PAXTON, Mass.  – Junior Luke Biggins (Sudbury, Mass.) led all players with eight points and 17 ground balls to help lift the Anna Maria College men’s lacrosse team to a 14-4 victory over Mitchell College in a Division III matchup at AMCAT Field on Wednesday evening. The win came in the AMCATS’ home opener and improved their season record to 1-2, while the Mariners dropped to 0-1 on the year.

 

Biggins paced AMC with five goals and three assists, while also winning 16-of-20 face offs. Sophomore Mike Saulnier (Wrentham, Mass.) and freshman Nikolas Langlois (Hatfield, Mass.) chipped in with four and three goals, respectively, while freshman Rodrigo Henriques (Saugus, Mass.) added three assists in the win. Freshman Andrew Ellis (Fitchburg, Mass.) made six saves on the night, earning the win in net for the AMCATS and evening his record to 1-1 on the year.

 

Junior Patrick Nielsen (Norwalk, Conn.) and sophomore Adam Grillo (Waterford, Conn.) led the Mariners with two goals apiece, while sophomore Bruce Wall (Hyde Park, MA) added a goal and an assist in the loss. Sophomore goalkeeper Joseph Nott (Waterford, Conn.) did his best to keep the Mariners in the game, making an impressive 23 saves during the match, including 10 in the third quarter alone.

 

Anna Maria got on the board first when Langlois took a feed from Biggins and beat the Mariners’ goalie to give AMC the 1-0 advantage after one quarter of play.

 

Mitchell took advantage of an extra-man opportunity and evened the score at the 10:58 mark of the second quarter, as Patrick Nielsen found the back of the net for an unassisted tally.

 

The AMCATS responded with three unanswered-goals in under three minutes of play, including two by Biggins and one from Saulnier.

 

After a Mitchell goal from Adam Grillo, the AMCATS answered back with a score by Nikolas Langlois off a nice feed from Rodrigo Henriques with just 39 seconds remaining in the half.

 

The AMCATS stormed out of the gates in the second half, scoring six unanswered goals to build a commanding 11-2 lead.

 

Mitchell tried to rally back by scoring four of the next six goals, cutting the AMC lead to seven, but eventually ran out of time, as the AMCATS captured the 14-6 victory.

 

The AMCATS held significant advantages in shots (59-17), face-offs (17-22), and ground balls (68-42) during the win.

 

The Mariners won’t play again until Saturday the 21^st when they host Lydon State at 2:00 pm. The AMCATS will be back in action this Saturday, hosting SUNY-Cobleskill in a non-conference matchup starting at 12:00 pm.

PAXTON, Mass.  – Freshman Joe Galante (Framingham, Mass.) had a game-high five points on three goals and two assists to help lead the Norwich University men’s lacrosse team to a 10-6 victory over Anna Maria College in a non-conference matchup at the Assumption College Multi-Sports Stadium on Saturday evening. The game marked the season opener for the Cadets who improve to 1-0 on the year, while the AMCATS fall to 0-2 overall and remain 0-1 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference.

 

The two teams battled to a scoreless tie through the first eight minutes of the match before Galante took a feed from senior Jesse Mattson (Los Angeles, Calif.) and found the back of the net to give NU an early 1-0 advantage.

 

The Cadets wasted no time in striking again, as freshman Michael White (Walpole, Mass.) scored an unassisted tally just 10 seconds later to extend the NU lead to 2-0. That’s how the score remained as the first quarter came to a close.

 

The Cadets netted the first two goals of the second quarter as White scored off a feed from Mattson, before then assisting on Galante’s second goal of the game.

 

The AMCATS finally broke through with 5:30 remaining in the half, when Captain Luke Biggins (Sudbury, Mass.) scored off a pass from freshman Chris Summers (Morris, N.J.), cutting the NU lead to 4-1.

 

The two teams traded goals before the half came to a close as Galante and AMC sophomore Mike Saulnier (Wrentham, Mass.) collected unassisted goals.

 

Beginning the second half with an extra-man advantage, Norwich extended their lead to 6-2 when senior Kyle Marzeoti (Billerica, Mass.) scored unassisted just 31 seconds into the third quarter.

 

Each team scored three goals in the quarter with Saulnier, Matt Lochner (Lima, N.Y.), and Rodrigo Henriques (Saugus, Mass.) netting goals for the AMCATS, and Patrick Sikora (Montpelier, Vt.), and Justin Pearson (Theresa, N.Y.) adding scores for the Cadets.

 

AMC fought back to within two goals at the start of the fourth quarter when Biggins scored his second goal of the match, cutting the NU lead to 8-6.

 

That was as close as the AMCATS got to tying the score, as junior Tyler Nicholl (Ogden, Utah) and Justin Pearson each scored to put the game away, giving NU the 10-6 victory in their season opener.

 

In addition to Galante’s game-high five points, Michael White contributed two goals and an assist, and Jesse Mattson added three assists to help pace the Cadets. Justin Pearson also played well, scoring two goals, while Kyle Marzeoti, and Tyler Nicholl each added a goal in the victory. Junior Ryan Leroux (Potsdam, N.Y.) performed well in net for Norwich, making 16 saves, including 11 in the second half to help preserve the win.

 

The AMCATS were led by Luke Biggins who had two goals and a game-high 13 groundballs, while also winning 11-of-18 face offs. Mike Saulnier and Chris Summers also played well for AMC, adding two goals and two assists, respectively. Freshman Andrew Ellis (Fitchburg, Mass.) did his best to keep the AMCATS in the game by making 11 saves in goal.  

 

The Cadets will take the field again on Thursday when they face UMass-Dartmouth on the road starting at 4:00 pm. The AMCATS will look to bounce back on Wednesday when they host Mitchell College at 4:00 pm.

BEVERLY, Mass. – The 20^th-ranked Endicott men’s lacrosse team served Anna Maria College an unfriendly welcome to The Commonwealth Coast Conference, as the Gulls defeated the visiting AMCATS, 21-1, in the season-opener for both teams on a wet and cold Wednesday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. Endicott, who led 15-0 at halftime, outshot AMC at a 41-9 clip on the day.

 

The Gulls opened the afternoon by pumping in five goals in the game’s first seven minutes, including two strikes by Brendan McCarthy (Arlington, Vt.). McCarthy’s first tally came as he dodged from behind the net, turning his defender on goal-line extended, and then beat Anna Maria goalkeeper Bryan Bedard (Dracut, Mass.) with a high-low stick fake. The EC junior attackman then notched his second of the day off a nifty backdoor pass from Jack Curtis (Chelmsford, Mass.). The Endicott offense continued in the first quarter as Brian Vincent (Norwalk, Conn.) also chipped in a pair of goals and an assist before the first 15:00 minutes had concluded.

 

Anna Maria finally got on the board in the four quarter when junior midfielder Luke Biggins (Sudbury, Mass.) snuck a bid past freshman Will Lomas (Weston, Conn.) - one of five netminders on the day for the Gulls - under the crossbar to make it a 19-1 game. Justin Sproul (Londonderry, N.H.) and Colin Prescott (Norwalk, Conn.) tacked on a goal apiece to round out the scoring.

 

Jack Curtis and Connor McCormack (Norwalk, Conn.) each finished the day with four points, Curtis on a goal and three assists and McCormack on three goals and one helper. Harry Holden (Duxbury, Mass.) added a pair of goals while Sproul also finished with two. Five Endicott goalies combined for the victory.

 

Anna Maria’s Bryan Bedard finished with three saves before giving way to freshman Andrew Ellis (Fitchburg, Mass.), who came on to stop five of the 11 shots he faced.

 

Endicott won 20-of-26 face-off opportunities and cleared the ball at a perfect 12-12 clip (AMC finished just 7-of-22 in clearing situations). The Gulls also had 44 groundballs to the AMCATS 20 and forced 24 Anna Maria turnovers.

 

Endicott (1-0, 1-0 TCCC) returns to action on Saturday afternoon when the Gulls will play host to the Ducks of the Stevens Institute of Technology at 1:00 p.m. Anna Maria looks to rebound on March 6^th when it hosts Norwich.

 

Release Courtesy of Endicott Sports Information

The Boston Cannons have claimed five players from the league’s player pool, including four with previous ties to the team. The players claimed are A JAKE BEEBE, M NATE EVANS, D PATRICK GAFFNEY, D JAMES GUAY and M JOHN ORTOLANI.

 

Beebe was selected by the Cannons in the fifth round of the 2009 Collegiate Draft, but remained on the Collegiate Inactive List all season. A Sudbury, MA native and graduate of Springfield College, Beebe had a stellar senior season, tallying 46 assists and 87 points, good for second and fourth respectively in the program’s history.

 

Evans has been a member of the Cannons practice squad for the past four seasons after being a standout player at Le Moyne. While at Le Moyne, he was a member of two Division II championship teams (2004 and 2006) and the team had a record of 62-2 during his tenure. A resident of Providence, RI, Evans is entering his fifth season as a member of the Cannons organization.

 

Gaffney, the current head coach of Anna Maria College, was cut before the start of last season. A graduate of Endicott College, he was named the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year for his confrence as well as being a four-time All Confrence and two-time All New England selection.

 

Guay is new to the organization, being a member of the same Middlebury team as recent Cannons supplemental draft selection Mike Stone. Guay, a gifted defensive player, was named an All American during his college tenure.

 

Ortolani was a member of the Cannons practice squad last year after a solid career at Endicott. He is noted for being a faceoff specialist and is a professional MMA fighter.

Fall Tournament - The Anna Maria College men’s lacrosse team will be hosting a fall tournament to conclude their non-traditional season. On Sunday, October 11^th the AMCATS will welcome three local teams to their new turf field; WPI, North Shore and Stonehill College. “We are excited to host the tournament and utilize our new turf facility” said Coach Gaffney earlier this week. The AMCATS will be entering their second season as a varsity program and first season as a member of the competitive TCCC. The tournament will mark the end of “Fall Ball” as the team breaks until February when they resume play in preparation for their 16-game schedule.

 

9:00am - 10:30am                   AMC v. WPI

10:30am - 12:00pm                 SC v. WPI

12:00pm - 1:30pm                   NS v. SC

1:30pm - 3:00pm                     NS v. AMC

Midfielder Mike Saulnier (Wrentham, Mass.) had an excellent freshman year for the first-year AMCATS, leading the team with 25 points, 22 goals, and 59 ground balls, while also winning over 54% of his face offs. Saulnier, one of AMC’s three Team Captains, scored a program record 11 goals against Mitchell to spark the club to its first win. For his contributions to the team, Mike was selected as the recipient of the Coaches Award.

 

Senior Kellan Boudreau (Simsbury, Conn.) and freshman Jason McGuire (Norwell, Mass.) completed the starting AMC midfield. Boudreau and McGuire tied for the team lead in assists with five, adding two goals each. Boudreau gave the team leadership as a Co-Captain while McGuire collected 41 ground balls.

 

Junior Nick Caponi (Leominster, Mass.) led a group of midfield reserves who gave Coach Gaffney a deep bench, including sophomore Bobby Kilroy (Wrentham, Mass.) and freshman Shane Black (Pembroke, Mass.). Caponi was third on the AMCATS with six goals and eight points, including a hat trick versus SUNY Cobleskill in AMC’s first-ever home game.

 

The starting attack unit for the AMCATS consisted of sophomore Joe Fedullo (Middleton, Mass.), and freshmen J.C. Crowley (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Grant Pilkington (Warwick, R.I.). Crowley paced the trio, finishing second on the team in goals (11), points (16), and shots on goal (25), while also tying for the team lead in assists with five.

 

Freshmen John Cutter (Newburyport, Mass.), John Mara (Hanover, Mass.), and Rahul Patel (Conyers, Ga.) rounded out the AMC attack, playing valuable minutes off the bench. Cutter led the group with three goals, scoring twice versus Curry in one of his three starts.

 

Sophomores Ryan Joyal (Marlboro, Mass.) and Michael Powell (Windham, N.H.) combined with freshmen Brad Peterson (North Kingstown, R.I.) Henry Taylor (Boston, Mass.). and Blake Simpson (Warwick, R.I.) to form a formidable defensive unit for the AMCATS. Peterson and Powell ranked second and third on the team with 50 and 47 ground balls, respectively. Joyal joined the team late, but eventually worked his way onto the field, starting eight games for AMC.

 

Freshman Anthony DiTommaso (Ashby, Mass) was the starting goaltender for the AMCATS in their first season. Ditammaso helped lead AMC to their first victory by holding Mitchell College to just four goals. For the season, he totaled 420 minutes in net and made 66 saves in six starts.

 

Coach Gaffney hit the recruiting trail hard this offseason in a continuing effort to build a program from the ground level. Gaffney will be bringing in 16 freshmen for 2010 to add to a roster already returning 12 sophomores, four juniors, and a senior. The team has a lot to look forward to in ’10 including officially joining the TCCC and playing in a brand new synthetic turf stadium. The team made dramatic strides during their inaugural season and should continue to grow as a program in 2010.

PAXTON, Mass.  – Senior Andrew Abbott (Onondaga, N.Y.) scored five goals to lift the SUNY Cobleskill men’s lacrosse team to a 9-8 victory over Anna Maria College in a Division III matchup at Alumni Field on Wednesday afternoon. The win improves the Fighting Tigers to 2-8 overall, while the AMCATS fall to 1-9 in their inaugural season.

 

Abbott paced the Fighting Tigers’ offense, leading all players with five points on five goals and putting eight of his team-high 11 shots on goal. Freshman Mike Janavey (Cross River, N.Y.) chipped in with three goals of his own, while freshman Chris Makowicki (Staatsburg, N.Y.) dished out three assists and senior Tom Cunningham (Skaneateles, N.Y.) grabbed a team-high seven ground balls. Sophomore goalkeeper Tom Knezick (Columbus, N.J.) was strong in net, making several nice stops for a total of 11 saves on the day.

 

Junior Nick Caponi (Leominster, Mass.) led the way for the AMCATS with three goals, while freshman J.C. Crowley (Wantagh, N.Y.) had three points on a goal and two assists. Defenseman Kellan Boudreau (Simsbury, Conn.), who was honored before the game as part of the Senior Day festivities, also had a good game, scoring two goals while playing stiff defense. Freshman Anthony DiTommaso (Ashby, Mass.) was excellent in between the pipes for Anna Maria. He made 18 saves in the match, keeping his team in the game and giving them a chance to win at the end.

 

Freshman Bobby Kilroy (Wrentham, Mass.) gave the AMCATS an early 1-0 lead when he found the back of the net off a beautiful feed from Mike Saulnier (Wrentham, Mass.) at the 11:31 mark in the first quarter.

 

Tiger freshman Evan Williams (Meridian, Id.) evened the score off a feed from Makowiki with just 59 seconds remaining in the first.

 

With the score knotted at 3-3, Saulnier cut through several SUNY defenders and scored an unassisted tally with just 11 seconds remaining in the quarter to send AMC into halftime with a 4-3 advantage.

 

After holding each other scoreless in the third quarter, both teams exploded to combine for 10 goals in the fourth. The Tigers opened the quarter on a 5-0 run getting three scores from Abbott and two more from Janavey.

 

Trailing 9-3 with less than eight minutes remaining, the AMCATS forged a comeback behind the clutch play of Caponi. AMC scored four of the next five goals, three by Caponi, to pull within one with 2:24 to play.

 

But the Tigers’ defensive answered the bell, holding off the AMC charge to capture the 9-8 victory.

 

The Fighting Tigers will play again on Wednesday when they travel to take on Keuka at 7:00 pm. The AMCATS will take the field again Tuesday, playing Roger Williams on the road at 4:00 pm in their final game of the season.

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