NEWTON, MA- Lasell College men's lacrosse ended the 2011 regular season with a 23-0 shutout of Rivier College on Friday afternoon at Grellier Field. Twenty-one Lasers scored points in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) game, as Lasell lands at 2nd place in the conference heading into the post season tournament, with an 8-7 overall and a 6-1 league slate. Rivier's campaign comes to a close with a 0-9 overall and 0-7 GNAC record.
The Lasers were nearly perfect in all statistical categories; going 3-for-3 in extra-man opportunities, winning 24-of-27 face-offs, and completing 12-of-13 clears in the game. The hosts also won 43 ground balls and attempted 50 shots in the match as opposed to Rivier's six total shots and 14 ground ball pickups. The victory was bestowed upon goalkeeper Tyler Silliman (Windsor, CT) who made two stops in the contest and recorded the Lasers first shutout since September 29, 2006 in a 27-0 onslaught against Norwich University.
Jake LaMorte (Walpole, MA) scored six points to lead the way for Lasell, scoring twice and assisting on four additional tallies. Anthony Erz (Hampton, NJ) had a phenomenal day in the middle circle, winning 24-of-26 face-offs (92.3%) and scooping up 12 ground balls. Erz added one point on an assist in the third quarter.
Hyun Soo Lim (Concord, NH) notched four points on assists and Keith Berliner (Oakland, NJ) matched with four points, splitting with two goals and two helpers. Dylan Fernandes (Billerica, MA), Charles Graham (Londonderry, NH), Gianni Nicolosi (Beverly Hills, CA), and William Wood (Brewster, NY) pitched in with a combined 12 points, scoring three points each.
For Rivier, Danny Hooper (Wakefield, RI) produced the majority of the offense with five shot attempts and Kevin Conley (Merrimack, NH) had a strong defensive showing with two caused turnovers and five ground balls. Goalie Chris Benoit (Blackstone, MA) got hit with the conference defeat, making seven saves.
The Lasers first goal came on the second shot of the game as Dylan Gray (Bayport, NY) found Sean Speciale (Hillsborough, NJ) cutting from high to low through the middle for a quick bouncer to the bottom right corner of the net. Chris Bulkley (Groton, CT) added a second goal just over a minute later as he was hit from the right wing by Fernandes waiting in the crease for a mid-range shot past Benoit.
Lasell's attack continued as Adam Foss (Billerica, MA) put in a diving shot after taking a feed from Gray behind the net as he cut down the lane. LaMorte put in the next two goals, giving Lasell a 5-0 lead just 10 minutes into play. The hosts would score three more goals in the period, and total seven more before halftime, to go into the break with a 12-0 advantage.
Nicolosi and Ladson Shaello-Johnson (Binghampton, NY) started the Lasers off in the third quarter with a give-and-go to up the score once more. Seven total goals found their way into the net in the third period and Lasell's offensive strike converted four more times in the final stanza to bring about the 23-0 decision.
The GNAC post season tournament begins this week on Tuesday, April 26th, though the Lasers earned a first round bye and will host the semi-final game on Thursday, April 28th at 4:00 p.m. on Grellier Field.