Box Score Beverly, Mass. - February 19, 2015 - Led by a four-point performance from Dylan Sheehan (Massapequa, N.Y.), the Springfield College men's lacrosse team opened the season with an 11-7 win over Gordon at Endicott College on Thursday afternoon.
Springfield, which was ranked 19th the country according to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III Pre-Season Poll, won its season opener for the sixth-straight year.
In addition to Sheehan's two goals and two assists, Springfield receive two goals and an assist from Tony LaGuerre (Shrub Oak, N.Y.), Brendan Boss (West Springfield, Mass.), and Dom Abate (Beverly, Mass.). Matt Dalton (Somers, N.Y.) picked up three ground balls and caused turnovers and in his first career start, Kevin Ostrom (Cape Cod, Mass.) earned the win after posting nine saves in goal.
The Pride scored the game's first goal just four minutes into the opening quarter, when Laguerre beat Gordon keeper Brian Lane (Rochester, N.Y.) down low of a Sheehan feed for a man-up strike. Less than two minutes later the Pride, struck again as Bryce Serriello (Cape Cod, Mass.) beat his man on the right side on a long pass from Laguerre.
The two teams traded opportunities over the next nine minutes to no avail until Serriello struck for the second time in the opening frame with 26 ticks to go. Gordon freshman Nico Manganiello (Peabody, Mass.) brought the Scots back within two goals with an attempt from just outside the crease as the horn sounded on the clock.
The Fighting Scots got another one back at the 12:26 mark of the second quarter when junior Ryan Utz bounced a shot into the Springfield net, but the momentum was short-lived with the Pride answering just over a minute later on an Abate rip to give Springfield a 4-2 lead.
Once again, the Scots responded with Manganiello's second goal with 8:37 on the clock—his second unassisted score of the game. Springfield kept pace with another tally just 30 seconds later on a nice give-and-go by Maxwell Abendroth (Sunapee, N.H.) off the assist from Sheehan.
Gordon scored its third goal of the quarter with 3:22 to go before halftime on a Roger Evans score, but the Pride spoiled the changing of the tide with Abate's second goal just before the break.
The third quarter was all Springfield, as the Pride scored the only three goals of the period. Boss registered back-to-back scores within three minutes of each other midway through the period to double the Springfield lead at 8-4, before Sheehan added his first marker with 5:21 to play in the third to make it a 9-4 score entering the final period.
Gordon outshot the Pride 9-5 in the period, but only put three on net—all of which were saved. Springfield converted on three of its four attempts on net in the frame.
After a goal by Gordon's Jordan Heckelmann (Colorado Springs, Colo.) to close the gap to four, Springfield put some distance between the two squads with two goals in 49th minute. Laguerre and Sheehan each picked up scores during the stretch to put Gordon in a six-goal hole with 10 minutes to play.
Jake Martin (Watertown, Conn.) added his first goal of the game in a man-up situation with just under five minutes to go on a feed from Utz and scored again with just two seconds to go in regulation as the Pride picked up the 11-7 win.
The Pride will play another neutral site game on Saturday when it hosts Nazareth College at UMass Amhert's McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm.
