Lacrosse Stumbles at Purchase College, 10-7

PURCHASE, N.Y. – The MCLA Lacrosse team took to the road for the first time this season when they traveled to Purchase College this afternoon for a non-conference matchup with the Panthers. MCLA's Nathan Haley recorded his third hat-trick of the season and his 100th career-goal, while Purchase got multiple goals from three players, including five from Ryan Lubowitz, as the Panthers got their first win of the season by a score of 10-7.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2024
• Score: MCLA 7, Purchase 10
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 0-3 (NAC 0-0-0) | Purchase College Panthers 1-2 (Skyline 0-0)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Purchase College jumped out to an early lead with a dominant first quarter, scoring four times and putting seven of their 13 shots on net. The goals were credited to Shakim Carr (at 11:10, unassisted), Carr (man-up, 7:27, unassisted), Ryan Lubowitz (6:09, assisted by Charley Jimenez), Lubowitz (1:48, Jack Saueracker).
• MCLA finally got on the board in the dying seconds of the first quarter when Nathan Haley found the back of the cage with four ticks left on the clock.
• After seeing the Panthers be such unhospitable hosts in the first quarter, the Trailblazers returned the favor in the second quarter, putting up four unanswered goals of their own to take a 5-4 lead into the half. The MCLA goals were credited to Sean Neu (13:09, Josh Hemstock), Anthony Andolina (3:22, unassisted), Neu (2:13, Andolina), and Christian Nawrocki (0:03, unassisted). The flurry of goals was the fourth of the season for Neu, second for Andolina, and first for Nawrocki.
• The Trailblazers stretched the lead to a bit over a minute into the second half, with Haley adding his 100th career-goal with an assist from Luke Rhoss.
• The lead wouldn't hold up, however, and the Panthers scored five straight goals between the 11:50 mark of the third quarter and the 6:27 mark of the fourth quarter to go ahead by a score of 9-6. The goals were assigned to Lubowitz (11:50, Zach Collins), Lubowitz (5:26, Dylan Cassone), Cassone (4:25, Lubowitz), Lubowitz (10:41, Collins), and Jimenez (6:27, Collins).
• MCLA cut the lead back to only two when Haley scored his third of the game and 11^th of the season, unassisted, with only 5:44 to play.
• An opportunity to play for an equalizer never presented itself, with the Panthers scoring a final insurance goal off the stick of Cassone (3:01, Jimenez).
• Junior netminder Boden Dock was saddled with the loss despite making 12 saves, dropping his season record to 0-3. For Purchase, Will Boes finished with nine saves on 16 shots, improving his record to 1-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: MCLA 40, Purchase 40
• Saves: MCLA 12, Purchase 9
• Faceoffs Won: MCLA 7, Purchase 14
• Turnovers: MCLA 28, Purchase 25
• Ground Balls: MCLA 31, Purchase 42
• Clears: MCLA 15 for 25, Purchase 15 for 21
• Man Up Opportunities: MCLA 1 for 3, Purchase 1 for 7

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when they travel to Keystone College for a non-conference matchup with the Giants at the KC Turf Field Athletic Complex. The faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED:

For the latest on MCLA Athletics, follow the Trailblazers via our social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter).