Men's Lacrosse Holds Off Plymouth State 15-12 for Coach Mason's First Victory

NEWTON, Mass. (3/9/16) – Coach Bill Mason earned his first win with the Lasell men's lacrosse program as the Lasers defeated Plymouth State University 15-12 Wednesday afternoon at Grellier Field. Lasell shifts to 1-1 on the year while Plymouth drops to 0-2 this season.

A trio of hat tricks led the way for Lasell, as juniors Anthony Saitta (Derry, N.H.) and Josh Gallant (Hampstead, N.H.) and sophomore Austin Tomasetti (Elmsford, N.Y.) combined for nine of the Lasers' points. Senior Casey Sullivan (Quaker Hill, Conn.) added a pair of goals and two assists in the effort, while junior Connor Johnson (Hampstead, N.H.) added two points of his own.

Senior Phil Pichel (Hopkinton, Mass.) paced the Panthers with three goals and two helpers, while junior Mac Tetrault (Wolfeboro, N.H.) added his first hat trick of the year.

The Lasers got off to a hot start, going up 4-0 early on the Panthers with 3:51 left in the first quarter. However, penalty trouble allowed Tetrault and sophomore Galen Antolino (Exeter, N.H.) to pull within a single goal, 5-4, before Pichel netted the equalizer with 6:09 left in the half.

Five minutes into the second half of action, a man-up goal by Tomasetti – off the stick of Sullivan – put Lasell back in the comfort zone, 10-5. The Panthers would not go quietly, as Antolino struck again with 12:38 left in regulation to pull the visitors within three, 13-10.

With 11:30 left on the clock, Panthers' junior Brandon Lee (Canton, Mich.) battled for the faceoff draw, and set Pichel up with a breakaway opportunity. Pichel wound up for the blast, only to be denied point-blank by Lasell junior goalkeeper Jorge Salazar (Waltham, Mass.). With 2:14 left in regulation, Saitta flew towards the Panthers' crease, deked the defense, and put up Lasell's last goal for the 15-12 victory.

Salazar registered a career-high 15 saves on 27 shots on goal, earning his first win of the season, 1-0. For the Panthers, junior keeper Jayson LaRiviere (Chelmsford, Mass.) suffered his second loss of the season, 0-2, with eight saves on 23 shots.

Both teams resume action on Saturday, March 12 at 1:00 p.m. The Lasers will return to Grellier Field to host UMass Dartmouth, while the Panthers head to Castleton.