The men’s lacrosse team (5-6 overall, 2-5 Patriot League) traveled to Boston University, the 15th-ranked team in the nation, upsetting the Terriers (7-5 overall, 4-2 Patriot League) on Saturday by a score of 11-10. The win marks the first victory over the Terriers in program history.
“We maintained the energy by trying to play a complete game for all 60 minutes,” senior attacker Charlie Cunniffe said. “We have been trying to play a complete game all year and to finally do it against a great team was awesome.”
The Leopards started the game strong with senior attacker Kalman Kraham and sophomore midfielder Aiden Kopen each putting shots past the Boston goalie. The Terriers quickly responded, however, tying the game up at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter began similarly, with senior midfielder Jacob Freeman and junior midfielder Liam Sargent both finding the back of the net. Nevertheless, the Maroon and White could not hold off Boston’s formidable attack as the teams went into the locker room with the score 5-4 in favor of the home team.
Sargent then opened the third quarter scoring by rifling a shot into the net to tie up the game. Just 29 seconds later, Freeman put the Leopards in front with an assist from his twin brother, senior midfielder Connor Freeman. Boston came back with two goals to regain the lead before Cunniffe scored two of his own.
Entering the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, Lafayette was down by two, but the momentum quickly shifted after goals from junior attacker Riley Sullivan and Cunniffe. The game looked to be going into overtime until sophomore goalie Joe Doherty made an outstanding save and found senior defender Sean Rushton with just seconds left in the game.
Rushton then passed the ball to freshman midfielder John Massotto, who immediately found senior attacker Peter Lehman. Just as the buzzer sounded, a shot from Lehman found the back of the net.
“The buzzer-beater goal was special because it incorporated a lot of different facets of the game that our team works on in practice every day,” Rushton said. “Our defense got a massive stop and was able to push it in transition, and eventually get it to our offense who executed and put the ball in the back of the net.”
“While we are already eliminated from the Patriot League playoffs, I couldn’t be more proud as a senior to be part of what is possibly the biggest win in program history,” Cunniffe said. “We’re happy to have two more weeks to represent the school and program and keep leading the team.”
The Leopards’ defense shined in the game, limiting a talented Terrier offense to 33 shots (22 on goal) and holding it to four goals less than its average. Following the game, two Leopards received Patriot League honors: senior Tommy McGee earned Defensive Player of the Week for causing a season-high four turnovers while freshman midfielder Nick Faccone earned Rookie of the Week for going 12-for-24 on face-offs.
The Leopards will host Le Moyne College on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
