Box Score MANSFIELD, Connecticut – A decisive third-quarter surge lifted the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team to a narrow 6-5 victory over Roger Williams University, Saturday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.
Behind a hat trick from
Landon Mabb (Sun Prairie, WI), the Warriors prevailed in the hard-fought home opener.
Game Information:
- Score: Eastern Connecticut State University 6, Roger Williams University 5
- Records: Eastern (1-1) , Roger Williams (1-5)
- Location: Mansfield, CT | (Rick McCarthy Field)
How It Happened:
Quarter 1
- Eastern wasted little time setting the tone as Ronan Donnelly (Wantagh, NY) opened the scoring at the 11:49 mark with an unassisted strike, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
- The teams then traded trips into the attacking zone well into the last two minutes, when Eastern cashed in again. This time, Warren Channing (Glastonbury) found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, doubling Eastern's advantage (2-0), while the Hawks still struggled to get on the board, heading into the second quarter, scoreless.
Quarter 2
- Starting off the second, Roger Williams fought back as Reece Moore buried a goal off a Caleb McKeown assist at 13:41 to cut the deficit to one.
- Eastern answered midway through the quarter as Donnelly netted his second goal of the afternoon at 10:21 assisted by Anthony Mazza (Warwick, NY), pushing the Warriors lead 3-1.
- Despite the early gap, Roger Williams continued to respond as they mounted a push headed by Matt Kennedy who scored twice, including a strike with 52 seconds remaining to even the contest at 3-3 heading into halftime.
Quarter 3
- The third quarter was all Eastern as the Warriors regained control behind a quick offensive burst led by Landon Mabb.
- Mabb sparked the run with an unassisted goal at 11:03 before finishing another opportunity less than a minute later, this time assisted by Mazza, to extend the lead to 5-3.
- Going for the hattrick at the 5:06 mark Mabb capitalized off a pass from Donnelly, capping a three goal run that gave the Warriors 6-3 cushion heading into the final quarter.
Quarter 4
- Roger Williams continued to battle down the stretch as Kennedy scored his third goal of the game at 12:03 to trim the margin back down to two, and with quick revival, the Hawks' Aidan Koster converted on a man-up opportunity off of Brady Lee assist to pull the Hawks within one with only four minutes remaining.
- Though, the Hawk's efforts were all in vain as Eastern's defense held firm in the closing minutes, securing the narrow 6-5 home-opener victory.
Stats:
- Eastern held a 31-24 edge in total shots and a 20-14 advantage in shots on goal.
- Both teams recorded 25 turnovers in the afternoon.
- The Warriors finished with a 28-26 advantage in ground balls.
- Roger WIlliams controlled the face-off, winning 10-of-16.
- Eastern was 24-of-28 on clear attempts.
- Eastern finished with 17 caused turnovers.
Game Notes:
- Mabb led the Warriors with three goals.
- Donnelly added two goals and one assist.
- Mazza paced Eastern with two assists.
- Goalkeeper, Gregory Hilinski (Shelton) recorded nine saves in the win.
Up Next:
The Warriors will hit the road to take on Wheaton College, Tuesday, March 17th. Face-off is set for 5:00 pm.
