Upset-Minded Firebirds Fall Short vs. No. 14 Mercy, 16-12

DOBBS FERRY, NY – The University of the District of Columbia men's lacrosse team was defeated by East Coast Conference foe No. 14 Mercy College, 16-12 on Saturday afternoon at Mercy Field.

The upset-minded Firebirds (2-4, 0-3 ECC) used a 5-1 fourth quarter run to pull within two, 14-12 with 3:35 left in regulation, but the Mavericks closed the door with the game's final two goals.

Junior attack Chase Fraser was instrumental in the Firebirds' fourth quarter comeback, scoring three straight goals in a span of less than three minutes. He finished with a game-high four goals – his 4^th game of three goals or more this season.

The Firebirds were also led offensively by junior midfielder LaRon Hinton, who registered four points for the second straight game, this time with three goals and one assist. Meanwhile, sophomore midfielder Teilen Celentano was 18-of-27 on face-offs, and UDC was 20-of-31 as a team.

The Mavericks featured eight different goal scorers, including three with hat tricks. Robert Rossi registered a game-high six points on three goals and three assists, Ryan MacSpadyen added three goals and two assists, and Bobby Chillianis had three goals.

Although UDC nearly doubled-up the Mavericks on face-offs, Mercy out-shot the Firebirds 42-39 and put seven more shots on goal (29-22) thanks to five fewer turnovers (19-14).

UDC goalkeeper Pat Payne made 13 saves in the loss while Mercy's starting goalkeeper A.J. Pellati picked up the win with three saves and three goals allowed in the first half. Michael Schneider came on in relief in the second half, stopping seven shots and allowing nine goals.

Mercy out-scored UDC 5-2 in the first quarter with MacSpadyen tallying back-to-back goals at 9:08 and 7:55. The Firebirds then continued to struggle offensively, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half and scoring just one goal in the second period. Still, Payne made five stops in the second period and allowed only two goals to keep UDC in the game, down 7-3 at intermission.

The Mavericks extended their lead to 8-3 with a goal by Kyle Stockton a little over a minute into the 3^rd period, but senior midfielder Darien McPhail-Millard and Hinton scored back-to-back goals for UDC and cut the lead to three, 8-5. Mercy responded with three straight goals, and went on to out-score UDC 5-2 the rest of the period, taking a 13-7 lead into the 4^th quarter.

After a near five-minute scoring drought to start the final period, Fraser erupted for three goals in less than three minutes, and Michael King added another goal for UDC at the 6:56 mark. Chillianis stopped the bleeding for Mercy with a goal at 3:54, but Hinton responded with another UDC goal less than 20 seconds later to again bring the Firebirds within two, 14-12.

Mercy's Ross Schnitzer effectively ended the UDC upset threat with a goal at 3:14, and Daniel Speicher added another insurance goal at 2:10, as the Mavericks held on to win by a four-goal margin.

Next up, the Firebirds will host No. 9 Dowling College on Saturday, April 2^nd.