SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott men's lacrosse team was handed a 12-11 overtime loss by host Springfield College Saturday afternoon at Stagg Field in non-conference action as junior attackman Will Jennings (Danvers, Mass.) scored a game-high six goals in the defeat.
Sophomore attackman Tom Hurley (Goffstown, N.H.) scored the game-winning goal on a feed from senior Jake Versprille (Franklin, Mass.) just over 1:43 into the first overtime period.
Springfield scored the first three goals of the game and held the Gulls scoreless in the first quarter. Endicott stormed back with three straight goals of its own to tie it at 3-all with 9:53 to play in the first half.
The Pride took a 4-3 lead into the break at halftime as Hurley netted the goal-ahead goal with 2::46 remaining in the opening stanza.
Springfield was up 5-3 with 14:19 on the clock in the third quarter before Endicott surged ahead for the first time in the game, 9-5, thanks in part to six straight tallies and four goals in the quarter (three consecutive) from Jennings.
The fourth quarter began with Endicott holding on to a 9-6 advantage, but that soon slipped away as the Pride managed to tie things all up at 11 apiece with just 3:14 remaining in regulation.
Jennings led the Gulls offensively in the loss with a game-high six goals. Senior attackman Mitchell Tapley (Falmouth, Maine), junior midfielder Tommy Hughes (Coram, N.Y.), and freshman attackman Matthew Faucher (Western Springs, Ill.) each registered a single goal, while junior attackman Colin Bannon (Westport, Conn.) added one goal and a team-high two helpers and senior midfielder Peter Field Jr. (Hampstead, N.H.) rounded out the attack with one goal and one assist.
Endicott senior goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine) stopped 13 shots in the loss as he fell to 2-5 on the season.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Face-off specialist Hughes won a season-best 23-of-26 at the face-off X and scooped up a game-high 10 ground balls as Endicott picked up 40 to Springfield's 22 with 17 of the ground balls in the third quarter alone for the Gulls.
- The Gulls are 1-2 in overtime this season.
FOR THE FOES
- The Pride snapped a four-game losing streak with today's win.
- Hurley registered a team-high three goals, including the game-winner.
- Junior goalie Chris Santaniello (West Springfield, Mass.) made a game-high 20 saves as he improved to 2-3 on the season.
- Senior defender Connor Samuelson (Longmeadow, Mass.) rounded up a team-high five ground balls.
- Junior defender Phillip Dumont (Watertown, Mass.) had a game-high three caused turnovers.
NOTES
- The Gulls are 8-4 overall against the Pride and 2-3 on the road dating back to the 2002 season.
- Endicott has won five of the last seven meetings, including a 22-14 win at home in the most recent meeting before today on March 7, 2015 in Beverly, Mass.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (2-5, 1-0 CCC) welcomes No. 4 nationally-ranked Amherst to Hempstead Stadium on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. a non-conference tilt, while Springfield (2-5) hosts Western New England on Saturday, March 26 at 1:00 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.