After finishing their four-game road schedule with a 2-2 record, the Elizabethtown College men’s lacrosse team scored a season-high 11 goals in a decisive 11-3 home win against Immaculata University this past Saturday. Sophomore Jimmy Waters lead the offensive attack, scoring four of the 11 goals, while six other Blue Jays found the back of the net.
Etown (4-2) grabbed a 2-0 lead less than five minutes in on unassisted goals by Waters and junior Russ LeClair, but the winless Mighty Macs fought back late in the quarter with first-year Ben Lelario and senior Rocco Piliero scoring to tie it 2-2 with 3:07 left. Waters had the only goal of the second quarter, with the Blue Jays a man up due to a penalty at the 11:15 mark, leaving the Jays with a 3-2 lead at halftime in a surprisingly low-scoring game. Etown had a 15-12 edge in shots at the break, but the play of first-year Immaculata goalie Brien Cullen kept the score from being worse than it was. Cullen made five of his 20 saves in the first quarter.
The Blue Jays began to pour it on in the third quarter when they outscored the Mighty Macs 5-1 to take a firm grasp of the game. Waters and first-year Joe Clark scored a pair of third quarter goals, while senior Craig Hunsberger started the quarter with an unassisted tally just 45 seconds in. It wasn’t until the quarter was over halfway through that Immaculata leading scorer senior Bhelly Bagbonon finally found the scoresheet. Bagbonon, with nine goals and nine assists to his credit coming in, scored his 10th on a nice individual effort, but the Jays had a 7-3 lead after the goal.
Etown commanded every aspect of the ball against the Mighty Macs. The defense, lead by junior Dillon McDevitt, caused a total of 14 turnovers to keep the Immaculata offense quiet. Face offs were also dominated by the Blue Jays, who won 15 of 17 in the game.
The Blue Jays did not have much time to enjoy their win as they took on conference rival Albright College yesterday.
The Lions jumped on the Blue Jays early on in the first quarter. Goals by Albright’s Cam Cetrone and TJ Holston gave the Lions an early lead entering the second quarter.
The Lions added another tally in the second quarter to lead 3-0 entering the half as the Blue Jays were only able to muster up 12 shots in the first half in comparison to Albright’s 18.
The Blue Jays came ready to play in the fourth quarter, scoring three goals in the games waning minutes. But it was too late for Etown as Albright held on to a 6-4 victory over their conference opponent.
The Blue Jays will be back on Wolf Field this Saturday when they take on future Landmark opponent Catholic University at 1 p.m.