STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (8-7, 6-3 GNAC) fell to Rivier University (14-0, 10-0 GNAC), 11-5, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse action at the SJC Athletics Complex on Wednesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's struck first when junior Joseph Kiedaisch (Westminster, Mass.) opened the scoring at the 9:57 mark of the first quarter, but Rivier answered immediately and took control with four straight goals to close out the frame and claim a 4-1 lead after one.
The Raiders continued to build their advantage in the second quarter, scoring three more times while holding the Monks scoreless. Goals from Henri Brochu, Aidan Conley, and Mason Schultz extended the Rivier lead to 7-1 at halftime.
Rivier pushed the margin to 8-1 early in the third quarter before Saint Joseph's got back on the board. Sophomore Chase Ranger (Farmington, Maine) converted a man-up opportunity off a feed from junior Nicolas Michaud (Wales, Maine) to make it 8-2. The Raiders answered late in the period to carry a 9-2 advantage into the fourth.
In the final quarter, Rivier added another early goal to extend its lead to eight before Saint Joseph's mounted a late push. Junior Brandon Cavicchi (Kingston, Mass.) started the rally with an unassisted tally, followed by a goal from sophomore Noah Schaeffer (Gray, Maine) off a Michaud assist. After Rivier pushed the lead back to seven, Michaud capped the scoring with a goal off a Kiedaisch assist, but the Monks were unable to close the gap further in the 11-5 setback.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Rivier controlled possession throughout the contest, using a 14-6 advantage at the faceoff dot and a 39-26 edge in shots to dictate play. The Raiders also held Saint Joseph's to limited offensive opportunities over the first three quarters, building a 9-2 lead before the Monks found some success late. Saint Joseph's did convert on an extra-man opportunity and finished 17-of-19 on clears.
THE KEEPERS:
Junior Reed Wescott (Windham, Maine) made five saves in the first half for the Monks. Sophomore Jake Dernier (Marshfield, Mass.) stopped seven shots over the final 30 minutes.
Rivier goalkeeper Jake Lydon recorded 13 saves in the victory.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
LEADERS – RIVIER:
- Henri Brochu – 4 goals
- Liam Conley – 2 goals, 1 assist
- Mason Schultz – 2 goals
- Aidan Conley – 1 goal, 1 assist
- Conor Walsh – 1 goal, 1 assist
- Andrew Nee – 2 assists
- Owen McDuffie – 6 ground balls, 11-of-17 faceoffs
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 10-7 all-time versus Rivier University.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Saturday when the Monks travel to face the University of Saint Joseph in a conference matchup scheduled for 1:00 PM.
