Shannon Welch/Staff Photographer
Despite Wednesday’s weather being overcast and windy, the Cardinals were able to put on a dominating performance against Conn College on April 23, winning their last regular season game 16-7. With the win, the Cardinals ended their 2014 regular season campaign with an overall record of 11-4 and 8-2 in the NESCAC, locking up the second seed for the NESCAC Tournament, which begins Saturday, April 26.
“I think we outhustled them, and definitely showed our athleticism,” said Captain Aidan Daniell ’14. “We gave 100 percent the entire game.”
After both teams started the game with strong defensive stands, Matt Prezioso ’15 broke the ice first for the Cardinals at 11:04. The Cardinals went on to take a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Camels fought back.
By the midway point of the second quarter, the Camels mounted a comeback and closed the gap to a one-goal deficit at 4-3, but at the 6:43 mark, Quentin DellaFera ’15 found the back of the net to give the Cardinals a two-goal lead. With 13 seconds remaining in the opening half, DellaFera netted his third goal of the game to bring the lead to 7-4 heading into halftime.
The Cardinals dominated the second half of the competition. They went on a 6-0 run, during which Graham Macnab ’14 scored three. Both Macnab, who had five goals, and DellaFera, who had three goals and two assists, led the Cardinals, each notching five points.
The loss dropped the Camels to 5-5 in the NESCAC, which puts them in the seventh seed for the tournament and sets up a rematch against the Cardinals in the first round on Saturday, April 26 at 1 p.m. on the grass of Jackson Field. This will be the first time the two teams face each other in the NESCAC tournament since 2010, when the Cardinals, as the eighth seed, upset the number one seeded Camels 6-5.
“I think we use this game as a great building block and blueprint for the way we want to play, aggressively, where offensively we really are moving the ball, having a lot of assisted goals, which is something we did really well today, and taking good quality shots,” said Head Coach John Raba. “I am hoping we can continue to do that on Saturday.”
Although the Cardinals, led by Macnab, DellaFera, and goalkeeper Justin Schick ’15, who made nine saves in net, were dominant Wednesday, they cannot overlook the Camels’ heading into the tournament.
“I think the key is to stick with the game plan,” said Captain Elliot Albert ’14. “Obviously playing this team again, we kind of saw what worked today, but it’s all about energy at this point. The mental aspect needs to be there obviously, but at this point in the season it’s playoff time, and we can’t wait to play them again.”
As the Cardinals get ready to host the Camels for the second time in four days, they expect the Camels to put up a good fight.
“We expect them to make some adjustments on their offense and defense, and just try to match our play,” Daniell said. “Obviously they’ll have the film that they will be able to tailor to our style of play.”