Rockville Centre, N.Y.- The top-seeded men's lacrosse team is headed back to the East Coast Conference Championship for the second year in a row after an 11-7 victory over No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan this evening. The Lions improve to 13-3 on the season, while the Redhawks conclude its season at 6-7.
How it Happened
- The Lions came out strong as redshirt senior Noah Hammon and senior Tommy Corcoran each scored on a man-up advantage within the opening two minutes.
- Ryan Brown put Roberts Wesleyan on the board midway through the first quarter.
- Senior Jake Taylor capitalized on another extra-man advantage to give Molloy a 3-1 lead.
- Cody Coleman trimmed the Lions' lead to one with just six seconds remaining in the opening frame.
- Hammon opened the second quarter with back-to-back goals to extend the lead.
- Colin Duncan brought the Redhawks within two before senior Brandon Pazienza connected with fellow senior Justin Palulis to make it 6-3.
- Molloy's defense held strong, successfully killing off its fifth man-down situation with six minutes left in the half.
- Sophomore Sean Payton opened the scoring in the third, followed by Corcoran's second goal of the game, a top-corner finish that pushed the lead to five.
- Duncan responded with back-to-back goals of his own, including one on the man-up, cutting the deficit to three heading into the fourth.
- Graduate student Zach Kroog struck just 27 seconds into the final quarter on the extra-man advantage.
- Roberts Wesleyan goalkeeper Landon Brimmer took the ball into the offensive zone, but was caught there on an offsides call leading to a quick transition play where senior Brian Green capitalized on a breakaway with the net undefended to give Molloy a 10-5 lead.
- Duncan later found Chase Wilson at the far post for his first goal of the contest.
- Taylor restored a five-goal advantage for Molloy with just under five minutes remaining.
- Preston Steve took a shot on the run, beating senior goaltender John Basile low to cap the scoring at 11-7.
Top Performances
- Green (1 goal, 3 assists) and Corcoran (2 goals, 2 assists) each recorded four points.
- Hammon tallied three goals, while Palulis added a goal and two assists.
- Taylor finished with two goals, and Payton and Kroog each contributed one.
- Pazienza and graduate student Timothy Morrow each tallied an assist.
- Basile made 13 saves in net.
- Pazienza collected 10 ground balls and went 12-for-19 at the face-off X.
- Senior Thomas Kofod caused three turnovers.
Up Next
The top-seeded Lions will host the fourth-seeded Bobcats of Frostburg State in the East Coast Conference Championship on Saturday (May 2). The opening face-off is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Continue to visit www.molloylions.com or www.eccsports.org for all ECC Men's Lacrosse Tournament updates.
