It was a historic Saturday in Worcester, Mass. as the men’s lacrosse team (4-8 overall, 1-5 Patriot League) notched their first Patriot League win of the season against Holy Cross.
Defeating the Crusaders 21-11, Lafayette ended a drought that has spanned 1,854 days. Their last conference win was against Navy on March 11, 2017.
In addition, the 21 goals scored by the Maroon and White on Saturday set the Lafayette program record for the most goals scored in a game in the Patriot League era.
“It feels great, and there’s no other team I would rather be a part of,” sophomore attacker Peter Lehman said. “This win represents all the hard work that we’ve put in, as well as the teams that have come before us and paved the way.”
It was a truly dominant performance from Lafayette, as they outscored their opponent in every quarter but the first, and scored six straight unanswered goals in the third. The Leopards currently lead the league in shooting percentage, with 31.9% of their shots hitting the back of the net.
“It was a good feeling because our offense was clicking in a ton of different ways. It’s a credit to Coach Bieda and Coach Myers, as they had a great game plan ready for us,” Lehman said.
Both Lehman and sophomore Kalman Kraham recorded career highs on Saturday, scoring five goals apiece. Classmate John Mathes also added to his season tally, scoring two. The sophomore trio has been on fire this season, scoring a combined total of 75 goals.
Kraham is ranked ninth in the Patriot League for goals per game with 2.25, while Lehman is eighth for assists per game, averaging 1.58. Lehman is ninth in the league for points per game with 3.67.
“Everyone definitely pushes each other on our team and is super supportive of one another,” Lehman said. “We talk a lot about accountability in our program, and we hold each other to a high standard. We believe this breeds success.”
Senior defender Stephen Sajer scored his first goal for the Maroon and White on Saturday. Sajer has made 43 game appearances in his career.
Freshman midfielder Liam Sargent also scored the first goal of his career, notching a hat trick on his way to earning the distinction of Patriot League Rookie of the Week.
Freshman Gabe Cummins made eight saves in goal for the Leopards. Sophomore midfielder Aidan Kelly went 20-of-30 in faceoffs, granting the offense plenty of possessions. Kelly ranks tenth in the league in faceoff percentage, with .489.
Lafayette currently sits in eighth place in the Patriot League.
“Coach Myers was definitely proud of our team, but he also emphasized that there is a ton of work to be done and lots of areas for improvement,” Lehman concluded.
The men’s Senior Day game against Navy will take place in Fisher Stadium tomorrow at noon.
