BRUNSWICK, Maine – The 11th-ranked Endicott men's lacrosse team scored the first 14 goals of their game against NESCAC foe Bowdoin on Saturday afternoon en route to beating the Polar Bears 16-3 as their 2015 overall record improved to 8-2. Seven different players scored goals with senior midfielder Harrison Cotter (Lordship, Conn.) leading the charge with five points on four goals and an assist.
Cotter's four goals were matched by fellow fourth-year player Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.) who finished off the week with 11 points after totaling seven against Wentworth on Tuesday. Sophomore attackers Will Jennings (Danvers, Mass.) and Colin Bannon (Westport, Conn.) each added three points with Jennings scoring three times and Bannon going off for two goals and an assist. Gulls junior attacker Mitchell Tapley (Falmouth, Maine) had the game's first goal at the 10:00 mark of the first quarter before adding a second quarter assist on Pinciaro's first tally.
Endicott's success offensively had as much to do their ability to maintain possession as it did their shooting with sophomore face-off specialist Tommy Hughes (Coram, N.Y.) winning 16-of-22 chances at the "x" with eight groundballs. The Blue and Green would hold a 29-19 groundball advantage as well with senior defenseman Ian Knechtle (New Canaan, Conn.) and freshman defenseman Michael Ryan (Falmouth, Maine) scooping up four and three loose balls, respectively. Knechtle and fellow long pole Fabian Brunner (Niskayuna, N.Y.) each also had two caused turnovers as well.
Junior goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine) was asked to make nine saves as he faced 11 shots on goal before giving way to sophomore Kenny Sturgess (Hampstead, N.H.) in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. Bell would also total four groundballs as he limited the Bowdoin offense all afternoon.
Bowdoin's first goal came nine minutes into the fourth quarter on a Brandon Rothman (Warren, N.J.) goal from Daniel Buckman (Merion Station, Pa.). Bowdoin's leading point-getter Brandon Lee (South Salem, N.Y.) tacked on two goals late in regulation, one off an assist from Mitch Barrington (Cambridge, Ont.).
Endicott was an efficient 4-of-5 with the man-advantage as both Jennings and Pinciaro scored two goals apiece after Bowdoin penalties. Bowdoin went 0-for-5 facing Endicott's man-down defense. The Gulls were 23-of-25 and the Polar Bears were 20-of-23 on clear attempts. Endicott outshot Bowdoin 35-26 and committed two more turnovers than the home team, 21-19.
Polar Bears goalie Peter Mumford (Plymouth, N.H.) suffered the loss as he surrendered all 16 goals while making seven saves.
Endicott returns to their conference slate next week with a road game at University of New England on Wednesday, April 8th at 7:00 p.m. before hosting Nichols on Saturday, April 11th at 2:30 p.m. inside Endicott Stadium.
