It took 59 minutes and 59 seconds for Marist Men’s Lacrosse (2-1) to take the lead, but sophomore midfielder Sean Mullan’s buzzer-beating snipe gave it to them when it mattered most.
“It took 59 full minutes for us to get our stuff together,” said Mullan. “Shows how much work we put in and how much it’s paying off,”
The game looked all but over as Binghamton (0-2) led 9-7 with just over 1:30 to play, but two goals from sophomore attacker Collin Patrick tied it up at 9-9.
A faceoff win from senior faceoff specialist Dylan Bedell, followed by a timeout, gave Marist the ball with just under 45 seconds remaining and assistant coach Tyler Perelle time to draw something up.
“We needed to go into attack mode against their zone that was staying compact,” said head coach Dave Scarcello.
What followed was pandemonium at Tenney Stadium as Mullan scored with time running out, giving the Red Foxes the 10-9 win.
Patrick’s two goals at the end went with his two assists, both to sophomore attacker Steven Cain. Cain finished the game with a hat trick, the first of his Marist career.
“Being surrounded by the guys [on the team], it’s easy to go out there and play great and go out there with confidence,” said Cain.
Bedell won 10 out of his 16 faceoffs, giving his team a make-it-take-it opportunity with two wins in the last 1:21. Both of those possessions ended in goals in the Red Foxes spectacular comeback.
It was all Binghamton all game it seemed, with graduate student attacker Liam Ferris tallying four goals, including a reverse through-the-legs snipe past senior goalie Noble Smith. This theatrical razzle-dazzle gave the Bearcats their 9-7 lead and appeared to ice the game.
Binghamton started the match on the front foot, scoring three unanswered goals to open the first quarter. Two from Ferris in the first frame provided the framework for a solid first half, which the Bearcats led 5-4.
The visitors doubled their lead early into the second half behind a goal from junior midfielder Gavin Jacobsen, but Cain’s second of the game combined with graduate student midfielder Josh Balcarcel’s only goal tied things up.
Marist outshot the Bearcats 46-30, but 10 saves from senior goalie Connor Winters was enough to keep his team in it. The most notable of his saves came right at the end of the third period when he denied Balcarcel his second goal, preserving the Binghamton lead.
The Red Foxes defense kept them in the game while their offense got going, forcing three turnovers and winning 31 ground balls, limiting the Bearcats to under double-digit goals.
“We had a couple guys out late in the week, and we had a couple of guys step up and fill those roles and that was huge,” said senior midfielder Ryan Jones, who then shouted out several teammates.
Multiple Red Foxes tallied over seven shots on net, including Cain, Mullan, Balcarcel and Patrick. This wide ranging attack has allowed Marist to stay in games where their stars are not carrying the workload.
Ferris had 10 shots of his own, leading to a hat trick alongside his two assists. At 6’2” he is a formidable matchup, using his large frame to power through the defense. But it is not just his physicality— he clearly has the touch as well.
Marist got a much needed comeback win after suffering a brutal loss to Jacksonville the week prior. The Red Foxes went up 10-2 but went on to lose 15-12 in dramatic fashion.
“Coming off a tough last week, we needed to find our mojo back,” said Jones. “It started with our sideline telling us with under two minutes left ‘we’re gonna win this game.”
Marist goes back on the road for the next few games, traveling to Colorado to take on Denver and Air Force. The Red Foxes matchup with Denver next, with faceoff scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb 28.
Edited by Michael Burns
Photo and Graphic Credit: Kira Crutcher
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