Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse allowed just one goal in the first quarter of its matchup against Siena Saturday afternoon. But after three more quarters of play, Siena pulled off a 13-10 victory.
The offense was there – and despite the 13-10 score, the defense was phenomenal – but the amount of opportunities the Saints had at the net was the big difference.
Siena shot the ball an astounding 48 times compared to Quinnipiac’s 25, the Saints took less penalties while also leading the game with 30 ground balls.
While Quinnipiac’s scoring was spread out – only graduate student attacker Jake Tellers surpassed the three-goal mark – Siena relied more on individual scoring. Junior attacker Pratt Reynolds led the way for the hosts with four goals, and sophomore attacker Caden Olmstead had a hat trick of his own.
The Saint’s passing ability became a big factor towards the end of the game. During the start of a tied fourth quarter, Siena gained possession during the faceoff and drove down into Bobcat territory. For what seemed like an eternity, the team passed the ball around back and forth just waiting for an opening to attack. Eventually, sophomore midfielder Patrick Linton found an opening and seized the moment, a strike inside the Bobcat’s goal put Siena up 10-9.
That goal by Linton seemed to change the game entirely, as the Saints would follow it up with back-to-back goals which stuffed the Bobcats in a hole they could not dig out of.
Despite allowing 13 goals, junior goaltender Mason Oak continued to play at a high level with 17 saves and a .576 save percentage.
The Saints are experienced in close games this season, as eight of their 11 games have been within three goals. On the other hand, the Bobcats have gotten used to blowing teams out by a hefty margin, with their 14-7 win against Canisius being their largest of the season.
As Quinnipiac was looking to restart its winning streak, Siena took the opportunity to strike an upset win on the team’s senior day. The Saints honored 10 seniors prior to their matchup.
In hopes of getting back in the win column, the Bobcats will be back in Hamden on April 10 to face Sacred Heart. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
