It was an up-and-down week for the men’s lacrosse team, which dominated the New Jersey Institute of Technology 19-9 on the road on Saturday but could not replicate that momentum in Tuesday’s home 9-8 loss to Drexel University.
Saturday’s contest saw NJIT (2-1 overall) score its first goal three minutes in, but junior midfielder Brendan Poirier responded just over a minute later to tie it up for the Leopards (2-2 overall). Sophomores midfielder Joe Duggan and attacker Ben DiBattista followed with back-to-back goals, taking a 3-1 lead less than six minutes in. Lafayette let in two more from the Highlanders, who tied the game at 3-3 ahead of a scoreless eight minutes to close the first quarter.
The Leopards took complete control in the second, breaking off a 5-0 run that lasted six minutes of game time. DiBattista contributed two of those goals, alongside one apiece from freshman attacker Jett Klassen, senior midfielder Aidan Kopen and senior attacker Nick Muller. The Highlanders managed to chip into the deficit, but the Leopards maintained an 8-5 lead at halftime.
DiBattista delivered four of Lafayette’s seven third-quarter goals to extend their lead to 15-7. Sophomore midfielder Nick Blalock also added two goals in the period.
The Leopards found the net four more times in the fourth, including DiBattista’s eighth goal — his career high — to secure the 19-9 win. Blalock and Klassen followed with three and two, respectively.
Despite earning an early lead on Tuesday, the Leopards struggled to stop late pressure from Drexel (3-0 overall), ultimately falling 9-8.
After eight scoreless minutes, the Dragons kick-started the game with their first goal. A minute later, freshman midfielder Cooper Pasko threaded the defense to put the Leopards on the board. DiBattista added another score for the hosts shortly after, but the Dragons responded in the final 20 seconds of the quarter to tie the game at 2-2.
Scoring ramped up in the second quarter as the Maroon and White cashed in four times compared to Drexel’s two. Kopen delivered two, along with one apiece from Pasko and freshman attacker Charlie Foley, to take a 6-4 lead heading into the second half.
The Dragons drew first blood in the third quarter, and after a quick Leopard response, Drexel belted off two goals in quick succession to knot the game up.
Duggan hit a go-ahead strike in the waning minutes of the frame to retake the lead, 8-7, but his goal would ultimately be the last Maroon and White score of the game, going nearly 17 scoreless minutes to close out the contest. The Dragons took a 9-8 lead with nine and a half minutes left and tightened up their defense — allowing only four Leopard shots on goal — to maintain this score en route to a victory.
The Maroon and White will look to rebound at Fisher Stadium against Mount Saint Mary’s University (1-1 overall) on Saturday.