PURCHASE, N.Y.- The Albertus Magnus College men's lacrosse team suffered a road setback to the Panthers of Purchase College, falling by a final score of 9-5 on Thursday night in non-conference action.
The Falcons utilized a balanced attack on offense, as five different players found the back of the net. Andrew Luzzi (East Haven, Conn.) paced the Falcon's offense with two points, behind a goal and an assist. In goal, senior Dane Walsh (Bethany, Conn.) continued his strong start to the season, making 13 stops, his third game in a row with at least 10 saves.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Purchase 9 | Albertus Magnus 5
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (2-1) | Purchase (2-0)
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons capitalized on an early penalty by the Panthers to open the game's scoring in the first quarter. Four seconds after Ben Erkan was sent to the sidelines for interference, Derek Ralston (Guilford, Conn.) gave AMC a 1-0 lead on a pass from Zaheim Wilkins (Mastic Beach, N.Y.).
Unfortunately for the Falcons, this lead did not last the period, as Purchase scored back-to-back goals in the final 1:46. The Panthers widened their advantage with the first goal of the second quarter to take a 3-1 lead by the 13:13 mark.
Albertus did not waste time trying to cut the deficit, scoring nine seconds later in the second quarter to make it a 3-2 game. Luzzi netted the Falcons' second goal after winning the ensuing face-off and marching down the field to score. However, purchase answered by tallying three unanswered goals to end the quarter to take a commanding 6-2 advantage into the break.
In the third quarter, the Falcons began a comeback attempt, outscoring the Panthers by a 2-1 margin to take a three-goal deficit, 7-4, into the fourth. Jayme Toro (East Haven, Conn.) found the back of the net first on a pass from Luzzi. Charles Stewart (Stratford, Conn.) was next to score, with 46 seconds remaining in the period.
Despite winning the third quarter, the Falcons' comeback attempt was halted by two consecutive Purchase tallies. Shane Kelly's (Madison, Conn.) goal with 5:16 left in the game ended the contest's scoring to settle a 9-5 victory for the Panthers.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus - Dane Walsh (L 2-1): 9 Goals-Against | 13 Saves | 22 Shots on Goal
Purchase - Will Boes (W, 2-0): 5 Goals-Against | 6 Saves | 11 Shots on Goal
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Panthers outshot the Falcons by a 39-24 margin.
- Albertus went 1-for-6 on extra-man opportunities, while Purchase went 0-for-7.
- The Falcons won the battle in the circle, winning nine of the 16 face-offs.
- Purchase held the edge in ground balls, scooping 25 to the Falcons' 18.
Albertus:
Andrew Luzzi: 1 goal | 1 assist | 1 shot on goal | 2 ground balls | 3-for-5 FO
Zaheim Wilkins: 1 assist | 4 shots | 2 shots on goal | 3 ground balls | 1-for-1 FO
Jayme Toro: 1 goal | 5 shots | 3 shots on goal | 4 ground balls | 5-for-9 FO
Purchase:
Ben Erkan: 6 goals | 12 shots | 8 shots on goal | 4 ground balls | 3-for-6 FO
Joe Ely: 2 goals | 4 shots | 4 shots on goal | 3 ground balls | 1 caused turnover | 4-for-10 FO
NOTEWORTHY
- Today's game marked the third all-time meeting between the Falcons and Panthers, with Purchase winning all three.
- Kelly has scored in three straight contests.
- Luzzi has scored in three consecutive games.
- Toro scored his first goal of the season.
- Stewart also scored his first goal of the year.
- Ralston has scored in three straight games for Albertus.
UP NEXT
The Falcons will next make their home debut on Saturday, March 12, with a 2:30 p.m. showdown against Eastern Nazarene College at Celentano Field.
