13 unanswered goals and a second half shutout gave no. 15 ranked Denver a dominant 18-5 win over Marist men’s lacrosse.
The Red Foxes (2-2) held their own in the first two quarters, going into the break with a one goal deficit. Denver then scored six goals in the third quarter while not conceding to blow the contest open.
Denver (3-2) scored six in the final quarter to bring their second half total to 12. Marist’s final goal of the match came with 5:38 left in the second quarter, with sophomore attacker Collin Patrick finishing down low.
Three Pioneers scored four goals and freshman goalie Grayson Manning saved 12 of the 17 shots. Five Pioneers finished with four or more points, including four assists from redshirt senior midfielder Jack Tortolani.
Senior attacker Jake Deacy put a hat trick on the board for Marist in the first half, doing enough to keep the game close and scare the hosts.
The Pioneers came out of the half a different team, winning almost all of the faceoffs in the third quarter. Senior faceoff man Dylan Bedell won 10 out of 13 faceoffs in the first half, but went zero for six to open the third.
The first half was largely back-and-forth, with Marist grabbing the first goal. Denver scored two, Marist answered, and the first quarter ended 4-3 as the teams appeared locked.
A similar second quarter appeared to put some belief into the visiting Red Foxes, who played with energy and momentum. The second half told a much different story, with the Manning brothers taking over.
Canadians Noah and Grayson Manning showed flashes of the other Manning brothers, combining for 12 saves and four goals. Noah, a senior attacker, scored four goals, while Grayson played shut the door in net.
Both teams have a quick turnaround for games on Sunday, meaning mass substitutions came throughout the final 15 minutes. Freshman attacker Watt Muir benefited the most, grabbing his first career goal.
Marist head coach Dave Scarcello decided to substitute senior goalie Noble Smith to start the fourth quarter, who had made just three saves on 15 shots. Senior goalie Bryant O’Donnell came in and let up half as many goals while making the same amount of saves, showing that seemingly no one could slow the Pioneers offense.
Freshman faceoff man Josh Smith offered one of the few highlights for Marist, winning two of the four faceoffs he took. Bedell finished the second half with three faceoff wins out of 10, finishing 13-23 on the day.
Patrick did get a goal and assist, although that is a season low for the sophomore who’s started red hot. Sophomore midfielder Sean Mullan also grabbed a goal and assist each, continuing good form after a buzzer-beater goal last week to take down Binghamton.
Marist has a short turnaround before Sunday’s matchup against Air Force, with the opening faceoff scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Edited by Marley Pope
Photo from Kira Crutcher
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