Box
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Host Springfield used a 6-2 fourth-quarter scoring spree Saturday to rally past Nazareth for an 11-10 men's lacrosse victory in the season opener for both teams.
Junior
Jacob Gray had three goals and one assist and senior
Hunter Burdick added two goals and two assists in the disappointing non-conference defeat. Nazareth visits Cortland Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The Golden Flyers overcame a slow start by scoring five times in the second quarter to take a 6-4 halftime lead. They added two more goals in the third to carry a seemingly safe 8-5 lead into the final 15 minutes. Springfield, however, scored twice within a 66-second span early in the fourth to close within 8-7. Nazareth's
Anthony Basile scored with 8:33 left to enable the Golden Flyers to regain their two-goal cushion at 9-7.
The Pride then scored the next four goals over a four-minute stretch that ended with Springfield ahead 11-9 with 3:13 left. Gray's third goal of the game with 2:36 left made it 11-10 and Nazareth's
Seth DeLisle won the ensuing face-off. A quick shot by Nazareth's
Nick Arnold was saved by Springfield goalie Jack Reynolds with 2:12 left. Springfield controlled the ball for over a minute before Nazareth finally regained possession. A desperation shot by Basile sailed wide as time expired.
Gray scored Nazareth's first goal of the game at 9:58 before the Pride answered with four straight goals -- one in the first and three in the second -- to go up 4-1.Nazareth then tallied the next six goals to go up 7-4 early in the third quarter. Sophomore
Jack Crowley scored twice and added an assist in that sequence, including an unassisted score with just :06 left in the half. Burdick also scored twice in the flurry and
Connor Chapman and Gray also scored.
Springfield finally interrupted the string with a goal with five minutes left in the third quarter, but Basile delivered an extra-man score off an assist from Burdick with 3:03 to go in the third as Nazareth led 8-5.
Springfield's fourth-quarter comeback then was fueled by nine shots and eight Nazareth turnovers.
Nazareth had a 40-36 edge in shots and a 30-19 advantage in ground balls. Twelve of those came courtesy of DeLisle, who won 19 of 24 face-offs.
Luke Longo had seven ground balls. Junior
Rick Kronenwett started in goal for Nazareth and made six saves in the first half. Freshman
Alex Winkler came on in the second half and had five saves. Reynolds had 14 saves and Brendan Dooley, Ty Daugstrup and Lucas Habich each scored twice for Springfield, which defeated Nazareth for the fourth time in 14 meetings.