The Hobart lacrosse team earned a thrilling 16-15 Atlantic 10 victory at UMass Friday evening. Trailing by one at halftime, the Statesmen scored the first six goals of the second half and held on for the program’s first ever win on Garber Field.
The Statesmen got strong performances from players up and down the field. Senior attackman Will Delano recorded a team-high six points on two goals and four assists. Senior John Jude Considine and juniors David Peterkin and Cade Dino all notched hat tricks. Sophomore Mike Valent kept up his torrid pace at the faceoff X winning 15-of-24 while corralling a game-high 10 ground balls. Sophomore goalie Jackson Faiola matched his career-high with 16 saves to earn the win.
Trace Hogan paced UMass with a game-high seven points on three goals and four assists. Aiden Drunsic and Caelin Lewis both scored three goals. Owen Salanger made 10 saves in goal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hobart got out to a fast start, scoring the first two goals before the game was three minutes old. Senior Alex Rosa extended his point streak to 14 games with the first goal and then Valent won the ensuing faceoff and went straight to goal for his fifth of the season.
- The Minutemen got an extra-man goal to get on the board, but Delano and Dino scored in succession for a 4-1 lead with five minutes left in the opening quarter.
- UMass scored used a three-goal run to tie the game but then Considine netted his first to send Hobart into the second quarter with a 5-4 lead.
- The home team had a 4-2 scoring edge in the second quarter, but Dino scored the goal of the frame. Delano fed Dino on the crease, who went behind the back so score his 18th of the season.
- The Statesmen seized control of the game with six straight goals to start the second half. Considine got the run started just over a minute in. First-year Bryce Johnson sandwich goals around a tally by classmate Johnny Harding to make it 11-8 by the 11:11 mark. Delano and Dino scored 16 seconds apart midway through the third quarter to complete the run.
- Hobart led 13-9 at the end of the third quarter.
- After UMass opened the fourth quarter scoring, Delano assisted on a goal by Peterkin that just beat the shot clock buzzer. It was the 100th point of Delano’s career.
- Just over a minute later, Delano made it 101 when he assisted on Considine’s third goal of the game and 21st tally of the season.
- Another three-goal run by UMass made it a two-goal game with just under six minutes left.
- Near the five-minute mark, Peterkin scored his 21st of the season and it proved to be the game winner.
- The Minutemen scored twice over the next four minutes to trim Hobart’s lead to one with 67 seconds left.
- The Statesmen held fast and did not allow another shot to pick up the program’s first win over UMass since 1985 (15-10 in Geneva).
KEY STATS
- Hobart was outshot 46-36, but made the most of its opportunities. The Statesmen scored on a season-high 44.4% of its shots.
- Hobart’s shooting percentage is all the more impressive as it came against one of the top goalies in the nation. Salanger came into the game sixth in the nation in GAA (8.41) and save percentage (.597). He hadn’t allowed more than 14 goals in a game this season.
- The Statesmen prevailed at the faceoff X 20-15 and enjoyed a 38-34 edge in ground balls.
FOR THE RECORD
- Hobart improved to 5-9 overall, 2-3 in the A10.
- UMass fell to 9-5, 2-3 in A10 play.
FIT TO BE TIED
- Hobart’s win, coupled with Richmond’s win over St. Joseph’s, forged a three-way tie for third place in the Atlantic 10 standings between the Statesmen, Minutemen, and Hawks.
- The top four teams earn a spot in the A10 Tournament.
- The A10 will announce tournament seeding following Saturday’s High Point at St. Bonaventure game which concludes the regular season.
