Lasell to Host Mount Ida in GNAC Men's Lacrosse Title Game Saturday Afternoon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

#1 LASELL 14, #4 NORWICH 11
NEWTON, Mass. -- The Lasell College men's lacrosse team erased a three-goal deficit in the first half to down the Cadets of Norwich University, 14-11 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinal on Thursday afternoon at Grellier Field. 

The Lasers head to their second consecutive championship match, this time on their home turf, on Saturday, May 6, versus Mount Ida. Lasell will host its first-ever championship game at 1:00 p.m. on Grellier Field. 

Following its 9-8 overtime victory against reigning GNAC champion Emmanuel, Norwich closes its 2017 campaign at 10-9. 

Three Lasers reached hat-trick figures in Anthony Saitta (Derry, N.H.), Austin Shindoll (Denver, Col.), and Ryan Madden (Hingham, Mass.), while Michael Susi (Gorman, Maine) added two, including the home team's opener. Austin Tomasetti (Elmsford, N.Y.) dominated a six-point attack on five assists and one goal, while Josh Gallant (Hampstead, N.H.) and Connor Johnson (Hampstead, N.H.) rounded out the victors' scoring. 

Defensively, Darien Clay (Newton, Mass.) led all players with four caused turnovers, while Johnson picked up eight ground balls, two away from his season-high. 

Cody Moore (Canton, N.Y.) paced the Cadets on a five-point performance with three goals and two assists. Nolan Aurelia (Stratford, Conn.) and Josh Jenkins (Centennial, Col.) scored three apiece in the effort. 

The Cadets took control early in the game, owning a 3-0 lead before Susi got the hosts on the board with 19 seconds remaining in the first. Norwich kept the Lasers at bay in the early stages  the second, maintaining a three-goal lead (5-2) with Aurelia's second tally of the game on a feed from Michael Cashman (East Kingston, N.H.), who concluded the contest with three assists. 

Madden ignited a 4-1 charge for the Lasers with 4:02 left in the second quarter, and scored the 6-6 equalizer as both teams headed into the halftime break. 

After Moore opened the second half for the 7-6 Cadet lead, the Lasers rattled off six straight goals, taking its first lead of the game at 11:47 from a behind the back money shot from Gallant. In just a 21-second span, Shindoll, Gallant, and Johnson pushed the Lasers' advantage to two, before Susi gave Lasell its largest lead of the game, 12-7, with 5:49 to go in the third. 

The Cadets would outscore the home team in the final 15, via Jenkins and a man-up goal from Aidan Moulton (Danvers, Mass.), but the deficit proved to be too much, as Chase Swift (Branford, Conn.) ran the clock with his last faceoff victory. 

Overall, Swift went 13-23 from the face-off X, while Pete Dolan (Pearl River, N.Y.) added a pair in the victory. Jack Dwyer (Shelburne, Vt.) took all but one faceoff for the Cadets, finishing with 13 total.

Senior goaltender Jorge Salazar (Waltham, Mass.) backstopped the Lasers with 11 saves in the victory, while Ian Kriger (Burlington, Mass.) contributed 12 saves in the loss. 

Courtesy of Lasell Athletics Communications.

#2 MOUNT IDA 16, #3 JWU 13
NEWTON, Mass. – After falling behind early, the #2 seeded Mount Ida College men's lacrosse team found their groove and came all the way back to defeat Johnson & Wales University 16-13 in Thursday evening's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals game at Alumni Field.

Mount Ida improves to 14-4 overall with their eighth straight win, and will return to the conference championship game for the second time in the last three years. They will travel across Newton to the top-seeded Lasell College for a title showdown with the Lasers at 1:00 pm Saturday.

Junior Marcus Donahue (Braintree, Mass.) was tremendous for the Mustangs, scoring eight goals and ten points, and junior Cam Hayward (Derry, N.H.) stopped 16 shots in goal.

The Mustangs weathered an early Johnson & Wales storm, coming from a 5-1 deficit midway through the first period to tie the game at seven with 5:46 to play in the first half.

Chad Coehlo (Salem, Mass.) scored the first goal of the game, but then the Wildcats rattled off five straight tallies, including two straight by Max Stone (Burlington, Conn.), who, along with Eric Russo (West Grove, Pa.), each scored a hat trick for Johnson & Wales.

The teams went into the break tied at eight, but a 5-2 Mount Ida run in the third quarter proved to be the difference in the win. Donahue scored twice in the quarter and Wyatt Sullivan (Arlington, Mass.) completed his hat trick to put the Mustangs up 13-9 with ten seconds to play in the quarter.

Russo led the Wildcats with three goals and two assists, and JWU got as close as 15-12 with 2:28 left in the game.

Kyle Ton (Norwich, Conn.) added two goals and an assist and Jon Berry (Chichester, N.H.) had three assists and two caused turnovers. Sullivan had a five-point performance and Coehlo added two makers and two helpers in the win.

Ben Farrell (Downingtown, Pa.), Sam Sears (Baltimore, Md.), and Thomas Lyons (Burlington, Mass.) each had two goals and an assist for the visitors.

Hunter Guzzo (Wantage, N.J.) had the better of things at the face-off dot, winning 20 of 31 face-offs, while freshman Bradley Morris (Bayport, N.Y.) made nine saves in defeat.

Mount Ida will look for their first GNAC championship since 2012, when they won back to back titles, while Lasell is vying for their first ever GNAC crown.

Johnson & Wales ends their 2017 season with a 12-7 record, and the #3 seed in the postseason.

Courtesy of Mount Ida Athletics Communications.

First Round - Tuesday, May 2 | RECAP
Game 1: #4 Norwich 9, #5 Emmanuel 8 (OT) | BOX
Game 2: #3 JWU 17, #6 Rivier 14 | BOX

Semifinals - Thursday, May 4
Game 3: #1 Lasell 14, #4 Norwich 11  | BOX
Game 4: #2 Mount Ida 16, #3 JWU 13 | BOX

Championship - Saturday, May 6
Game 5: #2 Mount Ida at #1 Lasell - 1:00 PM

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

– #TheGNAC –