New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College men's lacrosse team fell to visiting Rivier, 14-4, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Sunday afternoon at Celentano Field.
With the setback on Senior Day, the Falcons enter the final week of the regular season with a 4-8 overall record and a 1-5 mark in conference play. The Raiders won their third straight to improve to 10-5 on the spring and 4-3 in conference contests.
Offensively, four different players found the back of the net for the hosts. One of the four goal scorers was senior Paul Dombrowski (Hamden, Conn.) early in the third quarter. His strike off a rebound was the first of his career in his final collegiate home game. Sophomore attack Brennan Moore (Meriden, Conn.), classmate Paul Mirmina (Milford, Conn.) and second-year midfielder Tommy Gillen (Port Jervis, N.Y.) also scored for Albertus Magnus.
Defensively, senior Adam Earl (Hamden, Conn.) and junior Matt Mueller (Cheshire, Conn.) both had two caused turnovers apiece for the hosts. Junior middy Justin Bennet (Fairfield, Conn.) won seven face-offs and was one of four different Falcons to scoop three ground balls.
It was a two-headed attack for the guests with senior Kyle Graham and freshman Colby Larsen each netting three goals apiece. Graham added two helpers and Larsen had three ground balls. Sophomore attack William Ryan and classmate Tyler Tambouris both chipped in two tallies and two assists apiece.
Defensively, junior John Cangiamila had a game-high six caused turnovers, while sophomore Joe Kelland and junior Chris Jacobson all had two each. Kelland had a game-best 10 ground balls and three other Raiders grabbed five ground balls apiece. In the face-off circle, Tambouris won four, senior Cody Lynch won nine and Max Tucci won two of his own.
In the cage, two goalkeepers saw action for both teams. AMC sophomore Jack Kerner (Merrick, N.Y.) Made 11 saves in over 37 minutes of play in a losing effort. In relief of Kerner, freshman John Brunetti (West Haven, Conn.) stopped seven shots. On the opposite side, senior Clark Plummer turned aside seven shots to earn his 10th win of the spring. Over the final six minutes of play, freshman Matt Cloutman made one save for the guests.
Rivier scored the first three goals of the game and never looked back. Late in the opening quarter, Gillen put the Falcons on the board with his seventh of the season as the hosts trailed, 3-1, after 15 minutes.
During the second quarter, the guests kept Albertus Magnus off the board and scored three times to lead 6-1 at the break. During the frame, Graham, Eric Guinasso and Larsen all beat Kerner.
The Falcons pulled within four early in the third quarter courtesy of Dombrowski's goal on the doorstep. Following the tally, Rivier closed out the stanza with four unanswered markers to take a 10-2 edge into the final quarter.
Over the final 15 minutes, Rivier outscored AMC, 4-2, to escape with the hard-earned win.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Wednesday, April 27, with a road conference clash against Mount Ida that is slated to begin at 6:00 pm. Last spring, the Mustangs topped the Falcons, 21-13, in New Haven.
For the latest information on the men's lacrosse team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
