Lacrosse 4/19/2008 12:00:00 AM VMIKeydets.com

Canisius Defeats Lacrosse in MAAC Showdown, 12-8

LEXINGTON, Va.- The MAAC-leading, and undefeated in conference play, Canisius Golden Griffins knocked off the VMI Keydet Lacrosse team 12-8 Saturday afternoon at Foster Stadium, holding on for the win despite a VMI second-half rally.

With the win, Canisius moves to 8-3 overall, and 7-0 in the MAAC. The Golden Griffins have now won eight straight games overall. The Keydets drops to 5-7, and 4-2 in conference play.

Before the game, VMI Lacrosse honored the nine members of its 2008 Senior Class who were playing in their final home game. One of them got involved early, as at the 11:31 mark, Kevin Hill found Brett Leonard for the game's first goal. The assist moved Hill into sole possession of second place on the all-time VMI Lacrosse list, and it helped give the Keydets a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, that would be VMI's only lead of the day.

Canisius answered Leonard's goal just seconds later, as freshman attack Greg Michael beat Sean McCoy to tie the game. The Golden Griffins added two more goals, and took a 3-1 lead after the opening fifteen minutes. In the first quarter, Canisius outshot the Keydets 8-3, and the Golden Griffins won three of the five face-offs contested.

The visitors would add to their lead in the second quarter. Michael Blocho opened the scoring for Canisius at the 13:49 mark, and from there, the Golden Griffins would add four goals in the next nine minutes. All told, Canisius scored eight consecutive goals overall, and five in the opening eleven minutes of the second period. When the run was over, after a John Minieri goal at the 4:38 mark, the Golden Griffins led 8-1.

VMI did not give up, as Hill found Jacob Weimer for a goal at the 2:35 mark, and the senior added a goal of his own some thirty seconds later. The two scores cut the lead to five, but Canisius quickly answered. Two goals in the final two minutes of the half pushed the MAAC leaders' advantage to 10-3 at halftime.

During the first half of play, VMI outdueled Canisius with respect to ground balls, as the Keydets led 19-15 in that statistic. However, the Golden Griffins had won 9-of-14 face-offs, and had outshot VMI 18-9 to help push them to their seven-goal halftime lead.

The Keydets got off to a quick start in the second half, as Tim Moran took a Hill pass at the 13:14 mark, and beat Canisius' goalie Chris Courteau. Moran's goal was his 20th of the season, and it cut the Golden Griffins' lead to 10-4.

That advantage was cut to 10-5 late in the quarter, as Hill added his second goal of the game, which he scored off a pass from Moran. During the third period, the two teams combined for just eight shots, and both squads were perfect on clear attempts during the quarter.

The final period opened with a VMI goal from Matt Harrison, as the senior scored off a Moran dish. The goal, which was Harrison's 14th of the season, tied a career-high for the Great Mills, Md. native, and cut the Keydets' deficit to 10-6. Leonard added a VMI goal at the 11:19 mark, his second of the contest, and the Keydets had mounted a four-goal run to cut the lead to three.

That was as close as VMI would get the rest of the way, as the Golden Griffins added two goals to push the margin back to five, 12-7. Bobby Davis notched a goal in the final minute for the Keydets, accounting for the final margin.

For the game, the Golden Griffins outshot VMI 26-24, and dominated the face-off X, winning 15-of-22 that were contested.

On the day, the Keydets were led by Hill, who scored five points in his final career home game. The Rockville Centre, N.Y. native is now within two goals of cracking the top-ten list of goals scored all-time at VMI. Moran added three points, and Leonard had two goals for VMI in the losing cause.

In addition, Harrison scored a goal in his final career home contest, and senior defensive specialist Patrick Zanelotti wrapped up his homestanding efforts by grabbing four ground balls.

Canisius was led by Michael Blocho, who had five points in the win, and by John Minieri, who added three goals.

The Keydets look to push towards their first-ever MAAC Tournament berth on Wednesday, when they return to action in Emmitsburg, Md., by taking on Mount St. Mary's. Game time is currently scheduled for 4 p.m.

Print Friendly Version