mark of the first quarter, freshman goaltender Finn Granara (Reading, Mass.) made his first save to keep the Hawks within striking distance. Saint Anselm then cleared the ball ahead and found senior Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.), whose long-range bounce shot gave the Hawks their first goal to make it 3-1.
- Just 15 seconds later, fifth-year Jack Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) drove straight to goal and also bounced a shot into the back of the net, making it a one-goal game with 5:07 left in the opening quarter.
- The Hawks added two more goals in the closing minute of the first to take their first lead of the day. With 2:55 remaining, junior Joe Lombardi (Holliston, Mass.) got on the scoresheet with a left-handed sidearm rip that tied the score. With just 27 seconds on the clock, fifth-year Jack Robinson (Wilbraham, Mass.) received a pass from Noah Larsen and cashed in on a wide open look by placing the ball into the lower left corner.
- Sophomore Chris Claflin (Newton, Mass.) made it five straight Saint Anselm goals with his tally just 25 seconds into the second quarter. The midfielder dodged to his left before shooting and beating the goalie high to make it 5-3, Hawks.
- In the final 10 minutes of the first half, Pace scored three unanswered goals to take a 6-5 lead at halftime. Caden Hallinan, Dominic Veratti, and Landers each scored for Pace, with Landers' marker coming with just seven seconds left in the half. Kemp picked up a pair of assists in that span for the Setters.
- Saint Anselm played a lights out third quater and outscored Pace, 5-0. Andrews tied it up at 6-6 early in the third with a long distance bouncer for his second of the game.
- Midway through the period, the Hawks were given a man-advantage after a one-minute, locked-in penalty was called on the Setters. Saint Anselm capitalized on the extra-man opportunity with a pair of goals to jump in front, 8-6. Mulvey fed Lombardi up top, who beat the goalie five-hole, and Andrews then secured his hat trick with a high-bouncing shot that landed just under the cross-bar.
- Pace was given a one-minute extra-man chance shortly after, but Saint Anselm successfully killed it off by forcing a turnover and clearing it out of their defensive zone.
- The Hawks scored twice in the final 16 seconds of the third quarter to take a 10-6 advantage into the final period of play. Lombardi recorded his hat trick with his third of the game off a feed from sophomore Maverick Lyon (Albany, Ore.), and after a faceoff win by fifth-year Craig Yannone (Lynnfield, Mass.), Lyon came around the cage and beat the buzzer with his first-ever postseason score.
- Colin Reese provided the Setters with a much-needed response, scoring under a minute into the fourth quarter to make it 10-7.
- A few minutes went by without any goals, but with less than nine minutes remaining, Pace scored four times within a 3:30 span to take back the lead, 11-10. Kemp notched a couple of goals for the Setters, including the game-tying tally, before feeding Rafael Rodriguez, Jr. for the go-ahead tally with 5:25 remaining.
- Things were looking bleak for Saint Anselm as they trailed by a goal with under two minutes to go. Sophomore Colby Goodchild (Reading, Mass.) came up with a huge caused turnover and ground ball on the defensive end that gave the Hawks possession.
- At the other end, senior Nick Larsen (Northborough, Mass.) threw a pass to Mulvey, who caught it and released a left-handed sidearm shot that picked out the top right corner to tie the game with just 49 seconds to play.
- Yannone made quick work at the faceoff X and secured possession in the offensive zone, allowing Saint Anselm to call timeout and draw up a play for the final possession.
- Out of the break, Mulvey got the ball behind the cage and was isolated one-on-one with a long pole defender. The junior attacker brought it around the left-side and beat the goalie with a low bouncer for the eventual game-winning goal with 18 seconds remaining.
- Sophomore Quinn Gannon (Scitutate, Mass.) won the ensuing faceoff and the Hawks ran out the clock to secure the win and advance to the NE10 Championship game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Pace held a 38-36 advantage in total shot attempts, but Saint Anselm held a 21-19 edge in shots on goal.
- Ground balls were deadlocked at 32 apiece. Both teams went 18-for-21 on clear attempts. Faceoff wins were even as well at 13 apiece.
- In the turnover category, the Setters had 20 giveaways, while the Hawks had 18. Saint Anselm's defense caused 10 turnovers, while Pace's defense caused 12.
- Saint Anselm took advantage of extra-man opportunities by scoring twice on three chances, while Pace was held scoreless on two man-up attempts.
- Andrews and Lombardi each scored three goals to lead the Hawks. Mulvey added a pair of scores, both of which came in the final minute of the game, to go along with an assist. Four other Hawks scored one goal.
- Kemp led the way for Pace with a standout game consisting of four goals and four assists. Landers added two scores for the Setters.
- Granara made eight saves in the cage and earned just his second-ever win for Saint Anselm. Kern made nine stops in the loss for Pace.
- Davis now leads the Hawks with 28 goals and 46 points on the season. Mulvey is tied for second on the squad with 21 goals. Andrews and Lombardi both increased their scoring total to 16 on the campaign.
- This marked the 25th all-time meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm is now 13-12 overall against Pace and has won three of the last four over matchups against the Setters.
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