Photo By Nick Williams, Photography Editor
By Thamoda Haputhanthri
Despite a late comeback attempt, the men’s lacrosse team succumbed to a dominant offensive performance by Catholic, dropping a 16-12 decision on Wednesday night at Sassafras Field in Landmark Conference play.
The Cardinals (4-7 overall, 2-1 Landmark) scored in almost instant fashion, with Billy Burton opening the score 8 seconds in. It was a barrage of Catholic attacks on the Susquehanna (8-4, 1-3) defense to open the game, putting the River Hawks down by 3 within in the first five minutes. It would be senior Chris Ciccarello who would continue his exemplary form in his final season, opening the scoring for the River Hawks. Back-and-forth action would plague the game, with the Cardinals going into the second quarter up 5-3.
The second quarter would only bring more of the same, as quick-fire goals on the fast break would aid the Cardinals as they extended their advantage to 9-6 by halftime.
The Cardinals maintained their control in the third quarter, outscoring Susquehanna 4-3 to extend their lead to four. Despite the deficit, the River Hawks showed resilience in the final frame, delivering arguably their strongest performance of the night. Matching the Cardinals shot-for-shot, both teams found the net three times on ten attempts. However, the late surge was not enough to close the gap, as Susquehanna fell 16-12, marking its fourth loss of the season in front of the home crowd.
Turnovers once again proved to be a key factor, with Susquehanna committing 15 and Catholic finishing with 19. Following a similar struggle in their previous matchup against Moravian, the River Hawks will be looking to clean up their play and minimize mistakes as they move forward. The River Hawks were weak on the faceoffs as well, losing more than they could afford.
“I thought the team was impressive in how they never quit and played intensely the entire game,” SU coach Stewart Moan said. “We came up short, but we will watch the team and hopefully get better.”
SU will travel to Lycoming at 1 p.m. on Saturday for another Landmark Conference matchup.