Box Score FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart men's lacrosse team won its third straight game on Saturday, defeating the Robert Morris Colonials 12-10 at Campus Field in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams. The Pioneers used a 9-0 run to take a 12-5 lead with 6:13 remaining in the game.
Jerome Rigor (Pleasanton, Calif.) led Sacred Heart with five points on three goals and two assists. Brian Masi (Smithtown, N.Y.) also had a hat trick and added an assist. Ian Farley (Camillus, N.Y.) and Alex Dodge (Smithtown, N.Y.) each scored twice. Ryan O'Donoghue (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y. ) led the Pioneers with six caused turnovers, adding four ground balls. Jon Flood (Bay Shore, N.Y.) had 18 saves, including 13 in the first half.
Robert Morris (1-6, 0-1 NEC) opened the scoring Saturday when Carter Yepsen scored at the 12:49 mark of the first quarter. Sacred Heart responded 1:46 later with Rigor's first goal to tie the score 1-1. The two sides traded goals again, as tallies by the Colonials' Michael Siedel and the Pioneers' Masi made the score 2-2 with 7:43 remaining in the quarter. After Masi's goal, Robert Morris' Chris Barney won the faceoff and scored in eight seconds to give the Colonials a 3-2 lead. Luke Laszkiewicz extended the Robert Morris lead to 4-2 with 1:40 left in the first, burying an Eric Rankel feed past Flood.
Sacred Heart closed to within one, 4-3, with 9:44 left in the second quarter, as Farley cut to the goal to put home a pass from Alec Dauses (Glen Arm, Md.). Once again, Robert Morris would score off the faceoff as Alexander Bohl scored 12 seconds later to put the Colonials up 5-3. That would be Robert Morris' last goal for over 33 minutes. The Pioneers closed the half with a goal from Dodge at the 2:38 mark, trailing 5-4 heading into halftime.
Bryce Jurk (Burlington, Ont.) tied the game at the 9:03 mark of the third quarter, firing a Rigor pass right over the head of Robert Morris goalie Chase Rose. Mike Calvagna then won the ensuing faceoff, getting the ball to Jurk who immediately fed Rigor in front of the goal. Rigor's quick stick goal with 8:54 to play put Sacred Heart ahead 6-5, the Pioneers' first lead of the day. The run continued with a Dodge man-up goal at the 4:58 mark, making the score 7-5.
Sacred Heart continued to pour it on in the fourth quarter. Masi and Julian Garritano (Markham, Ont.) scored in the first 3:48 of the quarter to extend the Pioneers' lead to 9-5. Sacred Heart added three more goals to take a 12-5 lead with 6:13 remaining. The Colonials would make one last charge to get back in the game. It started right after the Pioneers' 12th goal. Barney won the faceoff, leading to a Zachary Bryant goal eight seconds later to make the score 12-6.
Less than a minute later, Laszkiewicz scored man-up to get Robert Morris within five, 12-7, with 5:06 left. Zac Christianson then scored his first goal of the season at the 4:55 mark to make the score 12-8. With 1:30 to play, James Rahe and Eric Wales scored 14 seconds apart to make the score 12-10. Robert Morris won the next faceoff, but the Pioneers forced a Rankel turnover and cleared to ensure the win.
Robert Morris outshot Sacred Heart 41-29, but the Pioneers held a 28-26 edge in groundballs. The Pioneers were 1-for-4 on the extra-man, with the Colonials going 1-for-3. Laszkiewicz led Robert Morris with two goals, while Yepsen also had two points on a goal and an assist. Rose made nine saves in goal.
Sacred Heart is on the road next Saturday, March 28 for a 12 p.m. game at Mount St. Mary's.
