NO. 5 MEN’S LACROSSE FALLS ON THE ROAD TO NO. 2 C.W. POST, 16-5

Box Score vs. C.W. Post - April 25, 2009

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Apr. 25, 2009) – Junior midfielder Matt Dolan (Plainedge, N.Y.) and freshman attackman Ryan Kudlek (Oceanside, N.Y.) notched two goals each on Saturday as the fifth-ranked Molloy College men’s lacrosse team lost by a 16-5 final to second-ranked C.W. Post at Hickox Field in Brookville, N.Y. With the loss, the Lions dropped to 9-3 overall and 2-3 in East Coast Conference action. As for the Pioneers, they improved their ledger to 12-1 on the year. C.W. Post is also 5-0 against league opposition.

Scoreless through 2:02 in the first quarter, the Pioneers got things going with four unanswered goals in a seven-minute period to get a 4-0 lead. Sophomore midfielder Mike Messina (Sayville, N.Y.) and freshman attackman Eddie Plompen (West Islip, N.Y.) opened the burst with unanswered goals. Sophomore attackman Nicholas Coric (Walnut Creek, Calif.) capped it off with an extra-man score and an even-strength marker. Before the end of the stanza, Kudlek notched an unassisted tally, which diminished the Lions’ deficit to 4-1.

The second quarter began with five straight goals over a span of 7:56 to grab hold of a 9-1 advantage with 4:19 to go. Plompen started up and closed the spurt with goals on unassisted efforts. Senior attackmen Greg Cerar (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and Dave Loftus (Merrick, N.Y.) struck for man-up markers. Cerar also passed his 32nd assist of the year on Loftus’ score. With 7:42 remaining, graduate midfielder Matt Dimler (Plymouth, Minn.) recorded an unassisted tally – his 22nd of the 2009 campaign for C.W. Post.

Following an extra man score by Molloy junior midfielder Albert Maione (West Islip, N.Y.) at the 3:33 juncture, the Pioneers dropped in three more goals to extend the cushion to 12-2 with 0:28 to go. Cerar notched a man-down and an even-strength tally. Dimler added the other; all three scores came on unassisted efforts. Eleven seconds after Cerar’s goal, Dolan found the back of the cage on a feed from Maione before halftime.

In the third quarter, the Lions showed signs of a possible comeback as Kudlek scored just 3:21 into the stanza. But, the Pioneers responded with two straight goals to put the contest away for good. That gave C.W. Post a 15-5 margin in its favor with 6:23 left.

Senior midfielder Keith Galante (Plainview, N.Y.) dished a pair of assists with two ground balls. Maione raked one goal and one assist. He also notched two ground balls. Senior midfielder Peter Bonelli (Commack, N.Y.) won eight faceoffs and four ground balls. Sophomore defenseman Joe Vissichelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) totaled two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior goaltender Robert Humann (Hicksville, N.Y.) made a game-high 18 saves between the pipes with seven ground balls for Molloy.

Overall, C.W. Post held a 47-32 advantage in shots and a 52-29 margin in ground balls. At the faceoff “X”, the Pioneers claimed 17-of-25 (68.0 percent), while the Lions owned a 32.0 (8-of-25) faceoff win percentage. On clears, C.W. Post was nearly flawless as it finished 26-for-27 (96.3 percent). Molloy closed out the afternoon with an 83.3 (20-for-24) clear percentage. In extra-man opportunities, the Pioneers scored on all three of their attempts. On the other hand, the Lions found the back of the cage twice in 10 chances.

Head Coach Joe Catalanotti and his squad return to action next Saturday when Molloy ends regular-season play against Dominican College at the Torne Valley Sports Complex in Hillburn, N.Y. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.