GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – It was another classic matchup between the fifth-ranked LIU Post men's lacrosse team and top-ranked Adelphi University at Motamed Field with the Pioneers falling victim to a late goal to thwart a second-half comeback effort.
 
The Pioneers trailed by as many as five goals (11-6) during the second half but stormed back to level the scoring at 12-12 with three minutes to play. The comeback was led by freshman Jake Gillis who scored six total goals on the day, while sophomore William Snelders added four goals. Both sides attempted an even 48 shots apiece, with the Panthers holding a slight edge (26-25) in shots on goal. The Pioneers finished 5-for-7 on man-up opportunities while limiting Adelphi to just a 2-for-4 effort. The Green and Gold again held a big edge in the ground game, collecting 37 ground balls to just 27 for the Panthers. Senior Bryan Ochs made 13 saves on the evening between the pipes.
 
Adelphi stormed out to a 3-0 lead during the first 10 minutes, holding the Pioneers scoreless until the 4:34 mark when junior Nick Grassa ripped home a top-shelf shot to make it 3-1 at the end of the quarter. The Panthers scored the first two goals of the second stanza to put momentum in their favor, but the momentum quickly turned when Adelphi's Nicolas Racalbuto had a goal rescinded due to an illegal stick, giving the Pioneers a one-minute, non-releasable penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
 
LIU Post took full advantage of the 60-second advantage, scoring twice on tallies by Gillis and Snelders to pull within one goal at 4-3 with 12 minutes remaining in the half. Gillis' 17th goal of the season tied the game moments later.
 
Adelphi closed the first half on a burst, however, using a 4-1 run to head into halftime with an 8-5 advantage. The run eventually closed at 7-2, as the Panthers jumped out to an 11-6 lead with 10:15 to play during the third quarter.
 
The Pioneers fought back over the next 10 minutes, scoring three unanswered goals by Gillis, including two off of behind the back passes by Snelders. Adelphi scored just 13 seconds later to push the lead back to three goals before Gillis scored once more off a great feed across the goal mouth by redshirt-junior Thomas Liantonio with four seconds remaining in the period as LIU Post cut the deficit to two goals (12-10) with 15 minutes remaining.
 
Liantonio made it a one-goal game with a great diving goal off of a loose ball and Snelders eventually found the back of the net with 3:17 remaining in regulation. LIU Post held Adelphi scoreless for nearly 15 minutes, until Gordon Purdie Jr. skipped a low shot past Ochs with 1:27 to play to give Adelphi the 13-12 lead. Senior Connor Farrell won the ensuing faceoff and LIU Post had five shots during the final minute but could not find the back of the net as the Panthers survived for the one-goal victory.
 
LIU Post returns to East Coast Conference action on Saturday, March 23 at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium when Roberts Wesleyan College makes the cross-state trip to Long Island. Faceoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.