BANGOR, Maine – The Husson University men's lacrosse team turned in a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon on senior day, defeating the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 15-4, in North Atlantic Conference action at John P. Boucher Field.
The Eagles (10-3, 4-0 NAC) set the tone early and never looked back, jumping out to a fast start behind a balanced offensive attack. Graduate student Dean Sinkler opened the scoring just 55 seconds into the game off a feed from sophomore Drew Clinch. After MCLA (4-6, 0-4 NAC) evened the score at 1-1, Husson responded with a decisive run, scoring five of the next six goals to take full control of the contest.
Sophomore Dominic Hollenkamp gave Husson the lead for good at the 9:34 mark of the first quarter, and just seconds later senior Kiernan Field added another to extend the advantage. The Eagles continued to pour it on as sophomore Taylor Schwalje scored twice during the stretch, helping Husson build a 6-2 lead after one quarter.
Husson continued its momentum into the second quarter, controlling possession and limiting MCLA's offensive opportunities. Freshman Gabe Robinson capitalized on a man-up opportunity midway through the frame, and Field followed with another goal off a Schwalje assist. Robinson added his second of the game in the final seconds of the half, finishing another Clinch assist to give the Eagles a commanding 9-2 lead at the break.
The Eagles put the game out of reach in the third quarter, outscoring MCLA 5-1 in the period. Schwalje opened the scoring early before Hollenkamp added his second goal of the afternoon. After MCLA briefly stopped the run, freshman Alek Duprey took over late in the quarter, scoring three goals in a span of just over two minutes, including a man-up tally, to push the lead to 14-3 heading into the final quarter.
MCLA scored once early in the fourth quarter, but Husson answered less than two minutes later as Robinson completed his hat trick on a pass from Clinch with 9:54 remaining to cap the scoring at 15-4.
Field led the Eagles with a six-point performance, recording three goals and three assists while also collecting a team-high eight ground balls. Robinson, Schwalje, and Duprey each finished with three goals, while Hollenkamp added two goals and one assist. Clinch paced the team with three assists.
Junior Owen Giorgio and Robinson tied for the team-lead with three caused turnovers apiece, while Giorgio added nine ground balls and Field added eight, in addition to sophomore Brian Peabody leading the charge in the faceoff circle, finishing 15-18.
Husson dominated the stat sheet, holding advantages in shots (64-19), ground balls (51-20), and faceoffs (19-3), while also converting all 21 of its clear attempts. Defensively, the Eagles forced 32 MCLA turnovers and limited the Trailblazers to just eight shots on goal.
In goal, senior Odin Burk and sophomore Kyle Plummer combined for four saves in the win.
Prior to the start of the game, Husson recognized its senior class of Jacob Sargent, Sinkler, Jack Kaszubinski, Burk, Aidan Byers and Field.
Husson will look to remain unbeaten in conference play next weekend, as it ends the regular season with a battle of unbeatens at Boucher Field on Saturday, with Maine Maritime Academy set to battle the Eagles at 12 p.m.
