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Saints start hot in men's lacrosse, topple Fords 11-5

Posted 3/2/13

The St. Lawrence University men's lacrosse team opened its 2013 season in style, scoring nine first half goals en route to an 11-5 win over Haverford at the Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT. Senior …

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Saints start hot in men's lacrosse, topple Fords 11-5

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The St. Lawrence University men's lacrosse team opened its 2013 season in style, scoring nine first half goals en route to an 11-5 win over Haverford at the Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT. Senior Mac Johnson had three goals for the Saints, while classmate Jeff Goeke made 12 saves to pick up the win in net.

Senior captain Tucker Garfield and sophomore Garrett Gagne each added two goals in a winning effort for the Saints (1-0), who closed with a 37-21 advantage in ground balls and matched the Fords in shots, 25-25.

"We came out ready to play and built a nice lead heading into halftime," said St. Lawrence head coach Mike Mahoney. "Our defense and Jeff (Goeke) were solid in the second half and helped us secure the win."

The two teams struggled turning the ball over throughout much of the game, as they combined for 61 turnovers, including 32 for Haverford. The Saints' defense on the ride was solid, with captain Cam Scullen, Josh Robinson and Oliver Dennis pressuring the ball and forcing failed clears throughout the game.

Garfield and Gagne put the Saints up 2-0 in the first half, and though Jake Maldonado would get Haverford on the board, Gagne and Johnson scored back-to-back goals for the Scarlet and Brown only :14 seconds apart to open up a 4-1 lead. Gagne deflected a pass from Scullen past Ford goalie Eric Caliendo. After a face-off win by Jake Davis, Johnson picked up a rebound in front and scored his first goal of the game to cap the first quarter scoring.

The second quarter was all St. Lawrence, as they outscored the Fords 5-2 to take a sizable halftime cushion. Johnson, Cody Danforth and Jeremy Vautour would score for the Saints to make it 7-1 midway through the second, and Justin Ingram and Garfield would also tack on goals. Dan LoSardo and Christian Clay kept Haverford within six down 9-3.

Both defenses played well in the second half, as each team managed only two goals. The Saints had contributions throughout their defensive corps, including Sam Marvin, Bret Newman, Malcolm Lynch and Brian Wilber. With the defense playing well and Goeke looking very sharp, goals by Pierson Fowler and Johnson were enough to lead the Saints to the 11-5 win.

Davey Hovey finished with three assists for St. Lawrence, while Maldonado and Clay led Haverford with two goals and an assist each. The Fords finished only 19-of-30 on clears, while the Saints were 24-of-30 and 1-for-2 on man-up tries.

Robinson finished with a game-high five caused turnovers while Scullen, Lynch and Marvin added three apiece. Scullen also added a game-high seven ground balls.

St. Lawrence will play its 2013 home opener on Wednesday, March 6 when the team hosts Adrian at 4:00pm at Hall-Leet Stadium.