Lacrosse Falls to Alfred State in Home Opener

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Lacrosse team played their first home game of the 2025 season this afternoon, welcoming the Alfred State Pioneers to Shewcraft Field for a non-conference matchup. MCLA got goals from Cameron LaFerriere, Anthony Andolina, and Neal Brierley. The Pioneers were led by six goals from Brendon O'Donnell and three by Mike Wojcik, as the visitors won by a score of 13-3.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
• Score: Alfred State 13, MCLA 3
• Records: Alfred State College Pioneers 2-2 (AMCC 0-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 0-2 (NAC 0-0)
• Series History: This was the first ever MCLA and Alfred State College meeting in lacrosse.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Alfred State opened the scoring, notching a pair of goals in the first quarter. The goals were credited to Ryan Batson (with 12:05 remaining, unassisted) and Brendon O'Donnell (6:32, assisted by Griffin Doan).
• The second quarter saw O'Donnell (6:13, Doan), (5:48, Aydian Cyrus), (2:36, unassisted) score three more times while Batson (13:59, unassisted) added his second to send the teams into the half with the Pioneers ahead 6-0.
• In the third quarter, Alfred State stretched their lead to 8-0 with goals by O'Donnell (12:15, Mike Wojcik) and Wojcik (9:13, unassisted).
• MCLA broke through with their first goal around the mid-point of the quarter. With a man-advantage about to expire, the Trailblazers passed the ball around the net when Josh Hemstock (Amity, CT) found Cameron LaFerriere (Pittsfield, MA) (7:29, Hemstock) streaking towards the net for a quick shot that stayed low past the Pioneer goalie. The goal was LaFerriere's second of the season, and the assist was Hemstock's first.
• The Pioneers pushed their lead back to eight with about four minutes remaining in the quarter with the goal going to Wojcik (4:06, O'Donnell), before MCLA notched their second of the period. This time it was Anthony Andolina (Ballston Spa, NY) (2:30, unassisted) with a laser of a shot from about 25 yards out to cap the third period score at 9-2. The goal was the first of the season for Andolina.
• Alfred State didn't take their foot off the gas, adding another four goals in the fourth quarter. The goals were scored by O'Donnell (10:25, Luca Campanelli), Wojcik (9:56, O'Donnell), Simon Busch (6:09, O'Donnell), and Doan (5:39, O'Donnell).
• The Trailblazers picked up a third goal in the closing seconds when Neal Brierley (North Adams, MA) converted off a pass from Ty Roadcap (Troy, NY). The goal was the second of the year for Brierley, and the assist was the first for Roadcap.
• Matthew Burris stopped 8 of the 11 shots he faced while improving his record to 2-0. Quentan Polkowski (Marcellus, NY) suffered the loss for MCLA, falling to 0-1 while recording 24 saves.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: Alfred State 65, MCLA 27
• Saves: Alfred State 8, MCLA 24
• Faceoffs Won: Alfred State 10, MCLA 10
• Turnovers: Alfred State 22, MCLA 38
• Ground Balls: Alfred State 59, MCLA 37
• Clears: Alfred State 34 for 37, MCLA 28 for 41
• Man Up Opportunities: Alfred State 0 for 3, MCLA 1 for 5

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when it travels to Alumni Field at the O'Keefe Sports Complex and Salem State University for a non-conference matchup with the Vikings. Face-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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