Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/22/14
From Press Releases
After a slow start, the Cabrini men’s lacrosse team found it stride and ran away with a 17-4 win at Haverford College to open the 2014 season Saturday. The victory marks the third consecutive season that the Cavaliers have opened the season with a win over Haverford.
Seven Cavaliers found the back of the net in the win, led by senior Corey Elmer’s seven total points on four goals and three assists. Junior Tyler Johnston (Ridley) and senior Joey Shallow (Lower Merion) matched Elmer with four goals, while sophomore Evan Downey and junior Damian Sobieski (Avon Grove) each added a pair of assists.
The Cavaliers wasted little time getting on the board as Sobieski found Johnston for the first goal of the season 85 seconds into the game. The Fords responded just 43 seconds later. Sobieski’s second helper came at the 10:20 mark, as Downey’s goal put the Blue and White ahead. Haverford took its first lead of the day with a pair of scores before Elmer found Shallow for a man down goal with 2:34 left in the opening half.
Head coach Steve Colfer and his coaching staff made some adjustments after the first 15 minutes, and they paid off as the Blue and White controlled the next 45. Cabrini dominated the second quarter, outscoring Haverford 6-0. Elmer and junior Mike Leyden (Haverford High) paced the Blue and White spurt with two goals each during the period. Johnston and Sobieski also found the net, while both of Downey’s assist came during the period.
The Fords cut into their deficit with a goal at the 12:32 mark of the third period. Haverford had a chance to cut further into Cabrini’s lead as the Fords had a 30 second two man advantage midway through the period but freshman netminder Hank Altschuler (Lower Merion) made two big saves to maintain the 9-4 lead. The momentum translated to the offensive side of the field as Elmer and Johnston combined for three goals in the final 3:11 of the third quarter.
Junior Anthony DiNenno (Avon Grove) won 13 faceoffs and scooped five ground balls, overtaking Andrew Kvech for the program’s all-time lead with 236 ground balls. Sophomore Dan Hopson led the Blue and White defense with two forced turnovers.
Altschuler posed 10 saves to record the victory in his first career start.
Geoff Geppert scored two goals for the Fords (0-1), while Jack Bodine tallied two assists.
Eastern 12, Swarthmore 5
The Eagles powered past the Garnet as Grant Ferguson continued to light up the scoreboard.
Ferguson, a junior, notched five goals on six shots in Saturday’s win. Through two games, he has 14 goals.
The Eagles, now 2-0, put up three goals in each quarter. Eastern gave up a goal 40 seconds into the game, but responded with six consecutive goals.
Ferguson tied the game 1-1 with an unassisted goal with 10:58 left in the first, and then Eric Waibel (Avon Grove) tallied two goals to put the Eagles up 3-1 by the end of the first quarter. Dave Darling scored with 9:36 left in the second, and Waibel and Ferguson closed out the 6-0 run with another goal a piece.
Swarthmore cut the deficit to 6-3 in the beginning of the third quarter, but Eastern again pulled away with a string of four goals.
Waibel finished with three goals and Darling contributed two goals. Blake Bennett and Tim Lamb each scored once, recording their first goals as Eagles.
Pat Groschan earned the win in the net, making six saves.
At the x, Matt Lee (Cherry Hill East) won 11-of-13 face-offs and Joe Palo (Hatboro-Horsham) took 5-of-8.
Division II
Le Moyne 13, Chestnut Hill College 8
Senior attack Michael Melnychenko (St. Catharines, Ontario) and the Griffins drew first blood against the defending National Champions, but Le Moyne College’ five-goal run in the second quarter energized the Dolphins and proved the difference. Melnychenko recorded four goals on eight shots and recovered two ground balls.
Melnychenko got Chestnut Hill College (0-1) the initial lead of the contest less than two minutes after the opening faceoff (13:52). Le Moyne College (2-0) answered a little more than a minute later (12:40) on an unassisted strike from junior midfield Joe Corapi (Liverpool, N.Y.), 1-1, and then seized a 2-1 advantage before the end of the first quarter.
Fortunately, the Dolphins ended the opening period with a penalty, allowing the Griffins to even the score in the second quarter on a Melnychenko man-up tally at 14:29, 2-2, and take the lead, 3-2, on even-man score from sophomore attack Tanner Fisher (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) at 11:34. But as play approached the six-minute mark, the Dolphins took charge, rattling off five consecutive scored to control a 7-3 halftime advantage. The second half was played evenly, but the damage was done as the Dolphins left Drexel University’s Vidas Field with a five-goal win.
Junior attack Kevin Kelly (Basking Ridge, N.J.) headlined the Dolphins production with four goals, one assist, and a caused turnover. He was supported by two goals, two assists, and two ground balls from sophomore attack Mike Jenkins (Clifton Park, N.Y.) and a three-point game, two goals and one assist, from Corapi. In goal, junior Ben Romagnoli (Cazenovia, N.Y.) claimed the win (2-0) with 11 saves, two ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
For the Griffins, Melnychenko offensive production was complimented by a goal, two assists, two ground balls, and a caused turnover from freshman attack Alec Dambach (Howell, N.J.), and two-point efforts from junior Michael Landau (Lancaster, Pa.), two goals, and Fisher, a goal and an assist. Freshman midfielder Joseph Pozniak (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) was 9-of-23 (.391) and grabbed seven ground balls in the faceoff circle while senior goalkeeper made 12 saves and recovered three ground balls in the loss (0-1).
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