PLYMOUTH – The red-hot PSU men’s lacrosse team’s offense came alive early, outscoring the University of Southern Maine 7-1 in the second quarter on Sunday afternoon and the Panthers went on to win their fourth straight victory, defeating the Huskies 11-4 at Panther Field in a pivotal Little East Conference match-up.
The Panther defense showed excellent talent, holding USM to only one goal in each quarter and allowing a total of 21 shots. The defense has played remarkably lately, also holding their last four opponents to five goals or fewer, totaling 16 goals total over that span.
The Panthers improved to 8-5 overall and 3-3 in the Little East Conference with the win. Southern Maine dropped to 3-8 overall and 0-5 in the conference.
Junior Adam Krinsky, who was named the Little East Conference Men’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, led the Panthers with a hat-trick and one assist, while first-year Wes Downing chipped in with two goals and an assist. First-year Alex Blanco contributed with three assists in the Panthers’ victorious effort.
First-year Dan Jackson led Southern Maine with a pair of goals, and sophomore goaltender James Suriyodorn was kept busy in goal, making 13 saves on the afternoon.
The game started evenly for both teams, each showing tough offensive strikes.
The Panthers got onto the board quickly three minutes into the first quarter after senior Tim Butler nailed a shot past Suriyodorn.
The Panthers’ defense continued to hold strong, but USM’s offensive wouldn’t go down without a fight. Sophomore Matt Manson nailed his first of two goals for the game four minutes later to tie the game for the Huskies.
Plymouth responded three minutes later Downing snuck a shot past Suriyodorn to regain the lead for the Panthers. Krinsky scored his first of three shots on the afternoon two minutes later to secure the lead for good.
The second quarter was no easier for the Huskies as PSU continued their offensive onslaught. Sophomore Dan Maiorana drilled a shot with less than a minute into the second quarter. Less than two minutes later, Krinsky nailed his second goal of the game. USM answered with a goal four minutes later, but only sparked a five-goal rally heading into halftime.
With Plymouth leading 10-2, the Panthers remained strong, but USM returned ready to play. Strong defense and offensive showings from both teams kept the third quarter relatively a deadlock. The Panthers only managed one more goal, a shot from first-year Kyle Belanger six minutes into the quarter.
The fourth quarter displayed a tough and resilient Huskies team, one hungry for goals. A tough USM offense challenged the Panthers, but PSU held on. Southern Maine was able to score two more goals, but it wouldn’t be enough.
“We’re on the run going to the playoffs,” said Krinsky. “That’s exactly what we want to do. It’s better to have a drought in the middle of the season than now. Gotta get that hot head of steam going into the playoffs.”
Plymouth State dominated Southern Maine in capturing ground balls by a count of 41-14, including a 24-6 margin in the first half. First-year Tim Hadley picked up six ground balls to lead the Panthers, while sophomore Conor McCullough gathered four.
Seniors Steve Valeri and Nick Grobe each shared time in the Panther goal, Valeri and Grobe made four and five saves respectively.
The Panthers had a successful home opener, defeating UMass Dartmouth 11-5 on Saturday afternoon.
“Well, we kind of had a slow start, but the guys are really gelling together,” said head coach Andrew Brauch. “We’re trying to fight for home field advantage.”
Plymouth wrapped up their regular season on Wednesday at Panther Park with a non-conference match-up against Lasell College at 4:00 P.M.