DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Senior
Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.) set a new career-high with five goals, including four in the first half, and dished out a couple of assists to lead the Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team to a 14-11 win over Mercy University in the 2024 NCAA Championship Quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Hawks advance to the NCAA Championship Semifinals for the first time in program history.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm will travel to Garden City, N.Y. to take on Adelphi University, the North Region's No. 1 seed, in the NCAA Championship Semifinals on Sunday, May 19th at 1:00 p.m.
2024 NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal
Score: No. 6 (3 seed) Saint Anselm 14, No. 5 (2 seed) Mercy 11
Records: No. 6 (3 seed) Saint Anselm 12-4; No. 5 (2 seed) Mercy 14-2
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. (Mercy Field)
Date: Sunday, May 12, 2024
Attendance: 457
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The first eight minutes were scoreless with the two teams trying to get a feel for one another early on. Both goaltenders were called into action in the opening five minutes with freshman Finn Granara (Reading, Mass.) making a save for Saint Anselm and Cameron Dorfman turning a shot aside for Mercy.
- The first quarter closed with the two sides exchanging goals in a flurry of offensive action. Sophomore Maverick Lyon (Albany, Ore.) put the Hawks on the board first at the 7:06 mark by redirecting a pass from Davis into the cage to make it 1-0.
- That lead was short-lived as the Mavericks won the ensuing faceoff, resulting in a goal by TJ Heyder just 28 seconds later.
- Saint Anselm then killed off a one-minute slashing penalty, but after turning it over on the offensive end, Mercy took their first lead of the afternoon with Greg Gibbons finding the back of the net off a feed from Andrew Calabria to make it 2-1.
- Less than a minute after that, junior Colin Mulvey (Reading, Mass.) received a pass from Lyon, came out from behind the cage, and fired a jumping left-handed shot that beat Dorfman low to tie the score with under three minutes left in the opening period.
- Fifth-year Craig Yannone (Lynnfield, Mass.) won the faceoff after the goal and gave the Hawks another possession, leading to a score by senior Nick Larsen (Northborough, Mass.). The midfielder drove hard down the right alley, cut across the face of goal, and scored while diving over the crease line to put Saint Anselm ahead, 3-2.
- Not long after, Gibbons set up Brody Caskenette to tie the score for the Mavericks with 1:41 remaining in the first.
- Mercy got another shot on target just eight seconds later with Jason Kuehner winning at the faceoff X and charging straight to goal, but Granara came up with a clutch stop.
- After clearing, Davis got a touch in the attacking zone and picked out the top right corner with a snipe off a feed from junior Joe Lombardi (Holliston, Mass.), giving Saint Anselm a 4-3 lead going into the second quarter.
- The Mavericks started the second with the momentum by registering two goals within the opening six minutes to take back the lead, 5-4. Calabria and Ryan Smith both scored to give Mercy the one-goal advantage.
- Midway through the quarter, fifth-year Jack Robinson (Wilbraham, Mass.) helped level things up at 5-5 after wrapping around the right side of the cage and finishing top shelf.
- Just over a minute later, Davis put Saint Anselm back in front by a goal with his second tally. The senior bounced in a shot off a feed from junior Will Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) to make it a 6-5 game.
- 32 seconds after that, Calabria notched his second score of the quarter for Mercy which tied things back up for the sixth time of the game at 6-6.
- The Hawks closed the half by scoring three unanswered goals in the final four minutes to take a 9-6 advantage into the halftime break. Davis added his third and fourth goals of the half, including a man-up score, while Lyons recorded his second by beating the goalie to the weak side.
- Adding to Saint Anselm's lead just two minutes into the third was Mulvey with his second tally of the afternoon off a pass from Nick Larsen to increase the Hawks' lead to four goals.
- Mercy answered with back-to-back goals a few minutes later to trim the deficit back down to two. After a pair of saves by Granara, Smith and Heyder each picked up their second goals of the game to make it 10-8 and give the Mavericks some energy.
- Saint Anselm once again ended the quarter strongly with another two goals. Claflin scored the first of those on a left-handed turnaround shot, while Davis picked up his fifth goal of the game with a laser to the top right corner.
- Those two scores, combined with the defense forcing three turnovers over the final three minutes of the third, allowed the Hawks to lead by four going into the final quarter.
- Nick Larsen beat the goalie high in the opening two minutes of the fourth to give Saint Anselm a five-goal edge, their largest lead of the day.
- The Mavericks got two quick goals right back with Caskenette and Heyder each scoring to make it 13-10 with 10 minutes to go.
- However, Lombardi responded with a goal off a low bouncing shot off another feed from Davis to put the Hawks back in front by four.
- Over the next six minutes, Saint Anselm's defense shut Mercy's attack down with a pair of caused turnovers coupled with two saves by Granara.
- Calabria eventually scored with 3:36 remaining to make it 14-11, but Granara and the Hawks defensive unit did not let the Mavericks get any closer and held on for the win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm held a 42-35 lead in total shot attempts. The Hawks outscored the Mavericks in every quarter except the fourth.
- Mercy held a sizeable lead at the faceoff X with 20 wins compared to nine for Saint Anselm. Kuehner led the Mavericks by going 19-27 on draws, while Yannone led the Hawks with six wins at the X.
- The Mavericks also held a 33-25 advantage in ground balls.
- There was a sizable difference in the turnover category with Mercy committing 21 compared to just seven giveaways by Saint Anselm. The Hawks defense caused nine turnovers, while the Mavericks defense forced just two.
- Saint Anselm went 25-for-27 on clear attempts throughout the contest, while Mercy went 19-for-21.
- The Hawks converted once out of two extra-man opportunities, while the Mavericks were held scoreless on three man-up chances.
- Davis led Saint Anselm with a career-high five goals to go along with two assists for a career-best seven points. Nick Larsen had a five-point game on two goals and three assists, while Lyon had two goals and two assists for four points. Four other Hawks scored in the game, including Mulvey with a pair.
- Calabria and Heyder each finished with three goals for Mercy, while Caskenette and Smith added two scores apiece.
- Granara set a new career-high with 15 saves between the pipes for the Hawks in the win. Dorfman had six saves in goal for the Mavericks in the loss.
- Davis now leads Saint Anselm with 35 goals and 57 points on the season. Mulvey is second on the squad with 27 goals, while Nick Larsen is third with 25 scores and leads the team with 27 assists. Nine Hawks have 15 or more goals this season.
- This marked the seventh all-time meeting between these two programs and the second in the NCAA Tournament. Saint Anselm improves to 2-5 overall against Mercy, with both wins coming on the road in consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
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