No. 9 Men's Lacrosse Loses Close Contest at No. 8 Merrimack, 11-10
Box Score NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (Apr. 2, 2014) - The ninth-ranked LIU Post men's lacrosse team closed out a four-game road swing Wednesday with an 11-10 loss to No. 8 Merrimack at Martone-Mejail Field in North Andover, Mass.
Tied 4-4 at the intermission, sophomore midfielder
Anthony Berardis (Mahopac, N.Y.) opened the scoring in the third quarter, notching an unassisted goal, to give the Pioneers (5-3) a one-goal advantage. However, the Warriors (5-3) tallied four unassisted markers over a five-minute stretch, two of which came on the man-up, to go in front by an 8-5 count.
LIU Post would pull within two (8-6) at the conclusion of the period, as Berardis found the cage on another unassisted effort at the 1:37 mark. Berardis finished the contest with a game-high five-point (3 G, 2 A) output.
In the fourth quarter, the green and gold twice pulled within a single goal, before Merrimack, which held a 28-26 edge in ground balls, took an 11-8 lead in the final minutes of regulation. Junior attacker Jamie Shand (Massapequa, N.Y.) accounted for both of the tallies for the hosts.
The visitors weren't done just yet though. Junior attackman
Chris Caiazza (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) and sophomore attackman
Anthony DeLuca (West Islip, N.Y.) scored only 36 seconds apart to trim the deficit to 11-10 with 1:23 remaining. From there, LIU Post was unable to win the ensuing faceoff, and attempt another shot in the last minute-plus of regulation.
Caiazza was right behind Berardis in the scoring category, totaling four points (3 G, 1 A). Graduate attackman/midfielder
Joe Costello (Minneapolis, Minn.) added two goals and an assist for a three-point day. Senior defenseman
T.J. McAndrew (Randolph, N.J.) picked up a game-best six ground balls. Junior defenseman
Robbie Chiocco (Massapequa, N.Y.) amassed three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Between the pipes, graduate goaltender
T.J. DiCarlo (Farmingdale, N.Y.) made 12 saves for the Pioneers. He also scooped up three ground balls. Meanwhile, freshman goalie Dom Madonna (Liverpool, N.Y.) turned aside five shots for the Warriors.
Head Coach
John Jez and his LIU Post squad now return home to face Dominican on Saturday (Apr. 5) at Hickox Field in Brookville, N.Y. The opening faceoff is set for 11 a.m.