The LIU Post men’s lacrosse team improved to 5-1 in the new season Saturday after coming out on top in a back-and-forth battle against Molloy College, 12-8, at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in Brookville.
The duo of senior attackman Chris Caiazza and junior midfielder Anthony Berardis gave the Pioneers a 3-0 edge late in the opening quarter. Berardis and Caiazza each had one goal and one assist, as they accounted for two of the three man-up goals for LIU.
In the second quarter, the Pioneers recorded four consecutive goals to extend their lead to 7-1 over the Lions. Junior attackmen Matt Bellando and Matty Beccaris, along with Caiazza and Berardis, all found the back of the net during the stretch.
However, the Lions reduced the deficit to 7-3 at the intermission, as sophomore attacker Connor Slane and senior attacker Joe Leonard both scored in the closing seconds of the period.
After heading into the fourth quarter with a 9-4 advantage, the Pioneers allowed back-to-back unassisted goals by Leonard to make it a 9-6 contest with 13:25 to go in the final session. As Molloy put on the rally caps, the Pioneers absorbed the run and put it in the books, as Beccaris and Caiazza each responded in a 17-second span.
LIU Post dominated in shots (39-25), and scooped up 31 ground balls compared to Molloy’s 25. In addition, the hosts were 14-of-20 on clears and converted on 3-of-7 extra-man opportunities. Junior goalkeeper Adam Winne made five saves in the cage for the Pioneers, while his counterpart, Ryan Toomey totaled 11 stops for the visitors.
Head LIU Post men’s lacrosse coach John Jez and his squad will close out their three-game home stand on Saturday, March 21, when they face-off against Chestnut Hill College. The opening draw is set for 11 a.m.
On the same day, the women’s lacrosse team concluded their visit to the Sunshine State with an 11-9 loss to sixth-ranked University of New Haven in Melbourne, Fla.
The LIU Post women’s team controlled the tempo for the entire opening half, jumping out to a 3-0 lead, while keeping the Chargers scoreless for almost 25 minutes. Junior midfielder/defender Honey Roche was quick to enter the stat-sheet, scoring just 22 seconds in. She also dished out assists to sophomore attacker Stefani Vagelatos for the other two first half goals. Freshman goalkeeper Olivia Kirk denied six of the eight shots she faced in the first 30 minutes. The Pioneers held a 5-2 edge at the half.
New Haven, however, fought the uphill battle and took over in the second half. After trailing 6-3 early on in the latter stanza, New Haven tallied four unanswered goals in under four minutes to take a 7-6 lead with 20:03 remaining in the contest.
Pioneer sophomore defender/midfielder Cara Douglas evened up the ongoing chess match at 7-all, on a free-position score, for her second tally of the game. With just ten minutes remaining in regulation, junior attacker Maya Syzmanski racked up three unassisted goals for the Chargers, good enough to secure the victory.
Vagelatos totaled three goals in the loss for the Pioneers, while Douglas and sophomore midfielder Connor Bird added two goals apiece. Roche had a solid outing with one goal, two helpers, and two ground balls. Sophomore attacker Emily Delaney also pitched in with two assists.
This article was originally published in the Pioneer, the award-winning student newspaper of LIU Post, www.liupostpioneer.com, and is republished here by Blank Slate Media with the permission of the Pioneer.
