WATERBURY, Conn. – After a strong first-half performance highlighted by a defensive effort that held the University of Bridgeport to just three goals, things got shaky for Post University Men's Lacrosse for a little while in the third quarter as the Purple Knights roared back to tie the game at nine all. But a huge 5-0 run by the Eagles would prove pivotal as they pulled away from their in-state rival, emerging from Bridgeport with their first conference victory of the season, 14-11, on Wednesday evening.
THE BASICS
Post University 14, University of Bridgeport 11
Post University (5-5, 1-1 CACC)
University of Bridgeport (4-5, 1-2 CACC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophomore midfielder James Napoli and freshman attacker James Goodrich each scored in the opening frame for the Purple Knights, giving them the early 2-0 advantage before the Eagles went to work offensively and shut down Bridgeport defensively. Three straight goals for Post in the latter half of the first and to start the second gave them the lead back, 3-2, as senior attacker Dylan Heald, sophomore midfielder Leighton Cooke, and senior midfielder Hayden Hindman found the back of the net against senior goalie Peter Nazario.
Napoli, who nearly had half of Bridgeport's goals with five on the evening, briefly tied the game up at three-all to end the 3-0 run by the Eagles before another ensuing 4-0 run by Post to end the first half. Heald and Hindman each found the net once more for their second goal of the half while junior attacker Robbie McGrayne put in two more to make it a 7-3 game heading into the break.
Three penalties and four turnovers marked a sloppy third quarter for the Eagles who saw that four-goal lead vanish over a 9 ½ minute stretch with Goodrich and senior midfielder Dewey Schoenfelder beating senior goalie Cole George along with a pair from junior midfielder Aidan Kirkpatrick. In less than a minute, McGrayne and junior midfielder Tim Keefe helped Post regain a two-goal edge, 9-7, but once again Napoli answered with a two-goal blitz in response to pull the Purple Knights even.
Heading into the fourth, the Eagles took momentum back with Keefe scoring in the final 10 seconds of the third which helped kickstart a 5-0 run that bled nearly 11 minutes off the clock in the final frame. Hindman and Keefe each scored once to join McGrayne with a hat trick while sophomore attacker Ryan Denike and senior midfielder Nick Steele each scored their first.
With time winding down, Bridgeport would get two more against George, who made eight saves on 19 attempts in the win, as Post survived the second-half blitz by the Purple Knights to get their first conference victory of the season, 14-11.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Post University defense has now allowed three goals or less in the first half in six games this season – The Eagles are 5-1 in such instances
- Post University was tagged with a season-high 15 penalties for a season-high 12 minutes – Both of those marks are program records as the previous highs were set on February 20th, 2016 in a 15-9 loss to Pace University in which Post had 13 penalties for 10 minutes
- Despite having 13 man-up chances, Bridgeport was only successful in scoring on four of those opportunities, including a perfect 3-for-3 in the third before going 0-for-7 in the fourth
- In the all-time series, Post moves to 2-0 against Bridgeport having beaten the Purple Knights in their inaugural season last year, 15-6, at LaMoy Field
WHO'S NEXT
Post University finishes its three-game road trip with a matchup against Felician University a week from today at 7:00 PM down in New Jersey. Last season, the Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak against the Golden Falcons with a 19-5 win at home, but are still 2-3 in the all-time series after dropping three of the first four contests.
