WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – A complete team effort led the #20 Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse squad to a 10-3 win over Monmouth in non-conference action at Kessler Stadium on Saturday afternoon. With their third consecutive win, the Hawks improve to 4-1 while the (New Jersey) Hawks fall to 2-3.
Sophomore face-off specialist
Zach Cole went 87.5 percent from the X (14-of-16) to go with a game-high 10 ground balls, senior goalkeeper
Mike Adler (4-1) made 12 saves, junior attackman
Matt Tufano scored three goals for his first collegiate hat trick, and freshman attackman
Matt Bohmer dished out five assists on SJU's first six goals to lead the Crimson and Gray.
How It Happened
First Half – After a slow offensive start for both teams, junior midfielder
Austin Strazzulla got SJU on the scoreboard (Q1, 3:31), assisted by Bohmer. Monmouth's Mike McIntyre equalized with nine ticks to go in the opening quarter, but Cole won the ensuing face-off and hit the back of the net with one second remaining in the first to give the Crimson and Gray a one-goal edge, 2-1, after the opening 15:00. Tufano (14:50) and Monmouth's Brock Anderson (10:09) alternated goals early in the second quarter to see Saint Joseph's maintain a one-goal advantage, 3-2, at the halftime break.
Second Half – Bohmer found redshirt freshman attackman
Levi Anderson (Q3, 12:30) and junior long stick midfielder
Sean Voelkel (Q3, 12:14, first collegiate goal) just 16 seconds apart to push SJU's lead out to three goals, 5-2. Monmouth's Zach Clemente scored (Q3, 8:10) to bring the home Hawks back to within two, but from that point on it was all about the Hawks from Philadelphia as SJU scored the final five goals of the game; Tufano (Q3, 4:56), assisted by Bohmer, and sophomore midfielder
Andrew Chilson (Q3, 2:33), assisted by Tufano, closed out the third quarter before Tufano completed his hat trick (Q4, 12:16) and both Anderson and junior midfielder
Evan Campbell scored in the final 10 minutes of play.
Beyond the Boxscore
• Saint Joseph's outscrapped Monmouth in ground balls, 43-27, which included an 18-4 showing in the fourth quarter.
• Bohmer and Anderson recorded four ground balls apiece, while senior close defenseman
Josh Bosher recorded a career-high three caused turnovers.
• Cole was a perfect 10-of-10 from the X in the second half and now sits at 76.9 percent on the year (83-of-108).
Postgame Thoughts
"We were not particularly sharp today," said head coach
Taylor Wray following the win. "Monmouth is a tough and scrappy team, and we've battled with them for years. They proved to be very tough once again today."
"I was proud of the way we responded in the second half. I thought our defense, goaltending, and face-off play was solid, but we had too many drops, poor decisions, and missed opportunities on offense, in transition, and in the clearing game. We muffed a bunch of first-time ground balls that could have ended possessions on defense or led to transition opportunities, and we just can't afford to miss those plays."
"We have an exciting week ahead. The Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic challenges you in way you don't normally get challenged in the regular season: two games in three days, against two terrific programs. It's another growth opportunity and one I hope forces our guys to rise to the occasion."
Up Next
Saint Joseph's is set to face Drexel in the second annual Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic this Friday, March 6. Hosted by Penn, opening face-off at Franklin Field is set for 5:00 p.m. Saint Joseph's will then host the second day of the tournament on Sunday, March 8, as Drexel and Villanova will face-off at noon and SJU will host Penn at 2:30 p.m., with both games to be played on Sweeney Field.
