Box Score Rockville Centre, N.Y. - (3/8/2015) – East Coast Conference (ECC) play began today for Chestnut Hill College, who traveled to #12 Molloy College for a Sunday matinée contest. A slow start put the Griffins at a disadvantage as a 13-2 shooting edge procured the Lions a 4-1 first-quarter lead that facilitated a critical 13-9 league victory. Freshman attack Dylan Klusaritz (Slatington, Pa.) and sophomore Justin Albarran (Freehold, N.J.) scored twice apiece to lead a ten Griffins who got on the tally sheet.

With each side scoring in the first two minutes the separation came with a quarter-ending, three-goal run from Molloy College (3-0, 2-0). Junior midfielder Tom Turner (East Rockaway, N.Y.) got the Lions rolling just before the five-minute mark (5:21) as he completed a pass from senior attack Joe Leonard (Hicksville, N.Y.) and later found senior attack Tom Engelhardt (Bethpage, N.Y.) for the frame's final goal, just 15 seconds before the buzzer, 4-1 (0:15). Leonard continued the Lion run into the second quarter, 5-1 (13:16), but deficit was reduced to three, 5-2 (11:34), when sophomore attack Alec Dambach (Howell, N.J.) found Klusaritz for his first goal of the fray. As play approached halftime each side looked to make their case for the second half. It was Chestnut Hill College (2-2, 0-1) who seemed to steal the momentum, answering a Lions man-up goal at 5:51, 6-2, with an unassisted goal from junior Austin Mercado (Temecula, Calif.) at 5:34 and a man-up connection between Dambach and Albarran at 1:05 leaving the halftime spread at 6-4. 

Unfortunately, the Lions started the third quarter off with four straight goals, halting the Griffins progress and adding to the deficit for a 10-4 edge with 6:05 left. Albarran managed to lighten the Griffins fourth-quarter load with a second man-up goal at 2:53, 10-5, but even with a three-goal run to start the final period, the Griffins only managed to cut the lead to two, 10-8 (8:04), before the Lions netted three of the afternoon's final four tallies.

Leonard's five-point effort, two goals and three assists, led the Lions. He also secured three ground balls and caused a turnover. Senior midfielder Sal Geneva (Hicksville, N.Y.) added four points, three goals and an assist, and grabbed a ground ball while sophomore midfielder Frank Sciulla (Rocky Point, N.Y.) grabbed 11 ground balls and split the face-offs with freshman midfielder Brian Sinex (Holmes, Pa.) (12-of-24, 50.0%). Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Toomey (Hicksville, N.Y.) totaled eight saves in the win (3-0).

Junior attack Michael Plaia (Hicksville, N.Y.) joined Dambach, Klusaritz, and Albarran with multi-point effort of his own, recovering a ground ball in addition to recording a goal and an assist in the fourth quarter. Freshman goalkeeper Thomas McDermott (Holmes, Pa.) recorded ten saves, three ground balls, and caused a turnover in the loss (2-2).

The men's lacrosse team continues their season next Sunday, March 15, when they return to Victory Field #1 to host Wheeling Jesuit University in a 1:00 p.m. contest.