FIRST-HALF SCORING RUN PUSHES NO. 7 MEN’S LACROSSE PAST DOMINICAN, 16-9

Box Score vs. Dominican - May 2, 2009

MILLBURN, N.Y. (May. 2, 2009) – Senior midfielder Keith Galante (Plainedge, N.Y.) led all players with seven points off four assists and three goals to lead the seventh-ranked Molloy College men’s lacrosse squad past East Coast Conference foe Dominican College on Saturday afternoon by a 16-9 final at the Torne Valley Sports Complex in Millburn, N.Y. Galante added six shots on goal as well in the regular-season finale.

Molloy (10-3, 3-3 ECC) opened up the scoring with four unanswered goals in a span of 4:30 to get an early 4-0 advantage in the first quarter. Dolan started and ended the run with markers off passes from Galante and sophomore attackman Brandon Peyer (Williston Park, N.Y.). Galante and sophomore midfielder Chris Oswald (Franklin Square, N.Y.) added unassisted tallies.

Dominican (2-12, 0-6 ECC) then got on the board with a goal from senior attackman Jeremy Arcaro (New Windsor, N.Y.). The Lions ended the first period with a comfortable 5-1 lead.

Four minutes into the second quarter, Molloy recorded two goals in a seven-second span. Freshman midfielder Tom Brewer (Hicksville, N.Y.) and freshman attackman Ryan Kudlek (Oceanside, N.Y.) hit the netting at the 11:40 and 11:33 marks, respectively, for a 7-1 margin. After the Chargers struck for one to cut the deficit to five with 10:21 remaining, the Lions tallied three markers over a two-plus minute stint to head into the break up 10-2. Senior midfielder Albert Maione (West Islip, N.Y.) got things going with an unassisted goal.

The start of the third quarter saw two scores from Molloy to send the lead to double digits (10-2). Kudlek posted an extra-man goal, while Galante found Dolan for the other. Dominican then began to show signs of life as the Chargers picked up three tallies in a four-minute stretch to diminish the shortfall to 12-5.

Arcaro ended off the streak with an unassisted marker. He earlier assisted on a man-up goal by freshman midfielder Gabe Sutherland (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada).

The Lions wrapped up the stanza with three unanswered tallies to put the game away for good at 15-5. Galante recorded two points in the run on a goal and an assist. Peyer found the back of the cage on a feed from Dolan. Sophomore attackman Ryan Bohlert (East Patchogue, N.Y.) accounted for the other after putting a shot by Chargers’ sophomore goaltender Brendan Bonacum (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.).

Dolan finished with five points on four goals and one assist. Maione totaled three points off one goal and a pair of assists. Kudlek (2 G, 0 A) and Peyer (1 G, 1 A) recorded two points each. Peyer also had three ground balls. Senior midfielder Peter Bonelli (Commack, N.Y.) accumulated 13 faceoff victories and 13 ground balls. Senior goaltender Robert Humann (Hicksville, N.Y.) made 13 saves, and picked up five ground balls in the process.

For Dominican, Arcaro registered a team-best five points off of four goals and one assist. Sutherland notched a hat trick after coming off the bench. Sophomore defenseman Dave Marrese (St. Albert, Alberta) gathered 10 ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior midfielder Stephen Polizzi (Walden, N.Y.) earned nine ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. Bonacum stopped a game-high 22 shots with one ground ball.

Overall, Molloy owned a 62-30 advantage in shots and a 45-39 edge in ground balls. In the faceoff department, both squads were basically equal as the Chargers were 15-of-29 (51.7 percent), while the Lions registered 14 victories in 29 attempts (48.2 percent). On clears, Molloy sported a 92.0 (23-for-25) success percentage.

As for Dominican, it was 24-for-30 (80.0 percent) in clearing attempts. With the extra man opportunity, the Lions scored three goals, while the Chargers struck twice.

Molloy will now await word on a possible bid to the NCAA Division II Championship. The bracket is slated to be released tomorrow evening.