Box Score
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Playing its fourth straight road game Tuesday to open the season, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team did more things right than wrong, but could not overcome a final 22 minutes which produced but one goal in an 11-9 non-conference loss to the University of Saint Joseph at the USJ Lacrosse Field.
 
After being shut out over the final 33 minutes in an 8-2 loss in the first meeting ever between the programs in 2021, Saint Joseph (3-1) turned the tables this time, holding Eastern (2-2) to a single goal after junior Dan Barron (Newington) and first-year player Connor Chirico (Milford) scored six minutes apart to give Eastern its final lead, 8-7, with just under seven minutes left.
 
Since Eastern's 8-2 victory in Saint Joseph's first full season on the intercollegiate level in 2021, the teams have now played three matches determined by a total of only six goals. It was the Blue Jays' first win in the series.
 
After the Warriors took their 8-7 lead, the hosts outscored Eastern 4-1 over the final 19 minutes, getting one goal from four different players. Christian Decker's  second goal of the match with four minutes left to force the sixth and final tie, and Matthew Wurszt and Nick Pestrichello followed with goals that gave the Blue Jays a 10-8 lead with four-plus minutes left. Junior Brycen Kennedy's (Southington) man-up goal – the third of three extra-man goals scored by Eastern in the match – with three minutes left on a pass from junior Quinn O'Connor (Glastonbury) represented Eastern's only goal over the final 22 minutes and pulled the Warriors to within a goal, 10-9.
 
After Kennedy's goal made it a one-goal game, junior faceoff man Rick O'Neal (East Hartford) won the ensuing faceoff by picking up the ground ball, but senior Trey McCann made his 11^th and final save on O'Connor's game-tying bid. The hosts then cleared successfully and Evan Baden's third goal of the match with two minutes left  re-stored USJ's two-goal lead.
 
Chirico and first-year classmate Tanner Drobish (Wallingford) combined for five goals for the Warriors Chirico scored two of his three goals 2:27 apart early in the game, and Drobish added his first of two less than two minutes later before the Blue Jays scored five of the next seven goals. Chirico's man-up goal with seven minutes left in the third quarter gave the Warriors their last lead, 8-7.
 
Eastern was outshot by four but earned a +16 advantage in ground balls, won 16 of 24 faceoffs and scored on three of its five extra-man opportunities. In addition, Eastern was not whistled for a penalty.
 
O'Neal took all of Eastern's faceoffs and improved his season percentage to .558. Since losing 12 of 16 faceoffs in a season-opening 10-9 win at Gordon College Feb. 21, O'Neal has won 44 of 70 over the last three matches for a .628 success rate. O'Neal picked up seven ground balls, senior Zacharie Appolon (Stamford) five and Drobish and sophomore Jacob Shook (Walliingford) four each. Shook, a first-team All-State goalie in high school and first-year transfer from Springfield College, also caused five turnovers in his first start on defense.
 
In his fourth consecutive start, first-year goalie Gregory Hilinski (Shelton) made 13 saves in improving his save percentage to .513.
 
Eastern plays the fifth of seven straight road games Friday at Farmingdale State College (3-1) at 3 p.m. The Rams hold a 3-1 advantage in the series, two of the wins coming by a single goal.