NEWTON, Mass. – Senior Alex McCormack-Kuhman (Wells, Maine) broke a 12-12 tie with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter Monday afternoon as Lasell College edged cross-town rival Mount Ida College, 13-12, in a key Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse game at Grellier Field.
McCormack-Kuhman and junior Ryan Madden (Hingham) each scored four goals to help Lasell overcome a 9-2 deficit midway through the second quarter. The Lasers used a seven-goal run in the third and early in the fourth quarter after trailing 10-5 at halftime to secure the win. The 13-12 score matches the final score of last year's GNAC Championship game win by Lasell over Mount Ida.
Lasell improves to 7-6 overall and 7-1 in the GNAC to move over .500 for the first time in 2018. Mount Ida slips to 7-8 overall and 6-2 in the conference, one game behind the Lasers.
Mount Ida gathered an early 3-1 lead with three goals by junior Owen LaPorte (Farmington, Conn.), and went on to a 6-2 lead after one quarter. The Mustangs had their largest lead of the game at 9-2 four minutes into the second quarter.
Junior Austin Shindoll (Denver, Colo.) would close the gap with 6:10 remaining in the second, sparking a three-goal burst by the Lasers. Lasell came all the way back in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 6-0 in the frame, including three goals by Madden.
Defensively, the Lasers held the Mustangs scoreless in the third quarter. Junior David Sheehan (Tewksbury, Mass.) had a single-game program-record seven caused turnovers, along with five groundballs in the victory. Sophomore Ben Werner (Boxford, Mass.) went 15-24 from the faceoff-x, and tallied a team-high six ground balls.
Madden scored three of his four in the third quarter for the Lasers, tying the game at 10-10 with 2:48 remaining. Lasell took an 11-10 lead just 31 seconds later on an extra-man opportunity as Shindoll found the back-of-the-net for the third time on the afternoon.
The Mustangs battled their way back into the game, scoring two goals midway through the fourth to tie the game 12-12 with 5:23 remaining.
Lasell would seal the game with McCormack-Kuhman's fourth goal of the afternoon, his 27th of the season, tying a career-high for goals in a season.
Goaltender sophomore Ryan Janovic (East Lyme, Conn.) made five saves in 48 minutes of work. Junior Andrew Modugno (Medford, Mass.) made one save in 12 minutes for the Lasers.
Both teams close out the regular season at home on Wednesday, April 25, as the Lasers host Emmanuel on Senior Day at 4:00 p.m. and Mount Ida meets Johnson & Wales at 6:00 p.m.
(By Brian McLoughlin, Athletic Communications student assistant)
-- 30 --