Corsairs upend Seahawks in season-opener, 15-11

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's lacrosse team defeated Salve Regina, 15-11, in the 2011 season opener for both teams at Cressy Field Tuesday afternoon.

Senior attacker Josh Arsenault (Revere, Mass.) netted a game-high six goals and an assist while junior attacker Nick Brett (Loudon, N.H.) added three goals and two assists in the win. Senior midfielder Stephen Espinola (Groton, Mass.) and freshman midfielder Todd Davis (Sandwich, Mass.) each added two goals.

The Seahawks were led by junior attacker Chris Walker (Marshfield, Mass.), who scored a team-high four goals with three assists. Junior attacker Brendan Carroll (Garden City, N.Y.) chipped in with three goals and two assists while freshman attacker Chad Hollenshade (Lutherville, Md.) also scored three goals and an assist in the loss.

UMD freshman goalkeeper Nick Thayer (Chelsmford, Mass.) made nine saves while Seahawks sophomore goalkeeper Evan Simone (Dover, N.H.) stopped 18 shots.

The teams combined for 11 first period goals. Salve Regina ran out to an early 3-1 lead after the first five minutes of play but consecutive goals by Arsenault in less than two minutes tied the game at 3-3 with 6:52 to play. With the score tied 5-5, Brett netted his first goal of the day with :03 left in the first period, giving UMD a 6-5 lead.

After continuing the back-and-forth scoring into the second period, the Corsairs remained ahead, 8-7, with 10:26 to play. The Seahawks regained the lead with a three-goal outburst, featuring two goals by Walker, putting Salve Regina up 10-8 with 4:34 on the clock. Arsenault scored his third goal of the game with 2:47 to play in the half, making the score 10-9 Seahawks at the break.

The Corsairs came out of the halftime with three unanswered goals in the opening six minutes of the third period, taking a 12-10 lead. The Seahawks pulled within a goal, 12-11, when Hollenshade scored his third goal of the game with 6:14 left in third frame. Arsenault put the Corsairs up for good with his final goal at the 1:48 mark of the third. The Corsairs outscored the Seahawks 2-0 in the final period, securing the 15-11 victory for UMass Dartmouth.

The Corsairs outshot the Seahawks 51-28 during the contest.

UMass Dartmouth improved to 1-0 with the victory, while Salve Regina dropped to 0-1 with the defeat. The Corsairs will return to action when they visit Becker next Tuesday. SRU will host Wesleyan Saturday at Gaudet Field at noon.

(Courtesy of UMass Dartmouth sports information)