BEVERLY, Mass. – The third quarter in Saturday's Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Men's Lacrosse Championship saw Western New England outscore Endicott 8-1 during the 15 minute span. That stretch turned a two-goal halftime lead for the Gulls into a 12-7 advantage for the Golden Bears as Western New England went on to win their 2014 CCC title 13-8 at Endicott Stadium.
Playing as the #2 seed in the tournament, Western New England (10-7) has now won three straight conference championships and automatic bids into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Golden Bears will find out their First Round opponent during Sunday evening's NCAA Selection Show beginning at 10:00 am.
Endicott (14-4), the top seed in the CCC Tournament, will also be playing close attention to the NCAA Selection Show with the hopes of at-large bid as the Gulls have been a consistent presence in the national rankings, including their current standing as the #11 team in the country, as well as several marquee wins from this spring's schedule.
After a first half effort saw Endicott take a 6-4 lead due in large part to four goals by CCC Player of the Year, junior midfielder Harrison Cotter (Lordship, Conn.), both teams came out of the locker room in the third quarter and battled through a 6:25 stalemate with Endicott maintaining their two-goal advantage.
At 8:35 on the clock in the third quarter, however, Western New England started a miraculous stretch that saw them score eight goals over the course of the next 4:49 to take command of the game. Of the eight goals, three goals apiece were scored by senior attacker Adam Knapton (Canandaigua, N.Y.) and senior attacker Colton Craig (Gales Ferry, Conn.). Senior midfielder Justin McKinney (Niskayuna, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder Stephen Gair (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) both scored unassisted goals in the high-paced third quarter.
With a five-goal advantage heading into the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears relied on junior goalie Brandon Body (Newtown, Conn.) who would make six of his 13 saves in the final period to help secure the Western New England championship. Consistent defensive presence by Western New England defenders Jack Liacos (Beverly, Mass.) and sophomore midfielder Patrick Dillon (Baldwin, N.Y.), who combined for six of their team's 10 caused turnovers, and strong face-off play by senior midfielder Jesse DeLucca (East Lyme, Conn.), 12-of-18 on the draw, also contributed towards the win.
Western New England's Craig and Endicott's Cotter both tied with a game-high five goals. Golden Bears freshman Keegan Dudeck (Longmeadow, Mass.), who had four points on two goals and two assists, and Gulls junior Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.), who had a goal and two assists in the first half, both had standout efforts.
Endicott goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine) suffered the loss, but did make 16 saves in the cage. He also caused two turnovers as he cut off passing lanes for Western New England attackers.
