Box Score
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Basketball games are often classified as "games of runs," but the term can rarely be applied in other sports. However, the Manhattan College men's lacrosse team's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) semifinal game against Mount St. Mary's on Friday afternoon would definitely fall into that category. After falling behind 4-0, the Jaspers (7-9) rallied for six straight goals to take the lead, but the Mountaineers (11-4) then responded with six goals of their own to post a 10-6 victory at Tenney Stadium on the campus of Marist College.
Mount St. Mary's controlled play during much of the early going, and the Mountaineers got on the board first when Mark Stapor found the back of the net at the 9:34 mark of the first quarter. MAAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year Cody Lehrer, who ranks third in the nation in goals, added another tally three minutes later to give Mount St. Mary's a 2-0 lead after one quarter. Jake Willertz scored at the 10:25 mark to make it 3-0, then Bryant Schmidt gave the Mountaineers a 4-0 lead with 4:00 left in the first half.
The Jaspers began their comeback immediately after Schmidt's goal, as Chace Calkin (Englewood, Colo.) won the faceoff, then drove down to put Manhattan on the board just six seconds later. Salvatore Spatarella (Rocky Point, N.Y.) added a goal at the 41-second mark, then Joe Variano (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) put one in with six seconds left in the half to trim the Jaspers' deficit to 4-3 at intermission.
Manhattan tied the game on Spatarella's second tally of the contest with 11:11 remaining in the third quarter. That goal started a flurry of offensive activity for the Jaspers, as Manhattan found scored three times in a 23-second span to go in front, 6-4. Calkin won the faceoff after Spatarella's second goal, then raced down and notched his second tally of the contest at the 11:02 mark. After Calkin won another faceoff, Kyle Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.) took a feed from Justin Jensen (Bay Shore, N.Y.) at the top of the net and put it in to give Manhattan a two-goal lead with 10:48 remaining in the third quarter.
The Mountaineers called timeout after Ochwat's goal, then held the Jaspers scoreless for the rest of the game. Lehrer started the Mountaineers' comeback with his goal at the 6:34 mark, then Bryant Schmidt tied the game with 2:12 left in the third quarter. Mount St. Mary's went back in front on a goal by Andrew Scalley with 26 seconds remaining in the period.
In the fourth quarter, Manhattan was unable to solve Second Team All-MAAC goalkeeper T.C. DiBartolo. The Jaspers outshot the Mountaineers 16-9 in the period, but DiBartolo made eight saves and didn't let Manhattan find the back of the net. Brett Schmidt notched three goals in the quarter for Mount St. Mary's, as well, and the Mountaineers advanced to Sunday's MAAC Championship Game with a 10-6 victory.
Calkin and Spatarella each had two goals for the Jaspers, while Jensen handed out a pair of assists. Calkin also notched a game-high eight ground balls, as the Jaspers held a 28-19 advantage on the ground, and went 14-for-19 on faceoffs. Erich Smith (St. Louis, Mo.) added four ground balls, while Second Team All-MAAC defenseman Kyle Moeller (South Setauket, N.Y.) caused three Mount St. Mary's turnovers. The Jaspers also outshot the Mountaineers 42-32. Jon Fiorillo (Painted Post, N.Y.) (7-6) took the loss in net after making nine saves and giving up 10 goals.
Brett Schmidt had a five-point game for the Mountaineers (three goals, two assists), while Lehrer and Bryant Schmidt each added a pair of goals. Scalley also recorded two points, notching a goal and an assist. Ben Trapp collected four ground balls to lead Mount St. Mary's. DiBartolo (11-4) made 21 saves and held the Jaspers scoreless over the final 25:48.
This season marked Manhattan's third straight trip to the MAAC Tournament, marking the first time in program history that the Jaspers reached the postseason in three successive years.
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