Firebirds Fight to the Final Horn in Thrilling First-Ever University of the District of Columbia Lacrosse Game

Coach Urick's Post-Game Remarks

ARLINGTON, VA – Head coach Scott Urick's Firebirds played the first ever lacrosse game in the history of the University of the District of Columbia against Marymount University on Saturday, February 22^nd on a beautiful afternoon at Long Bridge Park.

Led by freshman attack Chase Fraser (Elementary Education – Aldergrove, BC/Blue Ridge School) with a game-high six goals in his collegiate debut, the Firebirds were less than a minute away from a 14-13 victory before surrendering two unanswered goals to the Saints in the final 53 seconds of regulation and losing a hard-fought, evenly-played game by a final of 15-14.

Sophomore transfer midfielder Luke Gillespie (Business Management – Maple Ridge, BC/Pfeiffer University) was credited with the first goal in the history of the men's lacrosse program, bouncing a shot from about 20 yards out past Marymount goalkeeper Derek DiGiovanni. Gillespie also added an assist and later scored the Firebirds' final goal of the day, an unassisted job which put UDC in front, 14-13 with just 1:35 remaining.

Fraser scored the first of his six goals with 3:48 remaining in the first period to force the second tie of the game by the Firebirds, 2-2; however, the Saints would score two unanswered goals to close out the first quarter and add two more in the first three minutes of the second quarter as part of a 4-0 run to take their largest lead of the day, 6-2.

Consecutive goals by Fraser at 8:52 and 5:21 helped UDC pull within two, 6-4, and his fourth goal of the half with just eight seconds before intermission insured the Firebirds went into the break still down two, 8-6.

Matt Justice (four goals, two assists) opened the scoring in a wild third quarter where the two teams combined for 11 goals. Justice's unassisted goal nearly a minute-and-a-half into the action helped the Saints stake a three-goal lead, 9-6. Just nine seconds later, freshman midfielder Connor Lloyd (Architecture – Clifton, VA/James W. Robinson HS) ripped a shot past DiGiovanni for an unassisted UDC goal to once again make it a two-goal deficit. A little over three minutes later, the Firebirds' imposing 6'2, 230 lb. junior transfer defender Kamaal Stanley (Business Management – Saratoga Springs, NY/SUNY Delhi) went coast-to-coast on a clear attempt and fired his first goal of the season to bring UDC within a goal, 9-8.

Later, following a Chad Niegarth (two goals, one assist) goal at the 9:42 mark, Lloyd and Fraser each tallied again to force the third tie of the game and the first of the second half, 10-all. But the Saints answered with three consecutive goals in a span of less than two minutes to claim a 13-10 lead with 4:39 remaining still in the third quarter.

Freshman midfielder Quinton Pavan (Childhood Education – Port Coquitlam, BC/Blue Ridge HS), who led UDC with a game-high tying eight ground balls, stopped the bleeding with an unassisted goal at the 3:25 mark, and less than a minute later, junior transfer attack Ben Taylor (Biology – New Westminster, BC/Simon Fraser University) added his second goal of the day to bring UDC back within a goal, 13-12 at the end of the third quarter.

After nearly seven-and-a-half minutes of scoreless action in the fourth quarter, Fraser snuck a wrap-around goal past DiGiovanni during a man-up situation for the Firebirds to force a 13-all tie. The Firebirds were 2-for-2 in extra-man opportunities on the day.

Nearly another six minutes went by before either team scored, but a tremendous save by junior transfer goalkeeper Tom Yancheski (Sociology – Phoenix, MD/Harford) led to a fast-break and Gillespie's second goal of the day which gave UDC its first and only lead, 14-13 with 1:35 showing on the clock.

But it was not meant to be for the Firebirds in the program's first ever game, as Marymount's Garrett Nealon scored his first and only goal of the game to force the fifth and final tie, 14-14 with 53 seconds remaining. The Saints, who won 21-of-32 face-offs for the game, won the vital face-off following Nealon's goal, and Chad Niegarth (two goals, one assist) scored what proved to be the game-winner with only 20 seconds still showing on the clock.

Marymount had a slight edge in shots (34-30) and ground balls (31-27), but the Firebirds committed three less turnovers (17-14) and defensively, held Marymount without a goal in four extra-man opportunities. Yancheski and DiGiovanni each had nine saves in goal.

The Firebirds have a week off before they travel north to Rochester, NY to play their first ever East Coast Conference game vs. Roberts Wesleyan on March 1^st at 1 p.m.