In a preseason interview, men’s lacrosse Head Coach John Raba noted that the team’s scoring depth would be crucial to the its success this season, with the presence of four 20-plus goal-scorers from 2007 denying opponents an opportunity to focus on shutting down one player.
That depth was on display during Saturday’s 13-12 win over Colby—only, not in the way the 13th-ranked Cardinals had intended.
Down 7-3 after seven straight goals by the Mules, Wesleyan (5-1 NESCAC; 7-3 overall) responded with a 7-0 run of its own to move ahead 10-7 with 5:10 to go in the third quarter. Colby (2-4 NESCAC; 6-4 overall) finally responded with a man-up tally with 3:01 to go in the third quarter, but the Cardinals added two goals of their own to expand their lead to 12-8. Colby scored four of the last five goals to slice Wesleyan’s lead to 13-12 with 5:43 to play, but the Cardinals did an excellent job keeping the ball away from the Mules on the offensive end to chew up the clock and hold on for the win.
Attacker Grayson Connors ’08 recorded two tallies during the run, giving him a hat trick on the afternoon and putting him at 106 goals for his career. Midfielders Alex Kaufman ’08, Adam Kirk ’09 and Dan Latzman ’09 also stepped up in a big way, combining for four goals and three assists. But, perhaps the most impressive feat is that the Cardinals rallied without their leading scorer, Russ Follansbee ’09.
“I think…it’s a testament to the guys who stepped up and played in his absence,” said Defenseman Spike Malangone ’09. “It’s a team game, and guys got called upon to increase their roles and pick up the slack, and that’s what they did.”
With Wesleyan up 3-2 and 10-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second quarter, Follansbee and Colby Defenseman Chris Healy engaged in a fierce battle for a loose ball in front of the Cardinals’ bench. During the battle, Healy threw a punch at Follansbee, and players from both benches quickly joined the scrum as the officials tried to restore order. When all was said and done, four players were ejected: Follansbee, Healy, defenseman Nick Hayes ’09, and midfielder Eddie McLaughlin ’09. All four players were also given three-minute non-releasable penalties.
Being down two men…may have actually helped us out,” Malangone said. “The feeling that seemed to come out of it was anger. We were ready to jump all over them when the [three] minutes were up. It gave us an edge to play hungry and hard.”
Even with Mike Borrero ’09—statistically the nation’s top goalie—guarding the cage, the Cardinals, forced to play down two men for three minutes, were powerless to stop the Colby attack, as the Mules scored four times in a 1:05 span for a 6-3 lead. Things got worse for Wesleyan when its bench, protesting another questionable call, was hit with a 30-second conduct foul. As the Cardinals already had three men out of the game, the penalty was delayed until the 7:30 mark, when the prior three-minute penalties expired—but Colby took advantage of the extra half-minute power play, scoring just three seconds after the original penalties ended for a 7-3 cushion.
Wesleyan had scored three goals in the opening quarter, the last coming by Follansbee with four seconds remaining, for a 3-0 lead. Colby, however, scored twice in the opening 1:18 of the second quarter to close within one goal before the on-field altercation.
The win was the Cardinals’ second straight by one goal. Wesleyan’s first five wins had come by an average margin of victory of 8.8 goals. However, Malangone noted, the close games will help the Cardinals as the season enters crunch time.
“We expect games to be close,” Malangone said. “It is definitely helpful to play in tight situations now so that we know what to expect come playoff time and don’t get rattled when we encounter them. Learning to play under pressure is key down the stretch as games take on more and more meaning as you get later into the season.”
Next up for Wesleyan is a trip up I-91 to take on Trinity. The Cardinals have won their last eight contests against the Bantams, who defeated Middlebury by one goal on Saturday for the second year in a row. Wesleyan handed its Hartford rival an 18-8 loss last season, a game in which the Cardinals held leads of 6-0, 9-1 and 18-6. However, Wesleyan will have to go at it without Follansbee, who had a hat trick against the Bantams last season. Per NCAA rules, Follansbee is suspended from the game as a result of his ejection on Saturday. A win by the Cardinals would guarantee them a home game in the NESCAC tournament and move them into a first-place tie with Middlebury prior to Saturday’s home showdown with the Panthers.
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