Lacrosse Drop Matchup to Salem State

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Lacrosse team returned to Shewcraft Field this evening when they welcomed the Salem State University Vikings to the Joseph Zavattaro Athletic Complex. Neal Brierley scored three goals and Anthony Andolina scored two, but the Trailblazers fell to Salem State in non-conference play.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2025
• Score: Salem 26, MCLA 6
• Records: Salem State University Vikings 2-1 (LEC 0-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 2-1 (NAC 0-0)
• Series History: Salem leads the all-time series 3-1, including a 24-4 win last season in Salem on March 12, 2025. The Trailblazers won the first-ever meeting between the teams, 9-4, on March 13, 2023, also in Salem.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Salem State came out firing on all cylinders, scoring four goals before the Trailblazers marked up their first, and would end the first quarter with a 10-1 lead. The Trailblazers' lone goal in the frame was scored by Anthony Andolina (Ballston Spa, NY) (9:19 remaining in the 1^st period, assisted by Kranz) and was assisted by Chase Kranz (Leominster, MA). The helper was the first of Kranz's career.
• The Salem goals were credited to Grady Smith (14:12, unassisted), Landon Rice (13:25, unassisted, & 12:04, Jaxon Thomas), Connor Vittands (12:34, Turpin, & 5:43, Jones, & 0:36, Trahan, & 0:29, La. Rice), James Tatro (5:07, Vittands), Cameron Collins (3:59, Vidal), and Joseph Turpin (1:20, Lindstrom).
• The second quarter played out much like the first as the Vikings added seven goals to their side of the ledger while the MCLA only added one, going into the halftime break with the visitors ahead 17-2. The home goal was also scored by Andolina (DN, 8:40 remaining in the 2^nd quarter, Covello), bringing his team-leading total to 11 goals, and the assist was a career first for Keegan Covello (Woodstock, CT).
• The second period goals for Salem were scored by Smith (12:55, Trahan), La. Rice (12:26, Tatro), Tatro (11:40, 10:55, 9:21, all unassisted), Brayden Duggento (10:31, unassisted)
• The Trailblazers were only able to add a single goal for the third straight quarter. This time, the goal went to Neal Brierley (North Adams, MA) (10:18 remaining in the 3^rd quarter, unassisted). The Vikings added six more goals in the penultimate quarter, starting with Turpin (13:59, unassisted), followed by Smith (UP, 11:40, Collins), Tatro (8:50, Collins, & 5:13, Smith), Ryan Jones (2:40, unassisted), and Vittands (1:38, Lindstrom).
• The home team found a more even footing in the fourth quarter, matching the visitors' three-goal total with three of their own. Brierly (UP, 6:01 of 4^th quarter, Andolina, and 0:08, unassisted) posted two for his first hat trick of the year, and the fourth of the junior's career. The other MCLA goal was credited to Ty Roadcap (Troy, NY) (5:38, unassisted) and was the second of the season and tenth of his career.
• The goals for Salem were scored by Smith (13:48, Turpin), Juan Vidal (4:58, unassisted), and Matthew Lindstrom (4:20, unassisted).
• The Vikings' Ryan Cohen finished the night with five saves against six goals and improved his record to 2-1. For the Trailblazers, Quentan Polkowski (Marcellus, NY) took the loss to fall to 1-2 despite recording 22 saves.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: Salem 48, MCLA 11
• Saves: Salem 5, MCLA 22
• Faceoffs Won: Salem 35, MCLA 1
• Turnovers: Salem 14, MCLA 29
• Ground Balls: Salem 61, MCLA 14
• Clears: Salem 15 for 15, MCLA 19 for 34
• Man Up Opportunities: Salem 1 for 3, MCLA 1 for 2

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it travels to Purchase College for a non-conference matchup with the Panthers. Face-off is scheduled for noon.

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