Marist men’s lacrosse (1-1) kicked off a five-game road trip against Jacksonville (1-2), falling to the Dolphins 15-12 in a wild second-half comeback.
The Red Foxes led 9-2 at halftime in full control. The second half told a different story, with Jacksonville scoring nine unanswered goals to come back. Hat tricks from junior midfielder Jack Taylor (four goals) and junior attacker Nicky Brown led the charge.
Marist struggled on faceoffs, winning only 13 of the 29. With an advantage in the center circle, Jacksonville essentially played make-it-take-it in the second half.
After only shooting 17 times in the first half, Jacksonville put up 33 shots in the second half, scoring 13 goals in their massive comeback. The onslaught of shots lowered senior goalie Noble Smith’s save percentage by nearly .250. Smith finished with 17 saves while allowing 15 goals.
Marist started hot, scoring five unanswered goals to open the game. Sophomore attacker Collin Patrick scored two on his way to a first-half hat trick. Graduate student midfielder Josh Balcarcel – who also finished with a hat trick -, junior midfielder Drew Anderson and senior attacker Jake Deacy all scored.
Jacksonville scored right as the first quarter ended, but they only added one more in the first half. Marist started the second frame, scoring two in the first four minutes, including Patrick’s third. The game then slowed down, with no goals being scored until the Dolphins scored with 6:23 left in the quarter.
The third quarter saw only one Marist goal, a behind-the-back snipe from sophomore attacker Steven Cain. Cain finished with two goals and two assists, second on the team behind Patrick’s hat trick of goals and assists each.
The Dolphins had a tough schedule coming in, scoring only 14 goals through their first two games – losses to no. 2 Syracuse and no. 7 Duke. The first half looked largely like those first two games, but in the final two quarters, Jacksonville woke up and flipped the script.
Dominating the ground ball category is another reason the Dolphins controlled the second half; Jacksonville claimed 25 ground balls to Marist’s nine, offering more chances to score.
Marist also lost the turnover battle, 17-12 with just three caused turnovers. 12 of Marist’s came in the second half, compared to just four for Jacksonville.
Balcarcel’s third goal came with just over five minutes to go in the game, but it was too little too late for Marist. This win for Jacksonville gives the Dolphins their second win in the two team’s history. Marist leads 4-2, with the Dolphins winning two of the last three matchups.
Both teams limited penalties, with a combined three being handed out throughout the game. Marist did not score on their man-up, whereas Jacksonville scored one goal on two chances.
Marist stays on the road for the next few weeks. The Red Foxes stay in New York for their next game, a Feb. 22 matchup against Binghamton.
After that Marist goes to Colorado, taking on no. 14 ranked Denver and Air Force. A MAAC opener against Iona ends the road trip.
The game against Binghamton is scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday, February 12.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic by Quinn DiFiore; Photo from Cassidy Connors
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