PROVIDENCE, R.I. (4/21/16) – Johnson and Wales staged a second half comeback to defeat Lasell College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse action Tuesday evening at the Scotts Miracle Gro Complex. Lasell snaps a three-game win streak at 9-4 overall and suffers their second GNAC loss of the season at 4-2, while JWU breaks .500 overall at 8-7 and improves to 4-2 in league play.
Senior Casey Sullivan (Quaker Hill, Conn.) scored a season-high four goals with one assist to lead the Lasers, while freshman Ryan Madden (Hingham, Mass.) recorded his second hat trick of the season. Sophomore Austin Tomasetti (Elmsford, N.Y.) found the back of the net once in the effort, while senior Pat Egan (Glen Rock, N.J.) added a trio of assists, marking his 15th helper in five straight games.
Ben Farrell (Downington, Pa.) tied Sullivan's game-high four goals in the victory and scooped up a team-best four ground balls. Sam Sears (Baltimore, Md.) and Max Stone (Burlington, Conn.) added a pair of markers with Stone assisting three, while Carter Lyle (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Owen Macca (West Hartford, Conn.) rounded out the scoring for the home team.
The Lasers were first to strike and held a 2-0 advantage on the Wildcats with 2:52 left in the first quarter thanks to tallies from Tomasetti and Sullivan, both assisted by Egan. A minor infraction on the Lasers set Sears up for the man-up goal, 2-1 before the Egan/Sullivan duo notched Lasell's final goal of the half.
Farrell and Macca teamed up for two unassisted rockets to frame for the 3-3 equalizer before Stone unleashed for back-to-back goals on the 5-3 go-ahead to close the half. The lead wouldn't last for long, as Madden shined in the third quarter when he assisted Sullivan's 5-4 marker before netting his first of the game for yet another deadlock, 5-5.
Another minor penalty caused Lasell the man-up goal where the Wildcats carried a 4-1 run, as Madden finished on a feed from Sullivan with five seconds left in the third to trail 9-6. Madden continued the second half surge with his final goal of the evening, but Farrell and Stone kept the JWU offensive hot with two final Wildcat goals for an 11-8 final.
Sophomore JC Guido (Miller Place, N.Y.) earned the victory (8-7) in the cage for JWU with 13 saves, while junior Jorge Salzar (Waltham, Mass.) suffered the loss (9-3) with 12 saves.
Lasell plays its final road game on Saturday, April 23 against Anna Maria with faceoff slated for 1:00 p.m.