New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College men's lacrosse team fell to visiting Mitchell, 13-8, in non-conference action on Thursday afternoon at Celentano Field.
The Mariners avenged a one-goal setback to the Falcons last spring to improve to 5-6 on the year, while Albertus Magnus dropped its second straight to move to 4-7 overall.
Junior attack Greg Buck (Berlin, Conn.) paced the offensive attack for the hosts with a game-high six goals to go along with one assist. It marked the fourth time this season that Buck has recorded seven or more points in a game. Sophomore attack Brennan Moore (Meriden, Conn.) chipped in one marker and three helpers, while classmate Paul Mirmina (Milford, Conn.) contributed one tally and one assist for Albertus Magnus.
Defensively, freshman long-stick midfielder Dom Moscato (West Haven, Conn.) recorded a team-leading four caused turnovers for AMC, while junior Pat Croteau (Stratford, Conn.) and senior Adam Earl (Hamden, Conn.) registered three caused turnovers apiece.
In the face-off circle, junior Justin Bennet (Fairfield, Conn.) was stellar for the hosts, going 17-of-21 with nine ground balls. Sophomore Tommy Gillen (Port Jervis, N.Y.) won all four of his face-off attempts and junior midfielder Matt Mueller (Cheshire, Conn.) scooped a game-high 13 ground balls.
It was a balanced offensive attack for Mitchell with four different players scoring at least two goals on the afternoon. Freshman midfielder Jacob Setzko led the Mariners with four tallies, while classmate Owen LaPorte netted three goals and added two assists. Both junior McCarthy Brodaski and sophomore Kyle Perry potted two markers apiece for the guests.
On the defensive side, senior Maxx Crowley had a game-best six caused turnovers and sophomore Ryan Comerford added five of his own for Mitchell.
The Mariners came out of the gates quickly, holding a 7-2 edge after the first quarter. During the frame, the visitors broke a 1-1 tie with five unanswered goals to take a lead they would not surrender. Ten seconds after Mitchell opened the scoring, AMC won the ensuing face-off and Buck buried his first of the day off a feed from Moore. After Buck's tally, the Mariners netted five straight capped by an unassisted strike from LaPorte with just under five minutes left in the quarter.
During the second quarter, the Falcons outscored Mitchell, 4-3, to trail, 10-6 at halftime. Midway through the stanza, Buck netted a natural hat trick with three consecutive goals to pull the home team to within four at 9-5. The two squads would trade goals down the stretch with Mitchell take the four-goal advantage into the break.
In the third quarter, Mitchell scored twice and kept the Falcons off the board. In the period, Perry and Laporte scored to give the Mariners a 12-6 lead heading into the fourth.
The hosts opened the final quarter with two straight goals to pull within four at 12-8. Moore and Buck scored 47 seconds apart early in the frame to breathe life into the Falcons. Over the next ten minutes of play, AMC was unable to capitalize on scoring chances and the guests put the game away as Setzko scored with 3:35 left in the game.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Sunday, April 24, with a home Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash with Rivier that gets underway at 1:00 pm. Last spring, the Raiders topped the Falcons in New Hampshire.
For the latest information on the men's lacrosse team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.