Men's Lacrosse Sees Remarkable Postseason Run Come to a Close, Falls to Emmanuel in GNAC Title Game

BOSTON – The sixth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team saw its historic postseason run come to a close Saturday afternoon, falling to top-seeded Emmanuel College (Emmanuel), 16-8, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Game at Roberto Clemente Field in Boston. The Blue Jays, who reached the finals for the first time in program history, concludes its 2023 season with an overall record of 11-9. Freshman Nick Pestrichello (Wethersfield, Conn.), sophomore Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) and senior Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.), were all named to the All-Tournament Team.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: #1 Emmanuel 16, #6 USJ 8
Records: Emmanuel 15-5, USJ 11-9
Location: Roberto Clemente Field | Boston, Mass.

The Blue Jays got off to a great start, winning the opening faceoff before junior attack Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) found Pestrichello who rifled his shot into the goal to give USJ the 1-0 lead at the 13:59 mark. However, the Saints responded with back-to-back goals, taking the lead, 2-1, and forcing USJ to call a timeout at the 7:54 mark. The Blue Jays gained the momentum out of the break, getting a chance at a man-up opportunity. Paltauf and Pestrichello connected once again for the Blue Jays, as Pestrichello tied the game at 2-2 with a man-up goal with 4:21 left in the first. The Saints looked to quickly retake the lead, but McCann made numerous fine saves to close the first quarter, sending the game into the second tied at 2-2.

USJ wasted little time regaining the lead in the second quarter, as senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.) fought his way through the Emmanuel Defense, before beating the goalkeeper at the far post, establishing a 3-2 edge with 12:32 left in the half. However, the Saints would rattle off three-unanswered, jumping out to a 5-3 lead with 7:19 to play in the half. Emmanuel would stretch its lead to five, scoring three more to end the half and take a 8-3 edge into the break.

Emmanuel carried the momentum into the second half, scoring three-unanswered to extend the gap to 11-3 at the 9:37 mark. Decker put an end to the Emmanuel Run, netting a solo strike to close the gap to 11-4 with 8:53 left in the quarter. The Saints although would answer right back, scoring twice to take a 13-4 edge into the fourth.

USJ would score first in the fourth, taking advantage of a man-up chance as Paltauf found Baden, who fired his shot into the left side of the net, cutting the gap to 13-5 at the 13:03 mark. The Saints would increase the lead back to 10, 15-5, but the Blue Jays would not go down easy. Pestrichello continued his stellar game, netting his fourth of the game before scoring his fifth after receiving a perfect pass from Paltauf to pull USJ back within eight, 15-7, with 7:47 left to play. USJ continued its fight back as Decker found the back of the net again with 2:18 left to play, but a Saint goal at the 1:32 sealed the win for Emmanuel, 16-8.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

EMMANUEL – Randy Castle, was named the All-Tournament MVP, played the entire game in net for the Saints, tallying eight saves.

USJ –McCann played the entire game in goal for USJ, recording 18 saves on the afternoon.

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