MLX: Lasell downs St. Joseph’s (Maine) in GNAC showdown

STANDISH, Maine – Sophomore Andrew Fidalgo (Wilbraham, Mass.) and freshman James Anderson (Medway, Mass.) scored four goals each and freshman goalie Alex Beauchemin (Westfield, Mass.) made 12 saves Tuesday evening as Lasell College defeated Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 12-5, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse showdown at the SJC Athletic Complex.

The game featured the last two teams without a GNAC loss this season. Lasell led 4-0 at halftime and a stifling Laser defense kept the Monks off the scoreboard until six minutes into the third quarter after the visitors had pulled ahead 7-0.

St. Joe's scored four straight goals in a third quarter comeback attempt to cut the margin to 7-4, but Lasell answered with four consecutive goals in a four-minute span to extended the lead to 11-4 early in the fourth quarter. Each team managed just one goal the rest of the way.

Lasell extended its program-record winning streak to 11 games, improving to 12-1 overall and 6-0 in the GNAC. The Lasers have kept all 11 opponents in their winning streak to single-digit scoring. The Monks had their 10-game winning streak snapped, dropping to 11-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play.

Beauchemin had 12 saves on 17 shots to improve his record to 12-1 with a 6.29 goals against average, second-best in the nation in Division III.

Fidalgo added two assist to his four goals, and Anderson added one assist to his total. Senior Mike Susi (Gorham, Maine) contributed a goal and two assists, and senior Ryan Madden (Hingham, Mass.) and sophomore Colby Buccheri (Rowley, Mass.) tallied a goal and an assist each. Senior David Sheehan (Tewksbury, Mass.) led the defense with three caused turnovers and nine ground balls, while freshman Tyler Rose (Springfield, Mass.) added two caused turnovers and seven ground balls. The Lasers allowed the Monks only nine clears on 17 attempts while Lasell was good on 20-of-25.

Senior Michael Finn (Quincy, Mass.) scored three goals for the Monks and sophomore Tyler Brewster (Merrimack, N.H.) put in the other two. Junior Shane Fors (Ledyard, Conn.) picked up a team-high five ground balls and won an impressive 15-of-21 face-offs.

The Lasers play their final two games of the regular season at home, beginning this Saturday, April 20, with the Senior Day game at Grellier Field against GNAC foe Anna Maria College at 1 p.m. St. Joe's will be at Albertus Magnus College Saturday for a 1 p.m. conference matchup.

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