Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/23/19
From Press Release
Connor Kirst scored the game winner once again in overtime today to give host Villanova a 10-9 win over Hofstra. Kirst, a junior midfielder, who won last week’s overtime thriller over Yale, scored 2:31 into the first overtime on a hard shot that bounced off the ground and into the back of the goal.
In overtime Brian Herber and Dan Fisher (St. Joseph’s Prep, 8 of 11 FO) faced off on the center dot with the Wildcats winning on the violation by the Pride. Patrick Daly and Kirst both launched shots wide and with the possession clock winding down Khan placed a shot on goal that was saved by Robert Casey, Hofstra’s goalkeeper but bounced out of play. The Wildcats kept the ball and Kirst was able to score the game winner.
Freshman Matt Campbell led Villanova’s offense from the start netting the first goal of the game on a dish from Keegan Khan. Campbell finished with six goals, including the final two in regulation to tie the game up at nine and forced overtime.
Villanova had a 3-2 at the end of the first with Khan having assisted on all three goals. He would later net a goal with just one second to go in the second quarter to put the Wildcats up 6-3 at halftime.
The third quarter was all Pride. Hofstra netted all six goals in the quarter with Ryan Tierney scoring three of them. Ryan Kinnard (Penncrest) scored once for Hofstra.
The Wildcats made a switch in goalies towards the end of the third quarter. Nick Testa made the start and had seven saves before freshman Will Vitton came in and picked up his first career win. The rookie played his first minutes in the blue and white and finished with three saves while allowing no goals.
Villanova netted three goals in the fourth quarter and played tight defense to not allow a Hofstra goal. Khan found Kirst for the first on a man-up opportunity with Campbell getting his final two with the last on a dish from Colin Crowley.
TJ Comizio had a game high seven ground balls and caused two turnovers to give him 42 in his career.
Lafayette 13, Binghamton 12
After a first period where little went right for the Leopards, they fought to win the next three frames and ultimately slip away with a victory over Binghamton at Fisher Stadium in the final non-conference contest before Patriot League play.
The Leopards trailed 7-3 after the opening frame, were outshot 19-4 and converted just one of their five clear attempts. But everything changed from that point forward as Lafayette scored 10 of the game’s final 15 goals and held a 31-18 edge in shots during that span to prove its resilience and move to 4-1 in 2019, the highest win total for the Maroon and White since 2015 and the best start since 2009.
Senior co-captain Conor Walters orchestrated the Leopards’ offense in excellent fashion, registering a game-high seven points on five assists and a pair of goals. Sophomore Andrew Robbins was the game’s leading scorer with four tallies, while senior Connar Dehnert and sophomore Bryan Hess each chipped in with multi-goal performances.
Defensively, freshman Stephen Sajer had one of the best games of his rookie campaign with three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Senior Jeff Sikorsky and junior Chris Adamo added a team-high four ground balls for Lafayette.
