Saturday, March 28, 2009

KAUFMANN, HOAGLAND, WEISENBERG BREAK OUT IN LAST-SECOND THRILLER OVER LEHIGH, 14-13, SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Boxscore

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Led by four goals apiece from senior attackmen Bryan Kaufmann (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) and Kevin Hoagland (Glastonbury, Conn.) and freshman midfielder Max Weisenberg (Long Beach, N.Y.), the Bryant University men's lacrosse team overcame an early deficit and held off a surging Lehigh University side late in the contest to take a 14-13 victory over the Mountain Hawks Saturday afternoon at the Ulrich Sports Complex.

In a game that featured seven ties, the Bulldogs (7-4) saw Kaufmann record a game-high six points off four goals and two assists while Zack Greer (Whitby, Ont.) notched four helpers and added a tally of his own en route to Bryant's last-second thriller win.

The Bulldogs got behind early, falling into a 4-2 hole with over five minutes to play in the first frame. But back-to-back man-up goals from Hoagland evened the score at 4-4 before the Bulldogs took their first lead of the game off Weisenberg's first of the contest - an unassisted tally off a nicely placed pass from Anthony Iannello (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) at midfield - to go up, 5-4, just 2:10 seconds into the second frame.

Max Dahlem retied the score for the Mountain Hawks, 5-5, before Brian Bienemann gave Lehigh back the one-goal advantage halfway through the second period.

But the lead wouldn't last long in a contest marked by back-and-forth play, as Weisenberg and Kaufmann hooked up for the former's second goal and a 7-6 Bulldog edge.

Bryant took its first multi-goal lead of the contest with just over three minutes to play before the break when Kaufmann fed freshman Travis Harrington (Vestal, N.Y.) the ball on an extra-man opportunity - the Bulldogs would go 4-for-7 on man-up chances - for an 8-6 advantage.

But Lehigh would seize back the momentum before the half ended, scoring even-strength and man-up goals in the final 2:14 - the last one coming with 11 ticks left on the clock - to head to the locker room in an 8-8 tie.

"It was still anyone's game at halftime," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "We came back from two goals out and we were very positive after the first 30 minutes. But we knew we had to get the momentum back after they scored twice in the final two minutes if we were going to be successful."

After the break, Greer opened the scoring 21 seconds into the third with a man-up tally from the right side for a one-goal advantage that Lehigh's Ricky Cornetta would nullify just over a minute later.

But a crafty, unassisted goal from Weisenberg on a bounce from the right side of the goal with 13:07 to play in the third quarter would give the Bulldogs a lead they would keep - but not without some drama.

Hoagland took a pass from Greer and deposited it between the pipes 40 seconds later for an 11-9 advantage before Weisenberg took his man face up, beating him and driving to the goal mouth for a three-tally lead, 12-9, with 9:13 to play in the third. It would take Rob Maiorano (Easton, Conn.) just 11 more ticks to score Bryant's 13th goal and his first of the season, assisted by Rob Stufano (Garden City, N.Y.), to close out the session.

Lehigh opened the final period with a goal of its own - the third of the day from Cornetta - to close the gap to three, 13-10, before Kaufmann scored the eventual game-winner fresh off an extra-man opportunity from Greer with 12:09 to play.

But from there, the Bulldogs would be held scoreless and the Mountain Hawks took the momentum and ran with it. Roman Lao-Gosney notched his first goal of the season to narrow the Bulldogs' lead to 14-11 with 8:31 to go and Bienemann scored an unassisted tally with just over five minutes to play to cut the lead to two.

And when Evan Guerrero intercepted a Weisenberg pass in the offensive end and returned it for a Lehigh score with over four still showing on the clock, the Bulldog sideline knew it needed to turn the momentum back on Bryant's side.

The teams battled throughout the final minutes until the clocked ticked down to 63 seconds, inspiring a Lehigh timeout with possession in Bryant's defensive end.

Tough defense forced the Mountain Hawks to use their second timeout with just 26 seconds left and a 14-13 deficit. And as the seconds ticked off, freshman goalie Jameson Love (Darien, Conn.) made one of his biggest saves of the season, knocking down a Lao-Gosney shot to deny the game-tier. When the rookie wasn't able to cover the ball, a scrum ensued, but the Mountain Hawks wouldn't have time to gain possession again before the clock hit zero, marking the 14-13 Bryant victory.

"Today's win was a battle till the end and I'm very proud that our guys had the wherewithal and the heart to keep fighting and get a big win on the road," said Pressler, who faced off against his former player and assistant coach in Lehigh skipper Kevin Cassese. "But give the Mountain Hawks credit for coming back with a big fourth quarter. We had just enough to get the win."

Love made 13 saves in his seventh win of the season, including turning away six shots on goal in the final frame. The Bulldogs were outshot on the day, 45-39, and continued to struggle on turnovers, committing 24 miscues.

The Bulldogs and the Mountain Hawks also went to battle on ground balls, with Bryant picking up two more, 34-32, led by a game-high 14 from Andrew Hennessey (Wading River, N.Y.) Hennessey continued his excellence from the faceoff X, winning 21-of-31 faceoff opportunities on the day.

"Andrew does such a great job in getting us possession from the faceoff, and those extra possessions are key to our offensive success," said Pressler.

The win marks the Bulldogs' third-straight win and final road game of the 2009 season as they return home for their final four games, starting with No. 13/11 Brown Tuesday night (7 p.m.) at the Bryant Turf Complex.