The USM Lacrosse Team dominated UNE on their way to an 11-5 victory over the University of New England Nor’easters, on Thursday April 8.
The win ended a three game skid and improved the Huskies to 3-4 on the season. The Huskies need just two more wins to tie the school record for victories in a season. With the loss, the UNE Nor’easters dropped to 0-5 on the season.
The Huskies got their engine churning in the second quarter, outscoring UNE 4-2, to take a 7-4 lead at the break. TJ Bell, Ben Sylvia, and Jeff Donovan each scored two goals in the first half for the Huskies. Freshman David Bates also chipped in with a goal. UNE received first half goals from Josh Carnevale, Kevin Benasich, Matt Vieira and John Livatino.
USM widened its lead to six in the third quarter by outscoring UNE 3-0 to make it 10-4. TJ Bell and Jeff Donovan finished off their hat tricks with goals and Mark St. John added a goal for the Huskies. In the fourth quarter, Benasich scored his second goal of the game for the Nor’easters and Matt Butler added a goal for the Huskies to make the final count 11-5. Junior goalie, Mark Morissette made 14 saves for the Huskies.
Southern Maine will look to improve to 4-4 on Saturday when they travel to Western Connecticut (after press time). The Colonials also will enter Saturday’s conference showdown with a 3-4 record. Saturday’s game will give the Huskies a chance to beat a team that has a few wins under its belt. The three teams USM have beaten have a combined record of 1-15.
USM is also looking to tighten ups its defense. USM opponents have outscored the Huskies 55-33 on the season. Despite the Huskies’ struggles, they have already matched last year’s win total. With six games remaining the Huskies have a shot at breaking the school’s record for wins in a season (5). Setting a school record for wins in a season has been one of the Huskies’ goals all season. “It’s a goal I think we can definitely achieve, ” said Bell prior to the start of the season.
If the Huskies are going to set a school record for wins, they’re going to need
TJ Bell, Ben Sylvia, and Matt Butler to lead the charge. The trio has scored 19 of the Huskies’ 33 goals. Butler, a junior attacker, has scored nine goals and added two assists. Bell, a senior, has five goals on the season. Sylvia, a junior, has five goals and six assists. Jeff Donovan has added four goals and two assists. The Huskies have six regular season games remaining and then the Little East Conference Playoffs, where anything can happen.
Kevin Moran can be contacted at [email protected]