Seahawks fall in overtime

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – The Salve Regina men's lacrosse team made a seemingly impossible comeback behind six goals in the third quarter, but Hartwick spoiled the Seahawks' season opener with a goal halfway through the overtime period to claim a 11-10 victory, Friday afternoon.

Junior Phil Schaefer (Holbrook, N.Y.) capped his four-goal game with a score just minutes into the third quarter to put Hartwick up 7-4 with before Salve Regina rattled off four-straight goals with just under six minutes to play to pull with one at 9-8. Four different Seahawks found the net over that span, including three freshmen. Freshman Jake Pantani (Bradford, Conn.) kicked off the run with an unassisted goal with 5:58 showing.

At the 5:15 mark, the Seahawks took advantage of their man-up advantage as senior Taylor Braun (Commack, N.Y.) beat the keeper to cut the lead to 9-6. Freshman James Fee (Massapequa, N.Y.) took a feed from classmate Connor Timpson (Narragansett, R.I.) for his second goal of the afternoon before freshman Sharp Jones (Scituate, Mass.) capped the run with his first collegiate goal to cut the Hawks lead to 9-8 with a quarter to play.

Hartwick opened the fourth quarter as junior Cody Ciolino (Nesconset, N.Y.) beat senior goalie Evan Simone (Dover, N.H.) to the top left corner of the net to extend the Hawks lead to 10-8.

Salve Regina did not give up, however, as senior Francis McNulty (Durham, Conn.) found the net twice, first off a pass from Fee and finally from Jones with 1:25 left in regulation.

Salve Regina won the final faceoff of regulation though Hartwick got the last shot off as Simone made a big save with 14 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

Hartwick won the opening faceoff of the overtime period and after setting up a play just before the two-minute mark, senior Harry Hughes (Holtsville, N.Y.) picked up the ball in a scrum in front of the net and beat Simone low to hand the Hawks an opening-day win.

Hartwick held a 7-2 advantage going into halftime after sophomore Steven Russell (Bayport, N.Y.) took a low shot as time was expiring to get past the Hawks goalie, senior Carl Lengel (Lynbrook, N.Y.). Fee scored the first goal of the game for Salve Regina and his first collegiate goal at the 12:29 mark off a pass from Russell in the second period.

Schaefer, Hughes and Ciolino were responsible for all four Hawk goals in the first quarter, as Schafer found the net twice and added an assist. Hughes and Ciolino each scored and Hughes assisted on Schaefer's second goal.

Simone and Lengel each made 13 saves in the contest. McNulty picked up a team-high six ground balls for the Seahawks while junior Curtis McKeon (West Haven, Conn.) won 8-of-12 faceoffs and McNulty was 6-of-9.

The Seahawks return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 27 when they host Mount Ida at Gaudet Field at 4:30 p.m.