Men’s Lacrosse Upends Scranton in Landmark Conference Opener, 12-10

Box Score

TOWSON, Md. - Junior Mason Gorman (Boise, Idaho) scored three goals to lead the offense, while senior goalie Matt Messerle (Limerick, Pa.) stopped 16 shots in net, as the Goucher College men's lacrosse team collected a 12-10 win over visiting Scranton in Landmark Conference play on Saturday at Beldon Field.

The victory, which was the first for Goucher over Scranton since April 30th, 2014, improved the Gophers' record on the year to 6-4 overall and 1-0 in the Landmark Conference. Scranton fell to 6-4 and 0-1 in the Landmark with the defeat.

In the opening moments of the contest, both teams struggled with footing on a slippery Beldon Field turf, as the squads committed a combined 12 turnovers in the first 15 minutes of action. Goucher grabbed a late 2-1 lead in the frame, but Scranton scored the period's final goal late to make it a 2-2 contest entering the second quarter.

There, the game remained a back-and-forth affair, with things coming to a head with the match knotted up at 4-4. Here, the Gophers ended the frame strong, scoring three of the last four goals of the period to take a 7-5 lead into intermission.

Out of halftime, Goucher continued to control the game, as a big third quarter by the Gophers ultimately led to an eventual victory. In the frame, Goucher outscored Scranton, 4-1, as a tally by junior Zephan Harnish (Woodsboro, Md.) with 4:52 to go in the period gave the Gophers an 11-6 lead, their biggest of the day to that point.

That lead held through the rest of the third and into the fourth, where both teams traded goals in the first four minutes to keep the Goucher lead at five goals (12-7),

But, over the final 10 minutes of regulation, Scranton did not go away quietly, scoring three straight goals to make it a 12-10 match with 2:37 to go in regulation.

However, this was the closest Scranton got to the Gopher lead the rest of the way, as Goucher clamped down on the defensive end late to extinguish the Scranton comeback bid.

In net, Messerle finished off a great day in between the pipes with a pair of saves over the final moments of regulation, securing the Landmark Conference win for the Gophers in the process.

On the day, Gorman continued his great play of late on the offensive end with his three-goal performance. He also recorded a pair of assists on the afternoon, as the junior has now scored nine goals and added seven assists over the last three matches for the Gophers.

Elsewhere, three players scored two goals, apiece - Harnish, sophomore Andrew Sade (Lewisberry, Pa.), senior Derek Bitzer (Doylestown, Pa.), and junior Grant Lasorda (Collegeville, Pa.). Sade also recorded a pair of assists in the win, as the final goal scorer on the afternoon was senior Pierce Bailey (Miami, Fla.).

Meanwhile, sophomore Matt Woodson (Timonium, Md.) posted a team-best three assists, while Bailey, Woodson and senior defender Peter Cost (Berwyn, Pa.) led the way in ground balls with five, apiece. On defense, the Gophers forced 17 turnovers on the afternoon, led by seniors Jack Benziger (Yardley, Pa.) and Corey Hill (Emmaus, Pa.) with three, apiece.

In net, Messerle was fantastic, making 16 saves on the afternoon. He made four saves in each quarter of the contest, as the senior has now made double-digit saves in five matches for the year.

For Scranton, Tim Dolan led the way, scoring four goals for the Royals.

The Goucher College men's lacrosse team returns to action on Saturday, March 31st, as they head to Elizabethtown for a road Landmark Conference match. The game gets underway at 1 p.m.

--GOPHERS--