GALANTE EARNS SEVEN ASSISTS AS NO. 9 MEN’S LACROSSE OPENS UP SEASON WITH 16-5 ROUT OF ASSSUMPTION

Box Score vs. Assumption - March 8, 2009

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Mar. 8, 2009) - Senior midfielder Keith Galante (Plainedge, N.Y.) dished out a game-high seven assists on Sunday afternoon as the ninth-ranked Molloy College men's lacrosse team beat Assumption College by a 16-5 count at the Dean G. Skelos Sports Complex in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With the decision, the Lions triumphed in their season opener, and went to 1-0 on the season. As for the Greyhounds, they fell to an overall record of 0-2.

Knotted at 1-up with over five minutes to go in the first quarter, Molloy rolled off five unanswered tallies to end off the period with a 6-1 lead. Galante got things started with a man-up goal. Overall, the Lions were 6-of-9 in extra-man opportunities, which translates into a 66.7 success rate. Galante then went on to pass two assists during the burst. The feeds went to senior midfielder Albert Maione (West Islip, N.Y.) on an even-strength marker and freshman attacker Ryan Kudlek (Oceanside, N.Y.) with a man-up.   

Sophomore attacker Ryan Bohlert (East Patchogue, N.Y.) contributed a goal and an assist in the streak as well. The second quarter began with a goal by Assumption sophomore attacker/midfielder Nicholas Violandi (Duxbury, Mass.), which cut the deficit to 6-2. But, the Lions answered with markers by junior midfielder Matt Dolan (Plainedge, N.Y.) and Maione at the 11:10 and 9:39 marks, respectively, to grab an 8-2 lead. The two squads went on to score a pair each before the intermission. Molloy led by a 10-4 count at the break. 

The Lions kept the Greyhounds off of the scoreboard in the third quarter. Although the beginning of the stanza did not see much scoring, the latter part saw five straight tallies by Molloy in a two-minute stint. Kudlek began the run with a goal off an unassisted effort. Dolan and sophomore attacker Brandon Peyer (Williston Park, N.Y.) followed with back-to-back extra-man opportunity scores after Assumption senior defenseman Mike Sjogren (Leicester, Mass.) was hit with a one-minute slashing and unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Kudlek was also responsible for capping off the spurt with an even goal from freshman midfielder Nick Donofrio (Deer Park, N.Y.), who won eight faceoffs on the day. The last quarter saw a tally from each team. Sophomore midfielder Chris Oswald (Franklin Square, N.Y.) notched an unassisted goal for the Lions at the 14:23 juncture. As for the Greyhounds, sophomore attacker John Murphy (Walpole, Mass.) slung a shot into the back of the cage with 4:01 left. 

Maione, Kudlek and Bohlert each finished with four points on three goals and one assist. Maione also took 10 shots, while Kudlek attempted seven shots - all of which were on net. Bohlert had two goals and two assists. Dolan recorded three goals with one ground ball. Peyer tallied two goals as well. Donofrio raked six ground balls in addition to his eight face-off victories. Senior defender Guy Eccher (West Islip, N.Y.) totaled six ground balls and two caused turnovers for Molloy. 

Senior defender Chris Hupfer (Hicksville, N.Y.) notched five ground balls and four caused turnovers. Senior goaltender Robert Humann (Hicksville, N.Y.) made nine saves and accumulated four ground balls. Senior midfielder Mike Vetrano (Bethpage, N.Y.) picked up four ground balls and caused one turnover. Junior defender Kyle Yberg (South Hempstead, N.Y.) grabbed two ground balls. 

Violandi tallied a team-best two goals for Assumption. He also attempted three shots. Freshman attacker Will Langevin (Concord, Mass.) added two points (1 G, 1 A) with a trio of ground balls and one caused turnover. Sophomore defenseman Matt Pescatore (Waltham, Mass.) raked five ground balls. Junior midfielder Matt Fletcher (Peterborough, N.H.) won 12 faceoffs and seven ground balls. Junior defenseman Sean Kelly (Barrington, R.I.) compiled six ground balls and two caused turnovers. 

Junior goaltender Dan Shea (Wrentham, Mass.) turned aside a game-best 12 shots. He also got four ground balls and one caused turnover. Senior defenseman Jordan Ruggeri (Milford, Conn.) registered two ground balls and one caused turnover. Freshman midfielder Tom Guido (Manorville, N.Y.), senior midfielder Matt Clifford (Warwick, R.I.) and sophomore midfielder Conor Mack (Avon, Conn.) collected two ground balls apiece. Freshman midfielder John Ryan (Greenville, R.I.) forced one turnover. 

Overall, the Lions held a 50-25 advantage in shots and a 45-42 edge in ground balls. They were also 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) in faceoffs and 23-of-28 (82.1 percent) in clearing attempts. The Greyhounds registered a 52.2 (12-for-23) faceoff win percentage and a 60.0 (18-for-30) clear percentage. Assumption also had nine extra-man opportunities, but was shut down by the Lions' defense on each of them. 

Head Coach Joe Catalanotti and his squad return to action this Saturday when Molloy starts a five-game road swing in Manchester, N.H. at Southern New Hampshire University. The opening faceoff is slated for 1 p.m.