Men’s Lacrosse: Garnet Blow By Ospreys
SWARTHMORE, Pa.- Junior captain Jay Charles led nine Swarthmore goal scorers with a career-high four goals as Swarthmore dismantled Richard Stockton 15-4 on a windy Saturday afternoon on Cunningham Field.
Charles gave Swarthmore a quick 1-0 lead 34 seconds into the game. The Ospreys answered the Garnet less than a minute later when middie Mike Marino found the net behind Swarthmore keeper Frank Mazzucco '08. The quarter was a draw for the two teams until the final three seconds of play when Stockon freshman Bill Scott converted a shot to give the Ospreys the lead going into the second quarter.
The Garnet finally regained their offensive focus with eight minutes to play before the half. Gavin Nurick tallied a goal at 8:52 to push Swarthmore ahead, but Stockton senior attacker Josh Enyeart knotted the game again two minutes later. Garnet senior Matt Perez stepped up at the end of the second half, scoring one of his two goals on the day and gave Swarthmore the 4-3 edge. Teammates Charles and Adam Miller '08 followed, scoring a goal each 15 seconds apart in the final two minutes, giving Swarthmore a 5-2 lead over Stockton at the break.
Swarthmore outshot Stockton 16-10 in the first half, but fast feet from the Ospreys gave them a 15-10 advantage in the ground ball column. The Garnet remained strong in the faceoff circle, winning six of the nine contests.
The second half was all Swarthmore as the men scored ten goals in the thirty minutes of play. Swarthmore took 20 shots in the third quarter alone, and finished with 44 shots on the afternoon to just 14 for the visitors.
Nurick, Perez, and sophomore Alex Hahn closed the game with two goals apiece while teammates Bradi Covert, Miller, captain Ryan McKenna, Stelios Wilson and Will Predun each got on board with a goal. The Garnet assisted on eight goals, including three assists apiece from Covert and McKenna.
Charles and Adam Winegar '08 were almost flawless at midfield, winning 12 of 14 face-offs.
With the win, the Garnet improve their season record to 2-1. The team will return to Clothier field on Wednesday, March 22 to host Elizabethtown College in a 7 p.m. night game.