By JOSHUA NATOLI
Sports Editor
The Plumeri Sports Complex was the scene as the Golden Knights Lacrosse team faced off against the Southern New Hampshire Penmen this past Saturday. The Golden Knights succumbed to a 9-5 loss after being outscored 5-2 in the second half. The Penmen (5-7 Overall/5-3 NE-10) earned a 46-30 shot advantage over The College of Saint Rose and took 10 of 16 face-offs during the match.
The last time these two teams faced off it was an entirely different story. The Golden Knights outscored the visiting Southern New Hampshire Penmen 4-2 throughout the second period on their way to an 8-6 victory. Seven different players found a way to score for the Golden Knights. Sophomore attack Kevin Fleming and sophomore midfielder Kris Miller netted two goals apiece. Fleming also added a pair of assists, both occurring early in the opening period. Junior goalie Nick Longo made five of his seven saves in the second half to deter the Penmen. Southern New Hampshire’s Brendan O’Brien stopped 11 shots for the Penmen; while sophomore attack Jeremy Buckley and senior midfielder Ryan Woodford each scored two goals.
Sophomore midfielder Kris Miller netted a team-high two goals to lead the Golden Knights’ (3-9 Overall/3-5 NE-10) offensive attack. Junior attack Brett McAuliffe, and sophomore midfielders Evan Helming and John Zullo also added one goal each in the match. Sophomore attack Kevin Fleming assisted two of the goals.
Junior goalie Nick Longo denied a total of 15 shots-on-goal.
For the Penmen, sophomore attack Taylor Warden netted three goals to lead Southern New Hampshire, which has been victorious in three of its last four contests.
It took Southern New Hampshire a while to get it going. The Penmen finally hit their offensive stride when senior long stickman Ryan Woodford threw in an unassisted strike with 4:50 remaining in the third period to expand the Southern New Hampshire’s 4-3 halftime lead to 5-3. Warden then tossed one in the back of the net courtesy of a Woodford assist as time expired in the third quarter for what ultimately became the game winner.
The Golden Knights managed to net one more goal 31 seconds into the fourth period when McAuliffe threw in a goal off of a feed from Fleming. However, the Penmen struck back not once but twice. Murray scored an unassisted goal and Warden snuck another one in two minutes later halfway through the quarter to put Southern New Hampshire in complete control with an 8-4 lead.
Looking ahead, the Golden Knights travel west to Syracuse Tuesday for an “Upstate Challenge” matchup with league rival Le Moyne at 4:00 pm. Southern New Hampshire is on the road Wednesday with a 7:00 pm NE-10 contest at Bentley in Waltham, MA.
