Firebirds’ Late Rally Falls Short in 16-10 Loss vs. No. 14 Molloy

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia men's lacrosse team was defeated by No. 14 ranked Molloy College, 16-10 in East Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon in the Firebirds' home season finale at Woodrow Wilson HS.

The Firebirds (3-6, 0-5 ECC) led 3-1 halfway through the first quarter, and would later score four straight goals in a little over an eight minute span in the fourth quarter to shrink Molloy's nine-goal lead to five, but the Lions controlled play in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters en-route to a six-goal victory. UDC, a third-year program, has now fallen prey to four top-15 nationally-ranked opponents out of its six losses this season.

The Firebirds were led offensively by sophomore midfielder Teilen Celentano with three goals on seven shots, three ground balls, and a 10-for-22 effort on face-offs. Junior attack Chase Fraser scored one goal and assisted three, freshman attack Braylon Lumb scored two goals and assisted one, and graduate midfielder Michael King added a pair of goals as well.

Molloy (9-4, 3-3 ECC) had six different goal scorers, including a seven-point scoring effort by attack Kevin Teresky (five goals, two assists). Fellow attack Connor Slane added five goals on six shots and collected a team-high six ground balls.

UDC graduate goalkeeper Pat Payne stopped 13 of 29 shots faced in a complete game effort, while Molloy's Ryan Toomey earned the win with 12 saves and 10 goals allowed.

The Firebirds out-shot Molloy 48-41, but the Lions actually had seven more shots on goal (29-22). Molloy edged UDC 15-14 in face-offs, had three fewer turnovers (20-17), and were a perfect 5-of-5 on man-up opportunities vs. UDC's 3-of-5.

Celentano scored UDC's first two goals of the game at 14:26 and later at 9:54. Sophomore midfielder Syrrus Nash's unassisted goal at 8:17 gave UDC a short-lived 3-1 lead over the nationally-ranked Lions. Molloy responded by scoring the final two goals of the period at 5:31 and 1:14, tying the score at three as the game headed to the 2^nd quarter.

Not two minutes into the second quarter, Slane scored two goals within a 26-second span to put the Lions up, 5-3. Slane's first goal came on a man-up opportunity following a 30-second pushing penalty on the Firebirds, and he added his 2^nd off an assist by Austin Valenti. The Firebirds responded following a cross-check penalty on Molloy just past the 13-minute mark, as King ripped a shot past Toomey off an assist by Lumb to bring UDC within a goal, 5-4.

The Lions, however, went on to score three straight goals at 10:41, 8:18, and 5:33, extending their lead to 8-4. Nearly a minute later, UDC junior attack Brock Thompson-Marshall dodged a defender and shot, mid-dive towards the net following a terrific find by Fraser for the Firebirds' 5^th goal of the day and the final goal by either team in the first half. UDC trailed 8-5 at the intermission.

Molloy took control of the game in the 3^rd quarter as the Lions won 5-of-7 face-offs, and committed no penalties while converting 2-of-2 man-up opportunities. The visitors scored the first three goals of the period and ultimately out-scored the Firebirds 5-1 as they took a 13-6 lead into the 4^th quarter.

With momentum on its side, Molloy padded its lead to a game-high nine goals as Teresky scored back-to-back goals at 14:25 and 13:22. UDC scored four straight goals over an almost eight minute span to shrink that lead down to five, but Molloy's Tom Graef scored the game's final goal at the 3:50 mark, and Molloy went on to win by a six-goal margin.

The Firebirds now have three ECC road games remaining on their schedule, beginning with an April 23^rd contest at Roberts Wesleyan.