UDC Men’s Lacrosse Succumbs to No. 5 LIU Post, 13-5
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dist. Columbia (1-2, 0-1 ECC) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
|
LIU Post (6-1, 3-0 ECC) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
BROOKVILLE, NY – Sophomore attack Chase Fraser erupted for a season-high four points on three goals and one assist, but the University of the District of Columbia men's lacrosse team was defeated by the No. 5 ranked team in the nation, LIU Post in their East Coast Conference season opener on Tuesday afternoon at Bethpage Stadium.
With the loss, UDC fell to 1-2 overall and 0-1 to start ECC play while the Pioneers improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in league play.
Fraser (Elementary Education – Aldergrove, British Columbia/Blue Ridge HS) answered the Pioneers' Matty Beccaris' goal a little over a minute into the action with a goal nearly four minutes in to force a 1-all tie. He would also score the first goal of the 2nd quarter to help pull the visiting Firebirds within 4-2 with just under eight minutes before halftime. LIU Post, however, would close out the 2nd quarter with three unanswered goals as part of a 5-0 run that spanned the 2nd and 3rd quarters, as three goals by Ryan Slane helped the Pioneers grab a 9-2 advantage near the 13-minute mark of the 3rd quarter.
The Firebirds out-scored LIU Post 3-2 in the final nine minutes of the third quarter thanks to one goal apiece by Zach Kjeldsen (Political Science – Salisbury, MD/Hobart College), Dom Perera (Business Marketing – Harlem, NY/Herkimer County) and Fraser. Kjeldsen's goal was the 1st of the season and 2nd of his career and Perera's was the first of his career. UDC trailed 11-5 heading into the 4th quarter.
LIU Post scored two goals in the 4th quarter while holding UDC scoreless as the Pioneers went on to win by an eight-goal margin.
The Pioneers won 12-of-21 faceoffs (9-of-11 in the first half) and had a 29-22 advantage in ground balls (16-3 in the first half) which led to a 45-23 shot disparity. The No. 5 ranked team in the country did turn the ball over 21 times (one shy of their season-high), of which, six were caused by the Firebirds defense. UDC also held the Pioneers to 2-of-7 on man-up opportunities.
UDC junior goalkeeper Pat Payne (Environmental Science – Catonsville, MD/CCBC Catonsville) stopped 13 of 26 shots in a complete game effort. LIU Post's Adam Winne improved to 6-1 as he stopped 11 of 16 shots in the victory.
Next, the Firebirds will visit another ECC foe, NYIT on Saturday, March 21st at 12 p.m.