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Great Northeast Athletic Conference

USJ Bests SUNY Poly in NCAA DIII Men’s Lacrosse First Round

USJ Bests SUNY Poly in NCAA DIII Men’s Lacrosse First Round
May 8, 2024
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INTERACTIVE BRACKET

Recap courtesy of the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) Athletic Communications Department.

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) men's lacrosse team picked up its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, defeating SUNY Poly, 13-2, in the NCAA Tournament First Round Wednesday afternoon at the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn. With the result the Blue Jays improved to 17-3 overall on the year, while the Wildcats concluded their season at 10-7 overall.

KEY MOMENTS 

  • SUNY Poly controlled the majority of the first quarter, forcing numerous good saves out of senior goalkeeper Trey McCann
  • The Blue Jays rewarded their netminder at the 4:04 mark, as freshman attack Matthew Wurszt opened the scoring and gave USJ the lead.
  • Classmate Brendan Tedeschi increased the edge to 2-0 moments later, finding the back of the net at the 1:50 mark.
  • Senior midfielder Sam Barbetti extended the gap to 3-0 in the closing seconds, sending the Blue Jays into the second quarter with the lead.
  • USJ carried the momentum into the second, as senior attack Evan Baden netted his first goal of the game, establishing a 4-0 USJ lead with 9:25 on the clock.
  • The Wildcats began to fight back, as junior midfielder Luke Taylor scored two unanswered goals, closing the gap to 4-2 with 4:23 left in the half.
  • USJ answered back, as junior midfielder Christian Decker found Wurszt in front of the net, firing the ball into the hent for his second goal of the game and increasing the lead to 5-2 with 51 seconds left in the half.
  • Junior midfielder Luke von Borstel quickly found the back of the net himself, fighting through a body check before finding the back at the 31 second mark to send USJ into the half with a 6-2 lead.
  • The Blue Jays found the back of the net first in the third, as Baden recorded his second goal of the game, increasing the edge to 7-2 with 12:54 on the clock.
  • Junior attackman Evan Zimnoch continued the USJ scoring run, scoring a solo man-up goal at the 8:56 mark to increase the lead to 8-2.
  • USJ continued to pepper the net, as Decker increased the edge to 9-2, before Baden rounded out his hattrick with a man-up strike with 2:58 on the clock, establishing a 10-2 USJ lead.
  • Decker and Baden would net back-to-back goals again to close out the quarter, taking a 12-2 advantage into the fourth quarter.
  • Decker rounded out his hattrick at the 5:59 mark in the fourth quarter, increasing the lead to 13-2.
  • The Blue Jays continued to keep the Wildcats quiet, securing the first NCAA Tournament win in program history, 13-2.

NOTES 

  • Baden paced the team with four goals.
  • Paltauf dished out a team-best two assists.
  • Barbetti corralled a team-high six ground balls.
  • He also caused a team-best five turnovers.
  • McCann picked up the win inside the cage (16-3), tallying 13 saves on the day.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the first time in program history and will take on the No. 1 team in the country and reigning national champions Salisbury University on Saturday, May 11. Opening faceoff against the Sea Gulls at Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury, Md., is set for 3:30 p.m.

 

 

 

2024 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship Schedule

First Round – Wednesday, May 8
 (Hosted by University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) – West Hartford, Conn.)

University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. SUNY Poly, 13-2 | BOX

Second Round – Saturday, May 11
 (Hosted by Salisbury – Salisbury, Md.)

University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at No. 1 Salisbury, 3:30 p.m.

 

 

 

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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