Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/12/22
From Press Release
The No. 12 Cabrini men’s lacrosse team built an early lead and never looked back, claiming a 7-4 win over visiting SUNY Cortland Friday at Edith Robb Dixon Field.
Prior to the faceoff, the Cavaliers honored head coach Steve Colfer, who scored his 300th career victory in Cabrini’s season-opening 10-6 win over Haverford. With Friday’s win, Colfer ranks 21st among all Div. I, II and III coaches in NCAA history, while his .795 win percentage ranks seventh all-time.
Junior Dillon McManus led the Blue and White with three goals, while classmate Mikey Vanaman (St. Augustine Prep) paired a goal and two assists.
Graduate student Matt Nestler anchored the Cabrini defensive effort, recording 13 saves, three caused turnovers and three ground balls between the Blue and White pipes. Senior Jake Huey (Marple Newtown) dominated the faceoff spot, winning 12 of the game’s 15 draws and securing six ground balls.
After nearly nine minutes of scoreless action, junior Austin Bolton opened the scoring at the 6:10 mark, converting a pass from Vanaman. Cabrini doubled its advantage in the final minutes of the opening frame, as Vanaman found McManus.
The advantage swelled in the opening minutes of the second quarter, as sophomore Brian Rafferty (Bishop Shanahan) and McManus found the back of the net in a span of 20 seconds, as the Cavaliers built a 4-0 lead with 10:16 left in the second.
Two minutes later, Cortland’s Colton Smith put the visitors on the board, but the Cavaliers answered at the 6:12 mark, as graduate student Jake Goss (St. Joseph’s Prep) found McManus to give Cabrini a 5-1 lead at the half.
The Red Dragons grabbed some momentum in the early minutes of the third quarter, netting a pair of markers to pull within 5-3 midway through the period, but the Cavaliers answered in the final minutes of the frame.
Cabrini took advantage of a late Cortland penalty, as freshman Clayton Hollinger found sophomore Tommy Vaughan for a man-up tally. The Cavaliers regained their four goal cushion in the final second of the third, as Vanaman’s shot found the twine just before the final horn.
Despite outshooting the Red Dragons 14-7 over the final 15 minutes, only the visitors could mark the scoring column, but the Blue and White defense held firm to seal the victory.
While the Cavaliers outshot Cortland 48-29 on the night, only 24 of Cabrini’s shot were on target. McManus and Vanaman tallied 10 shots each, while Rafferty added five.
Brandon Stiles led the Red Dragons with a goal and two assists, while goaltender Travis Wagner posted 17 saves.
