St. Louis, Mo (March 8, 2008) ? After a game tying goal by Brian Wynne with just 30 seconds left in the game, the Jaspers let up an overtime goal and Bellarmine University went on to win 8-7 in overtime. Sophomore Salvatore Spatarella kept his hot streak going as he notched two goals on the game.
Playing in memory of the DeSmet High School Lacrosse coach that has alumni on both teams, Manhattan College and Bellarmine University were looking to make it a memorable day in honor of their friend. Coming out in the first period, Bellarmine took an early 2-0 lead. But Spatarella got his first points of the day off an assists to Marc LaBelle and cut their deficit in half making it 2-1.
The Jaspers took control in the second quarter as they were the first ones to strike. Added by Spatarella's first goal of the game, Manhattan went into halftime tied with Bellarmine 3-3. Both teams were leaving it all out on the field as they were looking for a chance to pull away. But neither team allowed that to happen as they played even throughout the rest of the game, going goal for goal.
After Bellarmine took the lead, scoring with 6:31 left in the game, Manhattan was looking to score and keep them in the game. With time running out, Wynne fired the game tying goal into the net and forced the game into overtime. But in the five minute overtime period, Bellarmine scored 1:30 in and escaped with the victory.
Spatarella notched three points for the second consecutive game for the Jaspers. Senior defenseman Corey Dolik continued his solid play on the field, grabbing a team high four groundballs in the game. Goalie John Geagan managed 15 saves in the loss.
The Jaspers will return to action next weekend, Saturday, March 15 where they will travel to take on Providence College in their conference opener. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.
