On Saturday, March 12, the 10h-ranked LIU Post men’s lacrosse team (3-2) secured its third-straight victory, defeating 13th-ranked Molloy College (5-1), 9-7, in an East Coast Conference tilt at Molloy’s John A. Darcy Field in Rockville Centre.
LIU Post got off to a hot start; scoring four goals in the second period, giving themselves a 6-2 advantage heading into halftime. Senior attacker/midfielder Ryan Slane, sophomore midfielder Dylan Harned, senior attacker Matt Bellando and graduate midfielder Jeremy Morgan all found the back of the cage for the Pioneers during that span.
In the latter stanza, LIU Post continued to dominate as Slane and Harned teamed up for a pair of goals scored just 48 seconds apart, extending the lead to 8-2.
As the Pioneers brought a six goal lead into the final period, all seemed to be said and done. However, the Lions kept fighting and slowly chipped away at the lead, scoring five out of the next six goals. With just 1:35 to go in the contest, the Lions chopped the deficit down to 9-7.
With a comeback stirring, junior goalie Matthew Liantonio and the Pioneers buckled down and held on for the win as the Lions only had one shot on goal the rest of the way. Liantonio made seven saves for his Pioneer squad as his counterpart, Ryan Toomey, stopped 13 shots. Slane paved the way for LIU Post with four points (3 G, 1 A), while Harned and Morgan each tallied two goals apiece for the Pioneers.
Overall, Post held the advantage in nearly every category; leading 34-30 in shots, 22-13 in ground balls, 13-of-17 (76.5 percent) on clears and 2-of-4 (50.0 percent) with the man-up opportunity. The Pioneers also won 12 face-offs and caused 11 turnovers. Morgan and sophomore midfielder Kris Alvarado led the Pioneers, causing two miscues apiece. Junior midfielder Anthony Galeotafiore finished 12-of-20 on face-offs.
Head LIU Post men’s lacrosse coach John Jez and the Pioneers look to improve to 4-2 on Saturday, March 19, when they square-off against Chestnut Hill College, in an ECC showdown, in Philadelphia, Pa. Opening draw is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
This article was originally published in the Pioneer, the award-winning student newspaper of LIU Post, www.liupostpioneer.com, and is republished here by Blank Slate Media with the permission of the Pioneer.
