UMD Upends Men's Lacrosse Four Game Winning Streak

Senior Day was a tough one for the PSU Men's lacrosse team, as they fell to the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth, 10-4, on Sunday (Apr. 6) afternoon. The loss drops the Panthers' overall record to 4-2, and gives them their first loss in their only conference game to date.

A long opening offensive possession that took almost four minutes off of the clock resulting in a number of shots by C.J. Frates (Merrimack, N.H.), Zach Frank (Wakefield, MA), Chris Annunciata (Waltham, MA), and Nick Morello (North Billerica, MA), but the Panthers weren't able to get on the scoreboard initially. UMD scored a goal with just ten minutes remaining in the first quarter to give them a 1-0 lead.

Approximately five minutes later, Aaron Boss (Keene, N.H.) found Annunciata to tie the game up at one apiece. Just as PSU appeared to be on their way to capturing a lead, the Corsairs scored a goal with 26 seconds left in the first quarter that proved to be too tough for Plymouth to overcome.

Another Corsair goal with 9:25 left in the second quarter gave UMD a 3-1 lead, but Annunciata was able to cut the lead back to a goal with his 16^th of the season. Mike Trocchi (Danvers, MA) had an assist on the play. Only 1:09 later, UMD went back up by two goals. The 4-2 score at this point of the game is how the scored stayed going into halftime.

Head Coach Gordon Webb reiterated to his team that they weren't out of it, and that there was still 30 minutes left in the contest. Being able to capitalize on the opportunities being given to them was going to be a big key for the Panthers to capture the victory.

Unfortunately for PSU, the Corsairs had other plans.

Senior goalie Jesse Kutz (Hopkinton, MA) had a strong start in the second half, as he stopped multiple shots to keep the Panthers in it. UMD scored two goals in the last six minutes of the third quarter, and this proved to be too big of a deficit for PSU to comeback from.

The other two goals scored for Plymouth were by Frank, and junior Andy Ripley (South Paris, ME).

For the game, Kutz had 14 saves, which tied him for his season-high (which occurred against the University of New England). Ryan Garland (Franklin, MA) and senior Brandon Foley (Londonderry, N.H.) led the team with three caused turnovers apiece. Garland and Colin Claffin (Pembroke, MA) each had five ground balls in the contest.

It doesn't get much easier for PSU, as they have a stretch in which they have three games in four days, starting with a game against Castleton State College this past Thursday (Apr. 10).  The other two games, against Salem State and Western Connecticut State University, are going to be crucial Little East Conference games that will effect what seed Plymouth will get in the post-season tournament. Being able to win both conference games would be crucial for the Panthers. Aside from giving them momentum, it would improve their LEC record to 2-1.

Victories in these games aren't impossible, as both of these teams currently have losing records. The Panthers were able to defeat both teams in the regular season in 2013, so players such as Frank, Kutz, Nick Allard (Norwich, CT) and Scott Pelligrinelli (Glastonbury, CT) look to lead PSU to a few wins over the next couple of days.

The game against Western Connecticut will take place over at Holderness Field, on the other side of the I-93 highway. PSU would appreciate it if fans could make their over to the field by 12:00 p.m. for the game on Sunday afternoon.