Gophers Improve to 14-0 All-Time Against Cardinals

Three-Goal Victory Keeps Goucher Tied with Drew for First Place

TOWSON, Md. — Goucher improved to 14-0 all-time against Catholic with a 10-7 triumph over the Cardinals tonight on Beldon Field.

With the win, the Gophers remained tied with Drew for first place in the Landmark Conference. The Rangers were also in action tonight and defeated the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 7-6.

Although the Gophers got on the scoreboard first tonight on an unassisted goal by Jacob Fratella (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) just 1:47 into the contest, the Cardinals (9-3, 2-2 Landmark) led 3-2 after one period and 5-3 at the end of the first half.

Kyle Boncaro (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) stuck both an even-strength and an extra-man goal in the opening 5:20 of the third quarter to create a 5-5 tie and then set up an extra-man goal by Fratella with 5:08 remaining in the period to put head coach Kyle Hannan's squad up 6-5.

The Cardinals knotted the score up at 6-6 with an unassisted goal by Chris Fuccillo with 3:46 left to play in the third quarter, but :57 later the Gophers (10-3, 4-0 Landmark) went ahead to stay on Boncaro's third goal of the period.

Boncaro also had a hand in Goucher's first two goals of the fourth quarter, picking up an assist on a goal by Rory Averett (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock North) that made the score 8-6 before providing the Gophers with a 9-6 advantage by tallying his fourth goal of the contest. Fuccillo tallied his fifth goal of the game with 9:36 remaining, bringing the Cardinals to within 9-7, but Matt Lynch (Ivyland, Pa./LaSalle College) restored the home team's lead to three goals when he scored with 4:15 showing on the clock.

Between them, the starting goalkeepers combined to make 30 saves. Goucher's Chris Stricklin (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) stopped 16 shots and lowered his goals against average for the season to 6.53; Catholic's Sean McKenna was credited with 14 saves, nine of them in the second half.