BRIDGEPORT, Conn. –  It was a tale of two halves for Post University Men's Lacrosse, except unlike the Franklin Pierce University game last week, the offense went quiet in the second half. Leading 6-3 at halftime on the road against the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday, the Eagles were held to two goals over the final 30 minutes while the Purple Knights scored nine, including the final seven goals of the affair, to beat Post for the first time in program history, 12-8.

THE BASICS

Post University 8, University of Bridgeport 12

Post University (3-2, 1-1 CACC)

University of Bridgeport (2-3, 1-1 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Senior attacker Leighton Cooke tied the game up early for the Eagles at one all after only 14 seconds into the contest, and senior faceoff specialist Connor Cullen scored for the Purple Knights against sophomore goalie Aiden Waller. Cullen dominated the faceoff dot for Bridgeport, going 15-for-20 overall to lead his team to a 17-for-23 day on faceoffs. As for Waller, who took the loss for the first time this season, he made just six saves while allowing all 12 goals in the game. 

Trailing 2-1 after a goal by senior midfielder James Napoli, a 5-0 run gave the Eagles momentum with a three-goal lead, 5-2, with still 10:30 remaining in the second quarter, as freshman attacker Andrew Grippo had two assists in that stretch. Grippo was the only other Eagle besides Cooke (two goals) to finish with multiple points, as five of the eight goals that Post scored were unassisted in the loss.

Momentum would briefly swing back towards the Purple Knights with back-to-back goals that came at the end of the second and start of the third, but the three-goal lead was built back for Post with 6:17 left after senior attacker Ryan Denike scored to make it an 8-5 game. At that point, Bridgeport's defense would clamp down and hold the Eagles scoreless the rest of the evening while embarking on a 7-0 run, which was enough to give them the 12-8 victory.

During that stretch, Napoli scored three times as part of his four-goal game, while sophomore midfielder Stephen Trama had two of his four assists in a game where he finished with six total points after scoring twice as well. Freshman goalkeeper Matthew Hughes showed out with eight saves as well, five of which were in the second half, where he held the Eagles to just two goals of offense, while senior long-stick midfielder Liam O'Neill had four caused turnovers to lead the Brudgeport defense along with eight ground balls from Cullen.

Junior midfielder Luke Karas closed with a team-high four caused turnovers for Post, which was a new season and career high for him after having just one in three games last year.

BY THE NUMBER

• Seven different players scored goals for Post University in the loss, as Leighton Cooke led the way with only two goals and two points
• Being held to only eight goals, this is the fifth time in the last two seasons in which Post University has scored fewer than 10 goals in a game
• James Napoli scored a team-high four goals for the University of Bridgeport, while Stephen Trama led the way in points with six after scoring twice and adding four assists
• This is the first time in program history in which Post University has lost to the University of Bridgeport, having beaten them in all five of the previous matchups dating back to the 2023 season

WHO'S NEXT
Post University has a tall task ahead of them this weekend as they take on Wilmington University at LaMoy Field, with faceoff set for 12:00 PM. Since winning the first-ever game between the two teams back during the 2018 season, the Eagles have lost eight in a row to the Wildcats, including last year's CACC Semifinals matchup on the road, 25-10.