Six Goals by Andolina Lead Lacrosse Win Over USM in Season Opener

Anthony Andolina scored six goals to lead MCLA past USM in non-conference play this afternoon.

Anthony Andolina and Neal Brierley combined for eight of MCLA's nine goals versus USM.
Anthony Andolina and Neal Brierley combined for eight of MCLA's nine goals versus USM.
February 28, 2026
Video Box Score

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Lacrosse team opened its 2026 campaign by welcoming the University of Southern Maine to Shewcraft Field this afternoon. Adam Coley scored three times and Lucas Rego twice, but MCLA's Anthony Andolina found the back of the goal six times to lead the Trailblazers to their first win of the season.

THE BASICS:

  • Date: Saturday, February 28, 2025
  • Score: USM 8, MCLA 9
  • Records: University of Southern Maine 0-2 (LEC 0-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 1-0 (NAC 0-0)
  • Series History: This was the first-ever meeting of the teams.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • USM jumped out to an early lead, scoring three goals before MCLA scored its first. The Huskie goals were scored by Rhy Bridges (13:36 remaining in the 1st quarter, assisted by Adam Coley), Adam Coley (9:11, unassisted), and Owen Gaulrapp (6:27, Tim Caouette).
  • The Trailblazers would respond with two goals to close out the first quarter. The first was scored by Neal Brierley (North Adams, MA) (6:02, unassisted) and Anthony Andolina (Ballston Spa, NY) (4:25, Ashton Morris).
  • Brierley (10:01 remaining in the 2nd quarter, Carson Lewis) scored the first of what would be five equalizing goals between the two teams in the game. About three minutes later, the Huskies would retake the lead with Coley (UP, 7:31, Finn McCarthy) scoring on a man advantage. MCLA responded by taking their first lead of the afternoon on goals by Andolina (5:17, unassisted) and Carson Lewis (Barre, VT) (2:51, Brierley). The lead was short-lived because USM would find a final tally for the first half less than a minute later when Lucas Rego scored to make the halftime score 5-5.
  • Both teams would stiffen on the defensive ends, causing the teams to combine for three goals in the third quarter. Andolina (UP, 7:52 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Ty Roadcap) opened the scoring in the second half before Finn McCarthy (6:40, Zach Smith) and Coley (UP, 2:37, Gaulrapp) closed out the quarter and provided the visitors with a 7-6 lead going into the final frame.
  • The Huskies would extend their lead to two goals with Rego (8:55 remaining in the 4th quarter, Bridges). It would be the last goal of the game for anyone not named Anthony Andolina. Andolina (UP, 6:41, Brierley), (3:07, unassisted), and (0:50, unassisted) scored three unanswered goals, finding the upper left corner on all three goals.
  • Quentan Polkowski (Marcellus, NY) stopped 16 shots to pick up his second career win and moving to 1-0 on the season. USM's Addison Dietz took the loss to fall to 0-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  • Shots: USM 39, MCLA 21
  • Saves: USM 3, MCLA 16
  • Faceoffs Won: USM 15, MCLA 6
  • Turnovers: USM 31, MCLA 36
  • Ground Balls: USM 38, MCLA 26
  • Clears: USM 18 for 20, MCLA 24 for 37
  • Man Up Opportunities: USM 2 for 7, MCLA 2 for 6

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when it hosts Mitchell College at Shewcraft Field for a non-conference matchup with the Mariners. Face-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.

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