STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Led by junior midfielder Mike Dougherty (4G, 1A) and redshirt junior attackman Ryan McGee (3G, 2A), the Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team defeated Wagner, 12-8, in Northeast Conference action on Saturday afternoon. Jumping out to a 3-0 run that spanned the first period, the Hawks led for the entirety of the game. With the win, the Hawks improve to 2-2 and 1-0 in NEC action.
"It's great to get our second win of the season and first ever win in the NEC," said head coach Taylor Wray. "Wagner is an extremely scrappy team. They came back from a three-goal deficit against Monmouth on Wednesday and gutted out a 4 overtime victory. They are a tough team and we knew they wouldn't go away. I was proud of the way our guys handled the Wagner surge in the fourth quarter and responded by making some plays of their own. Wagner made that run to start to the fourth quarter and closed the gap from 9-4 all the way to 10-8 and I was proud of the way we responded."
Trailing 9-4 heading into the fourth period, Wagner went on a 4-1 run that spanned the first 7:23 to pull to within two goals, 10-8, with 7:37 remaining in regulation. However, SJU would answer with the final two tallies of the contest to expand the Hawks' lead back to four goals, 12-8, and that score would stand as final.
Saint Joseph's shut out Wagner (1-2, 0-1 NEC) in the first period as the Hawks outscored the Seahawks 3-0 in the first 15 minutes. Dougherty had a part in all three of those first goals as the junior assisted on sophomore attackman Matt Blasco's tally at the 10:59 mark and then notched a pair with 33 seconds and four seconds remaining in the first period. McGee assisted on both of Dougherty's first-period goals.
Wagner's Paul DeVita scored the first two goals of the second half to bring the Seahawks to within one goal, 3-2, but Dougherty sparked a three-goal SJU run that extended the Hawks' lead, 6-2, with 6:49 remaining in the second period.
Leading 6-3 entering the third period, SJU outscored Wagner 3-1 over that 15-minute span to lead by five goals heading into the final 15:00.
For the game, Saint Joseph's held a 34-18 advantage in shots, sparked by a first period in which SJU fired off 14 shots and held Wagner to just two. The Hawks also held an edge in ground balls (30-24) and won 13 of the game's 23 face-offs. The Saint Joseph's defensive unit also held Wagner scoreless in six extra man opportunities.
Individually, Dougherty and McGee combined for seven goals on a combined 18 shots and dished out three of SJU's five total assists on the day. Blasco (1G, 1A), and freshman attackman Ray Vandegrift (1G, 1A) also added to the offense while freshman midfielder Anthony Joaquim tallied his first collegiate goal with 4:43 left in regulation to cap the win for the Hawks.
Senior midfielder Will Abbott saw 14 opportunities from the face-off and won seven possessions for a .500 percentage from the X on the day. Freshman Danny Manning went 5-of-8 from the X and picked up five ground balls. Sophomore John Winchell also recorded five ground balls while senior Jack Moran caused a team-high four turnovers.
Junior goalkeeper Dustin Keen (1-1) made four saves and allowed just three goals in the first two periods for the win. Rookie goalkeeper T.J. Jones made three saves in the final 30:00.
"This stretch of five games in 16 days, including two big conference games, and four of the five games on the road, will test our team's grit and will challenge our mental toughness," said Wray. "This is what the season is all about. It's a journey to see how far you can come as a group. We're excited about the victory, but we have a quick turn around to get ready for another tough opponent on the road on Tuesday afternoon."
Saint Joseph's will return to action this Tuesday, March 4 at Monmouth. Face-off at Monmouth Stadium in West Long Branch, N.J. is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The game will mark the third consecutive road game for the Hawks.
