New Haven, Conn. – Junior attack Greg Buck (Berlin, Conn.) scored seven goals and added two assists to lead the Albertus Magnus College men's lacrosse team past visiting Anna Maria, 18-5, on Wednesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action under the lights at Celentano Field.
The Falcons snapped a three-game skid with the victory to improve to 4-5 on the year and 1-3 in conference action, while the AMCATS dropped to 1-10 overall and 0-3 in league play with their seventh straight setback.
It was an historic evening for Buck, as his fourth strike of the first half made him the first player in program history to score 100 career goals. The nine points marked a new season-high and he netted seven markers for the second time this season. Other contributors on the offensive end for Albertus Magnus were sophomore attack Brennan Moore (Meriden,Conn.) and junior midfielder Justin Bennet (Fairfield, Conn.). Moore scored six goals to go along with a game-high three assists, while Bennet potted two tallies and chipped in two helpers.
Bennet was dominant in the face-of circle, winning 16-of-20 and grabbing a game-high 17 ground balls. Sopohmore midfielder Tommy Gillen (Port Jervis, N.Y.) also won a pair of face-offs for the hosts. On the opposite side, sophomore Malik Griffith won nine for Anna Maria.
Defensively, junior Mat Mueller (Cheshire, Conn.) wreaked havoc on the AMCATS all evening, causing a career-high eight turnovers and scooping nine ground balls. Junior Jon Gravius (Howell, N.J.) contributed six caused turnovers and four ground balls for the hosts, while senior Adam Earl (Hamden, Conn.) had a goal, an assist, two caused turnovers and six ground balls.
The guests were led offensively by freshman attack Zachary Bryant with three goals and one assist, while sopohmore Paul Mills added two helpers. Senior Alex Rezendes and sophomore Tyler Hagan were the other goal scorers for the AMCATS.
In his first collegiate start, AMC freshman John Brunetti (West Haven, Conn.) made 22 saves to earn the victory. For Anna Maria, freshman Paul Schwarz turned aside 18 shots in a losing effort.
Albertus Magnus came out of the gates charging, scoring the first six goals of the contest. During the spurt, Moore and Buck both netted two goals apiece. Bennet's first of the game with 3:42 left in the first quarter gave the hosts a 6-0 edge. Bryant closed out the scoring in the stanza to put the guests on the board as AMC took a 6-1 edge into the second quarter.
During the second frame, Albertus Magnus once again outscored Anna Maria, 6-1, to take a 12-2 advantage into halftime. After Bryant scored to bring the AMCATS to within four at 6-2, the Falcons ended the half on a 6-0 run capped by a strike from Gillen.
AMC pulled away in the third quarter behind three strikes from Buck and put the game out of reach with two more tallies in the fourth.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, April 16, with a home conference clash with Lasell that gets underway at noon. The Falcons are looking to avenge a road loss to the Lasers last spring.
For the latest information on the men's lacrosse team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
