Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/9/24
from Press Release
Playing in the rain for the third straight game, the Eastern University Men’s Lacrosse outscored host Arcadia in each of the final three periods to pick up a 12-9 non-league win today. Nicholas Fanelli (Pennridge, 4G, 1A) scored four times and added an assist and Ethan Myers posted 17 saves in goal.
Eastern’s ninth goal gave the Eagles a late three-goal edge. It came after a brilliant clear. Ethan Myers made the save and Brady Palmer picked up the ground ball. Zach Puckett (Penncrest) showed great composure against pressure and found Fanelli in the center of the attacking end. Fanelli played catch with Avery Porter before burying his third of the day for a 9-6 lead.
Arcadia grabbed one back after a long shot and save against the 10-man ride, but the Eagles restored the three-goal edge on a dunk from Avery Porter after a strong dodge down the left alley from Gavin Stark (2G, 2A).
The Knights’ Alex Herka scored a man-down goal and won the short-handed faceoff and Landan Hajek cut the Eastern lead to a single goal at 10-9.
Benjamin Souder (Pennridge, 8-of-20 FO) won a critical faceoff and the Eagles worked a possession inside ninety seconds before Nick Litzenberger (3G, 1A) dodged down the right alley and finished in close with his left hand for an 11-9 lead.
The Knights won the next faceoff, but they had to go backwards to do it. Nicholas, Fanelli, Christopher Fanelli (Pennridge, 2G), and Brady Palmer converged on a panicked goalie near the edge of the box and Palmer knocked the ball out and secured the critical ground ball as Head Coach Colin Piper shouted for a timeout.
Avery Porter ran around in circles to kill time and Nicholas Fanelli put away his fourth of the game for the final margin.
Billy Burton had three goals and an assist for Arcadia.
Eastern scored the first two goals of the game before Arcadia tied the game before the end of the first quarter and went up a goal early in the second. The Eagles answered with a three-goal run capped by a man-up goal from Litzenberger for a 5-3 lead with 4:43 to go in the half. Christopher Fanelli scored from Litzenberger to start the run and Stark had a solo effort at the midpoint of the period. Arcadia scored the final goal of the half to close the gap to 5-4.
Stark scored to open the second half and Nicholas Fanelli added two more for an 8-4 edge, but the Knights took advantage of a pair of man-up chances to close the gap to 8-6. Arcadia won 16-of-24 faceoffs in the game. The Eagles had seven extra-man chances but only converted once, while the Knights were successful on 3-of-4 extra-man-opportunities.
Puckett and Palmer each had two caused turnovers and Porter had a goal and an assist. With two goals today, Christopher Fanelli now has 99 for his career.
