April 26, 2005
AMHERST, MA - The 12th-ranked Amherst College men's lacrosse team posted its third consecutive NESCAC victory on Tuesday, crushing visiting Connecticut College, 15-7. Junior long-stick midfielder Andrew Wilcox (Ancramdale, NY) and senior midfielder Andrew Syfu (Hobart, IN) dominated play as Wilcox forced a slew of Conn. turnovers, scooped up a game-high nine ground balls and scored a goal, while Syfu added a pair of goals, dished out an assist, won 7-of-11 face-offs and collected five ground balls. Amherst improves to 9-3 (5-3 NESCAC) with the victory, while Conn. falls to 7-5 (5-3 NESCAC).
Wilcox wasted no time taking control on Tuesday, corralling the opening face-off and sprinting straight to the cage for a rare long-stick score just 10 seconds into play. Syfu followed suit, winning the ensuing face-off, scooping up the ground ball and shaking a Camel defender for a 2-0 edge. Junior Joe Higgins (Setauket, NY) put Conn. on the board at the 6:34-mark, but Amherst responded with a low laser from senior Alex Casertano (Millbrook, NY) and a slick feed from Syfu to sophomore Chris Hofmann (New Canaan, CT) to take a 4-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second frame saw plenty of fireworks as the two teams combined for 11 scores. The Jeffs picked up another quick goal just 32 seconds after the draw on Hofmann's second straight score. Conn. answered just inside the 13:00-mark, but a 3-0 Jeff run would extend the lead to 8-2 with 8:20 left in the quarter. However, the Camels rallied behind sophomore Robbie Logan (Salem, MA), who dished out a pair of assists in a 3-0 Conn. spurt, and pulled back within three, 8-5. Amherst sophomore Derek Cherney (Chappaqua, NY) killed the run with an unassisted tally at the 4:25-mark, and Casertano followed just 17 seconds later to stretch the lead to 10-5. The Camels stole one last first-half score with 2:42 left in the period, leaving Amherst with a 10-6 advantage at the break.
The Amherst defense dominated after the intermission, allowing just one goal on 11 shots and forcing six broken clears. With the game well in hand, the Jeffs didn't let up on the offensive end as Casertano, Syfu, fellow seniors Colby Griffith (Lexington, MA) and Josh Cherney (Chappaqua, NY) and junior Kevin Boova (Summit, NJ) each added second-half scores. Casertano finished with four goals and one assist, while Hofmann added a trio of scores, Derek Cherney chipped in a goal and three assists and Boova racked up a pair of goals and an assist. Defensively, Josh Cherney and classmates Greg Donohue (Bow, NH) and Cushing Donelan (Noroton, CT) grabbed five ground balls apiece, while Donelan collected seven saves in goal. The Jeffs' man-down defense was stellar as well, holding Conn. to just one goal in eight man-up attempts.
Senior Dave Schwartz (East Dix Hills, NY) and junior Chas McLaughlin (Morris Plains, NJ) paced the Camels with two goals apiece, while first-year Alex Sacripanti (New Canaan, CT) won 14-of-21 face-offs and tallied eight ground balls. Senior Topher Grossman (Villanova, PA) was credited with 11 saves in defeat.
Heading into the final weekend of regular-season play, Amherst and Conn. are tied for third place in the NESCAC standings. Middlebury (7-0 NESCAC) has already clinched the top-seed and a first-round bye, while Bowdoin sits alone in second place at 5-2 in conference play. The Jeffs can secure a first-round home game with a win at archrival Williams College Saturday at 1 p.m.
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