A year after starting the season with six consecutive losses in what seemed like a rebuilding season, the Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse team is 2-0 for the first time since the 2008 season with a 12-10 win over Detroit Mercy.
Basil Kostaras and Michael Sagl led Quinnipiac as each recorded hat tricks.
“Today was a great team win and I am very proud of our continued growth,” Quinnipiac head coach Eric Fekete. “We preach team lacrosse at Quinnipiac and our players continue to exemplify that on the field.”
The Southlake, Texas native, Kostaras moved into sole possession of 15th place on the all-time scoring list at Quinnipiac with 43 goals. The senior midfield captain added three ground balls and had seven shots on the afternoon. Sagl matched Kostaras with three goals and handed out an assist for a four-point outing while Pat Corcoran scored twice.
Quinnipiac and Detroit Mercy (0-4) went back and forth through the first quarter. Sagl netted the first goal of the game before Detroit’s Alex Maini scored consecutive goals to give Detroit a 2-1 lead. Kostaras added two goals before Carmen French and Sagl scored goals on the man down. Detroit Mercy fought back with 3 consecutive goals before Tom Gilligan added a goal to take a 6-5 halftime lead.
The Bobcats rallied off three of the game’s next four goals for a 9-6 lead; but it was all Detroit Mercy for the remainder of the third quarter. The hosting Titans fired off four straight goals, as Jordan Houtby’s tally putting UDM on top, 10-9, heading into the final 15 minutes of play.
After halftime, the Bobcats netted three of the game’s next four goals for a 9-6 lead before the Titans scored four straight goals to close out the quarter with Houtby’s tally putting Detroit Mercy on top, 10-9, heading into the frame.
The fourth quarter was all Bobcats as the team turned defense into offense. Kostaras netted the equalizer off a feed from Sagl with 12:50 remaining to tie the game at 10. Brendan Wilbur got the go-ahead goal with 8:52 left in the fourth and Corcoran iced the game with just 47 seconds remaining, giving Quinnipiac its second road win to start the season.
Onondaga junior college transfer, Gill Conners made seven saves in his second win in a Bobcat uniform. Last week against Brown, Conners stopped 20 shots the most by a Bobcat goaltender since 2004. The 20 saves earned him the NEC defensive player of the week and the NEILA player of the week. Against the Titans, Conners did not allow a goal in the fourth quarter, stopping two shots; giving him a total of seven saves in the final 15 minutes in his first two games.
Quinnipiac outshot UDM, 37-32, which included a 24-17 shots on goal advantage. Detroit controlled the faceoff circle, 14-12, and both teams picked up 35 ground balls. UDM went 3-for-6 with a man-advantage.
The Bobcats who were ranked No. five in the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) Coaches’ Poll on Tuesday afternoon will travel to Maryland next week. They will face non-conference opponent Vermont Catamounts on Friday at 7:45 p.m. at Severna Park High School in Severna Park, Md.
