Box score
BELMONT, N.C. -- The Belmont Abbey men's lacrosse team outscored
Lees-McRae 8-1 in the second half after holding 8-5 halftime lead
to earn the win with a 16-6 final over the Lees-McRae College
Bobcats Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
Belmont Abbey climbs to an overall record of 5-4 and 2-1 in
Conference Carolinas, while Lees-McRae drops to 3-5 overall and 0-3
in Conference Carolinas.
The Crusaders, which outshot the Bobcats 36-32, received three
goals from Dave DiLuigi and Nick Boylan, while Brian Watson and
Ryan Corrigan each scored twice. Dan Morrissey, Joey Peruzzi, Matt
Spivey, Austin Whitesell, Tyler Rossman and Brian Wallace all had
one each. Morrissey and Tanner Scharr both had three assists and
Watson totaled two. Matt Malloy, Jake Snyder and Terrance Sullivan
all had one each.
The Bobcats got goals from Jordan Shreiner, two goals, Derin
Vacca, two goals, Forrest MacConnell, one goal, and Brad Garner, on
goal. Shreiner, Brandon Marks and Michael LaSalle had one assist
apiece.
Boylan scored the first two goals of the game to put the Abbey
ahead with less than five minutes gone by, but Lees-McRae answered
with two of its own, by Shreiner and Vacca to knot the game at
two. The score remained tied at two for the next seven minutes of
the first period until DiLuigi and Spivey scored back to back with
less than a minute left. DiLuigi struck with 45 seconds left and
Spivey put the Abbey up 5-2 with 26 seconds left in the opening
quarter.
Both teams scored three times in the second quarter. After
Lees-McRae's Garner scored a man-up goal with 21 seconds left to
drop the Abbey lead to a pair at 7-5, the Crusaders responded with
two seconds left to take an 8-5 halftime lead. Lees-McRae turned
the ball over deep in the Abbey zone, where Watson scooped up the
loose ball with seven seconds left and fired a length-of-the-field
pass, right into the crosse of DiLuigi, who caught it on the run,
stopped turned and fired home a shot with two seconds left.
The second half was all Crusaders, as they started an offensive
burst after allowing a Bobcats goal with 14:07 left in the third.
Forrest McConnell scored the only goal for Lees-McRae, and it would
not score again. A man-up goal by DiLuigi, followed by a
shorthanded goal from Peruzzi put the Crusaders ahead 11-6. With 37
seconds left, Corrigan made it 12-6.
In the fourth, the Crusaders scored four goals while holding the
Bobcats scoreless, thanks to some athletic saves by goalkeeper Tony
Kikola, who stopped six Lees-McRae shots in the final 15
minutes.
Rossman, Morrissey, Whitesell and Wallace scored the four
Crusader goals in the half.
The Crusaders won the ground ball battle 35-29 as Watson's six
tied for the game-high. He also won six of nine faceoff attempts.
Josh Crouse won seven of his eight face offs. Tristan Keas and Matt
Malloy led the Abbey with a pair of caused turnovers.
Merrick Reiland made two saves in the first half, and Kikola
finished with ten.
Andy Nesdill and Mike Fahey split time in net for the Bobcats
with Nesdill having one save and Fahey recording two saves.
