Box Score
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- After trailing early in the first quarter, the Virginia Military Institute men's lacrosse team could not mount a comeback, falling on the road to Marist College 23-5 in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon at Tenney Stadium.
The Red Foxes jumped out to a 12-0 lead at half and held VMI off the board for 36 minutes in the game.
“There is nothing more frustrating as a coach then prepping and knowing what to expect from another team and just not being able to stop or capitalize on it,” said VMI's head coach Brian Anken, now in his third season on Post. “Our effort and execution was simply not good enough today and the scoreboard clearly showed that.”
VMI's five goals were scored by three different Keydets, including two each from Russell East and Alex Henthorn. Mike DeBlasio contributed one goal and one helper while senior midfielder James Van Wie logged a helper.
Marist's Connor Rice finished the day with eight points on three goals and five assists. Aedan Herman accounted for four goals while Joseph Radin posted four points on two goals and two assists. Drew Nesmith also logged a hat trick as Jack Doherty had three points on two goals and an assist.
Jim Marks, Colin Joka, Vin Chiodo and Shane Jaeger each had one goal and one assist. Nick Papayankos, Mike Begley, Brendan Woods, Patrick Fermo and Derek Sganga all potted one goal. Walker Dillon had one assist.
In goal, VMI's Matt Lindemann logged another outing with double-digit saves, turning aside 12 Red Fox attempts. The 6-5 senior played in 38 minutes and was spelled by sophomore Evan Windisch for the final 22 minutes. the latter made three saves, surrendering three goals.
Opposite VMI, four keepers saw time in Saturday's game, led by 30 minutes from Dave Scarcello, who made three saves. Craig Goodermote played for the entire third quarter, giving up two goals without making a save. Brendan Price made two stops in his 9:44 of play while Michael Linehan stopped on shot. The last pair gave up two goals and one goal, respectively.
VMI had difficulty getting the offense going, particularly in the first half as it took just 11 shots, all coming in the first quarter. The Keydets began finding their stride late in the game however, taking 13 shots in the fourth quarter. VMI had 26 attempts on the day.
Marist however out-shot VMI 46-11 in the first half, including 26 attempts in the second stanza. The Red Foxes finished the day with 61 total shots, led by Doherty's game-high 12.
The Red Foxes collected 61 groundballs during the contest, while VMI had just 26. Marist grabbed 21 in the second quarter and 14 in the third, thanks to winning all 10 faceoffs in the third. VMI's best groundball quarter was the first in which it snared 9.
The Red Foxes, who currently lead the MAAC standings, utilized a pair of six-goal quarters to open the game, aided by six first-half points from Rice, who scored three of Marist's first five goals. Marks, Begley and Doherty all tallied goals in the first half while Radin had two assists, as did Rice, who finished with five points in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Aedan Herman notched a hat trick while Radin scored his first and Doherty and Nesmith chipped in their tallies. The VMI offense was stymied in the second quarter and was held without a shot. The Keydets had a difficult time sustaining any offense in the second, turning the ball over 10 times in the stanza.
Marist (7-1, 3-0 MAAC) extended its lead to 14-0 with back-to-back goals early in the third quarter, getting the tallies from Nesmith and Jaeger. VMI evaded the shutout at 9:33 as rookie Alex Henthorn scored his first of the game. The Red Foxes reeled off three more goals before Henthorn scored against at 5:18.
Following Henthorn's second marker, Marist rattled off four more goals before East extended his scoring streak to 17 games, getting the dish from DeBlasio on the extra-man. The senior scored again with 6:29 remaining while DeBlasio finished with two points, thanks to his goal on a Snowbarger pass.
“We will continue moving forward with both game prep and recruiting to ensure that lack of effort or execution will ever hinder us in the future,” noted Anken. “We continue to miss a player that provides a spark in tough situations and I hope that player emerges in the near future because there is a lot of lacrosse still in front of us.”
After playing eight of its first nine games on the road, the Keydets return to Drill Field #2 on next Saturday for a MAAC tilt with Jacksonville University. Game time has been moved up to noon, rescheduled from the original 1 p.m. start.
