MLX: Lasell rolls past JWU in GNAC semifinal; will host Championship game on Saturday

NEWTON, Mass. – Top-seeded Lasell University used a stifling defense and a pair of six-goal runs Wednesday afternoon to roll past fourth-seeded Johnson & Wales University, 16-5, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse tournament semifinal at rainy Grellier Field.

The victory puts the Lasers, 9-2 overall and winners of six in a row, in the GNAC championship game for the second straight time and the fourth time in the last five tournaments. Lasell will host the title game this Saturday, May 8, at 2 p.m. at Grellier Field against second-seeded Norwich University after the Cadets advanced past third-seeded Rivier University Wednesday evening, 14-6. Johnson & Wales completes its season at 7-3 overall.

The Laser defense limited the Wildcats to just one goal in a span of more than 41 minutes from late in the first quarter until less than seven minutes left in the four quarter, when Lasell had a 15-3 lead. Junior goalie Alex Beauchemin (Westfield, Mass.), who leads the GNAC in goals-against average and save percentage in conference play, turned in another outstanding performance with 16 saves on 21 shots. Beauchemin is the anchor to a defense that includes long-stick standouts in senior Ethan Bain (Southbury, Conn.), junior Tyler Rose (Springfield, Mass.), and sophomore Magnus Leonard (Marshfield, Mass.).

The balanced Lasell offense was led by seniors Colby Buccheri (Rowley, Mass.) and Andrew Fidalgo (Wilbraham, Mass.), who tallied three goals and three assists apiece, and graduate student Chase Kapuscienski (Grafton, Mass.), who also scored three goals. Juniors James Anderson (Medway, Mass.) and Max Litchfield (Barrington, N.H.) added two goals each.

Sophomore Andrew Vasile (Milford, Mass.) scored two goals to lead the Wildcats offense. Freshman Andrew Carroll (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) had a busy day, posting a team-high seven ground balls and three caused turnovers, and junior Alex Padula (Syracuse, N.Y.) picked up five ground balls and also caused three turnovers.

Lasell scored the first two goals of the game, but JWU stayed with the hosts for the first 12 minutes, trailing just 3-2 after a goal with three minutes to go in the first quarter. But the Lasers scored one more goal before the end of the quarter and outscored the Wildcats 5-0 in the second on goals by five different players to take a 9-2 lead at halftime. Kapuscienski notched a pair in the third frame as Lasell extended its margin to 11-3 after three quarters, and Anderson capped a four-goal Laser run to start the fourth quarter to put the game away.

The Lasers went 2-0 this spring against their championship game opponent, defeating Norwich twice (12-11 on April 10 and 15-5 on April 20). Lasell is seeking its second GNAC championship and first since 2017. Norwich upset Lasell in the most recent GNAC title game, 9-5, in 2019.

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