Men's Lacrosse Falls at Home to Nichols, 7-6, in Overtime Wednesday

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team suffered a heartbreaking setback at home against Nichols College (Nichols), falling to the Bison 7-6 in overtime Wednesday night on the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn. The Blue Jays erased a four-goal deficit with less than four minutes to play in regulation, but the Bison would find the back of the net in overtime to secure the win. With the result the Blue Jays drop to 6-2 overall on the year while the Bison move to 4-3 overall in 2024.

KEY MOMENTS 

• The game began as a battle of the two defenses, as neither offense could generate a clear-cut scoring opportunity.
• The Blue Jays finally broke through the Bison defense at the 2:47 mark, as freshman midfielder Brendan Tedeschi (Orange, Vt.) scored a solo goal to give USJ a 1-0 lead.
• The Bison answered back with 29 seconds remaining, sending the two teams into the second quarter tied at 1-1.
• Nichols blanked USJ in the second quarter, scoring two goals to establish a 3-1 lead entering the halftime break.
• The Blue Jays responded early in the third quarter when senior attack Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) picked out a pass to junior midfielder Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.), who rifled his shot into the goal, cutting the gap to 3-2 at the 13:55 mark.
• However, Nichols would score a goal with 1:12 left in the third, reestablishing a two-goal lead, 4-2, heading into the fourth quarter.
• The Bison thought they put the game to rest after scoring two unanswered goals to begin the fourth, holding a 6-2 lead with 5:16 left in regulation.
• USJ would not go down easy though, as sophomore midfielder Nick Pestrichello (Newington, Conn.) began a USJ comeback attempt, scoring a solo goal at the 3:42 mark, closing the gap to 6-3.
• The Blue Jays then took full advantage of a man-up chance, as Decker netted his second of the game, pulling the Blue Jays within two, 6-4, with 2:57 on the clock.
• USJ continued to roll, as Pestrichello fought past the Nichols defense before firing a strike past the Bison netminder, closing the gap to one, 6-5, with 2:06 left to play.
• The Blue Jays completed the comeback with 19 seconds on the clock, as senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.) fired a shot into the goal, tying the game at 6-6 and forcing overtime.
• However, the Bison would force a key turnover before racing down the field and scoring the game-ending goal at the 3:41 mark, escaping with a 7-6 victory.

NOTES 

• Pestrichello and Decker paced the team with two goals each.
• Paltauf dished out the games lone assist.
• Senior midfielder Sam Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) corralled a team-high six ground balls.
• He also caused a team-best two turnovers.
• Senior goalkeeper Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) played every minute in goal for USJ, tallying seven saves on the night.
• Nichols remain unbeaten against USJ all-time, moving to 3-0.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Sunday, March 24, hosting Saint Joseph's College of Maine. Opening faceoff against the Monks on the USJ Lacrosse Field in West Hartford, Conn., is set for 1:00 p.m.

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