Men’s Lacrosse Takes To Road, Pounds Huskies 11-2

PLYMOUTH, NH – On Tuesday afternoon, members of the Plymouth State men’s lacrosse team found themselves in a familiar situation; on a bus, traveling to their opponents’ home field. Despite switching their game from Plymouth to Gorham, the Panthers notched seven unanswered goals en route to an 11-2 win over the University of Southern Maine.The Panthers were scheduled to host the Huskies for their home opener Tuesday, but a drenched Panthers Field kept them on the road. The two-hour bus ride hardly seemed to phase Plymouth however, as the Panthers carried their momentum from a 13-6 weekend victory over Western Connecticut into Tuesday’s matchup against Southern Maine. Plymouth led 4-0 after the first half with goals from sophomore Jon Gagnon and junior Pat O’Malley in the first quarter and a pair of goals from junior captain Steve Skinner in the second. After the break, O’Malley and Gagnon struck again, and junior captain Matt McCormick added his name to the scorebook with a goal of his own.The Huskies ended their scoring drought with a goal from freshman Shane Billings in the final two minutes of the third quarter, cutting the Panthers’ lead to six goals. Senior captain Eric Gobiel then brought Plymouth’s lead back to seven goals, and the Panthers took an 8-1 lead into the final quarter of play.Sophomore Mark Bubier scored the Huskies’ second and final goal with 13:19 remaining in the game to cut the lead back down to six, but that’s as close as they would get. Gobiel, O’Malley and sophomore Bobby DiBrio each scored before time expired, giving the Panthers an easy 11-2 win and returning them to .500 on the season.Plymouth State goaltenders shared netminding duties throughout the match. Freshman Steve Valeri and senior Tim McNamara combined for three saves while sophomore Michael Rodrick let in the Huskies’ only goals. Across the field, Jeff Lamoureux stopped twelve shots for Southern Maine.Plymouth State, now 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the LEC, continues its seemingly never-ending road trip with two more LEC games at Eastern Connecticut tomorrow and UMass Boston the following Saturday. Field conditions permitting, the Panthers will finally host its home opener Sunday, April 18 in a nonconference matchup against Johnson State College.