Rockville Centre, N.Y. (Apr. 28, 2018) – Led by six points from sophomore
Kevin Pastier, the men's lacrosse team defeated Roberts Wesleyan College, 12-10, to earn the fourth and final spot in the East Coast Conference Tournament. It is Molloy's first ECC Championship appearance since 2015.
The Redhawks took a 1-0 lead in the first quarter, but the maroon and white responded with six straight goals to take a 6-1 lead. Pastier and senior
Tim Steinman each found the back of the net in the final five minutes of the first frame before Pastier, sophomores
Colin Kotarski and
Travis Cooksey and freshman
Nick Del Giorno added markers in the second frame.
Roberts Wesleyan tallied the next two goals, ending the half with the score 6-3 in favor of Molloy.
Sophomore
Brandon Leon and Pastier put the Lions in front by five, 8-3, but the Redhawks scored three straight markers to come within two, 8-6, headed into the final 15 minutes of action.
Both teams found the back of the net in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter, but Pastier and junior
Mike Durkin scored back-to-back goals midway through the frame to give Molloy a four-goal cushion, 11-7. Roberts Wesleyan fired off three goals in the final eight minutes, coming within one, 11-10, but Steinman found the back of the net with 32 seconds on the clock to seal the victory in favor of the Lions, 12-10.
Steinman totaled five points on two goals and three assists. Junior
Michael Scheuerer tallied three assists in the effort while Cooksey (one goal, one assist), sophomore
Gabe Garcia (two assists), and Kotarski (one goal, one assist) each chipped in two points for the maroon and white.
Durkin led the team with five ground balls and three caused turnovers. Senior
Zach Antonette matched a game-high three caused turnovers in the effort. Senior
Ryan Toomey made four saves in net.
The team honored the four members of its senior class, Steinman, Toomey, Antonette, and senior
Jaron Greenidge, who forced one turnover and grabbed four ground balls, in a pre-game Senior Day ceremony.
Molloy opens the ECC Championship at top-seeded New York Institute of Technology on Wednesday (May 2) at 4:00 p.m.
