Down to the Wire, Emmanuel Edges Men's Lacrosse 14-13 in GNAC Final

Boston, Mass. (5/8/16) – In an absolute thriller of a finale, the Lasell College men's lacrosse team fell to Emmanuel College 14-13 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Sunday afternoon at Clemente Field. The Lasers close out a season of success at 12-5 overall, and stand as one of two Lasell men's lacrosse teams to make it to the GNAC final.

EC junior Donnie Litzelman (Stratham, N.H.) started things off for the Saints, scoring the game's first goal three minutes into the opening quarter. After sophomore Austin Tomasetti (Elmsford, N.Y.) answered quickly for Lasell, the teams traded a pair of goals each, to set up a 3-3 tie with 4:35 remaining the quarter. Freshman Sam Ward (Hampstead, N.H.) and junior Tony Cibelli (Westboro, Mass.) scored for the Saints, while junior Connor Johnson (Hampstead, N.H.) and freshman Ryan Madden (Hingham, Mass.) had the markers for the Lasers.

Madden's second and third goals of the afternoon bookended a 5-0 run for Lasell that stretched from the 4:14 mark of the first quarter to the 12:37 mark of the second. Junior Josh Gallant (Hampstead, N.H.), senior Mike Pino (Tewksbury, Mass.) and senior Casey Sullivan (Quaker Hill, Conn.) all scored tallied unassisted markers between Madden's scores. 

Trailing 8-3, the top-seeded Saints looked to their leaders to find a response, and tournament MVP and senior captain Chris Curtis (Ashland, Mass.) was up to the task. After Litzelman set up senior Michael Donovan (Assonet, Mass.) to cut the lead to 8-4, Curtis scored four goals in two minutes and 44 seconds in a 6-0 run that gave the Saints a 9-8 lead. Sophomore Charlie Moran (Maitland, Fla.) picked up a goal in the run as well. 

Madden and Litzelman traded tallies for their respective squads in the waning minutes of the quarter and Emmanuel took a 10-9 lead into halftime.

The Lasers wasted no time in evening things up, as Gallant scored 28 seconds into the third quarter to knot it at 10-10. The defending champs bared down took another shot at the visitors, rattling off a four-goal flurry over the next nine minutes to open up a 14-10 lead with 4:45 left in the quarter. Litzelman and Curtis each picked up another goal apiece in the run, while Cibelli earned two.

Madden and the Lasers threw everything back at the Saints, as the freshman scored twice before the end of the third to pull Lasell within two. Senior Pat Egan (Glen Rock, N.J.) scored 61 seconds into the final frame to make it a 14-13 game, but the Saints held off the final push from Lasell and no one scored for the last 13:59 of regulation. 

Senior Chris Thomas-Ikier (Burlington, Mass.) made 15 saves in a tremendous effort, finishing the season with a 3-2 record. Sophomore goalkeeper Austin Rosenberg (Ronkokoma, N.Y.) made 14 saves en route to his tenth win of the season (10-3).

Madden controlled the game offensively for the Lasers, scoring six goals on nine shots. Gallant tallied a pair, while Sullivan and Egan both picked up a goal and an assist. Tomasetti scored and added two helpers, while Pino notched one goal, the first of his career, as a pivotal Lasell defender. 

Curtis (5G, 1A) and Litzelman (3G, 3A) led the way offensively for the Saints, while sophomore Michael Sousa (Cranston, R.I.) was tremendous in the faceoff circle, going 23-30 on the day, including 10-0 in the second quarter. Cibelli scored three times, senior Justin Kelly (Collegeville, Pa.) assisted on a trio of goals, and Donovan, Moran, and Ward all scored once. Donovan added an assist on the day as well. 

The Saints will await tonight's NCAA Men's Lacrosse Selection Show to find out who they'll face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

All-Tournament Team

Julian Bandereck, Johnson & Wales University
Max Stone, Johnson & Wales University
Matt Flaherty, Norwich University
Ryan McCarthy, Norwich University 
Joe Bove, Lasell College
Ryan Madden, Lasell CollegeMike Pino, Lasell College
Chris Ikier, Lasell College
Chris Baglivi, Emmanuel College
Nick DelMonaco, Emmanuel College
Donnie Litzelman, Emmanuel College
Michael Sousa, Emmanuel College
Chris Curtis, Emmanuel College  – Tournament MVP