MILTON, Mass. –Curry College defeated Norwich University, 7-5 in men's lacrosse action on Sunday afternoon in Milton, Mass. With the win, the Colonels improve to 5-0 overall, while the Cadets fell to 0-3 overall.
Curry took a 3-0 lead in the game before Norwich was able to get on the board. Two of the three were notched in the first half as the Colonels went into the break holding the Cadets scoreless. Freshman netminder Timothy McNair (Wilmette, Ill.), was solid between the pipes making 11 stops in the first 30 minutes of play. The Cadets’ goaltender, junior Mark Paradiso (Westford, Mass.), also had a strong showing coming up with nine saves.
The Colonels tallied their first at the 7:11 mark in opening frame off a goal by senior Andrew Navoni (Natick, Mass.). Junior Connor Arnold (Clifton Park, N.Y.) saw an open Navoni in front of the net, earning the assist. The two teams battled over the next 26:20 minutes until Curry took advantage of a man-up situation for the 2-0 lead. With just 1:29 remaining in the half, the Colonels sophomore attacker Connor McKeon (Larchmont, N.Y.) shot the ball into the upper right hand corner of the net off a pass from senior Joseph Natale (Haverhill, Mass.).
Junior Connor Arnold (Clifton Park, N.Y.) earned his lone goal of the game to start the third quarter. Arnold rolled the crease and was able to put his team up by three when he shot the ball low past Paradiso. Just 39 seconds later, Norwich answered back after winning the face-off. The Cadets scored three in a row to even out the score at 3-3. Junior Ian Mendoza (Mt. Airy, Md.) netted all five of his team’s goals. His first was assisted by freshman Ryan McCarthy (Medford, Mass.) and the next two by senior Seth Fuller (Wheaton, Ill.). Curry however regained the lead before heading into the final 15 minutes. The Colonels tallied their fourth at 1:16 and fifth with just two seconds showing on the clock. Both goals were scored by sophomore John Castellano (Scarsdale, N.Y.). Sophomore Ronald Jensen (Zionsville, Ind.) was awarded an assist off of Castellano’s first net.
The final quarter saw each squad tallying two apiece. Curry extended their lead by three when McKeon netted his second of the game. Back-to-back goals by Mendozza brought the Cadets to within one with 6:48 minutes left to play. Norwich had their chances to tie it up and push the contest into overtime but McNair held them at bay with his strong performance. The Colonels shut down any chance of extra play when McKeon found the back of the net with 12 seconds remaining on the board. Arnold was credited with his second assist after sending McKeon a quick pass.
Curry was led by both McKeon and Arnold who each finished with three points. Mendoza led for Norwich with five points on five goals.
The Cadets outshot the Colonels 31-27. Norwich also held a slight advantage in ground balls, picking up 29 while Curry had 23. The visitors also led on face-offs, winning 12 of 15.
McNair earned the win in net for Curry making 17 saves. Paradiso made 16 stops in goal for Norwich in the loss.
The Colonels will host Salem State on Wednesday, March 20 in a 4:00 p.m. game start. The Cadets return to action on Thursday, March 21 as they travel to Anna Maria College for a 6:00 p.m. game.
