As sudden death overtime came to an end, Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse team stood in silence, stunned after its comeback efforts fell short. The Bobcats just couldn’t swim with the Sharks, falling 10-9 to LIU Saturday afternoon..
The Bobcats got great offensive play from team captains and senior midfielders Steven Germain and Trevor Douglas, which helped them come back from a four goal deficit. But the team just couldn’t finish the job.
Germain put the Bobcats up early against junior goaltender Sean Gillamn, notching a shot off a rebound. Despite the strong start, Quinnipiac’s offense was quiet for the remainder of the quarter.
The Sharks had plenty of opportunities but were unable to execute in enemy territory. Less than ideal shot selection and a strong outing by Quinnipiac junior goaltender Mason Oak resulted in a 1-1 game heading into the second frame.
The start of the second could not have gone worse for the Bobcats. In under three minutes, the team allowed three-straight goals. In desperate need to stop the bleeding, head coach Mason Poli called a timeout.
Following the break, Quinnipiac looked to hit the restart button and get back on the scoreboard. In LIU’s zone, senior midfielder Ryan Donnery set up a beautiful pass from the left side to Germain, who rifled a shot through the net to bring the deficit to two.
During the next possession, the Sharks defense seemed to part like the red sea, as senior midfielder Evan Perry drove his way through the middle and scored.
Heading into the third quarter down 6-4, the Bobcats needed more momentum in their direction to get back on top. Halfway through the frame, Quinnipiac got what it asked for.
For a second, it looked like the Sharks would be the ones to steal the momentum. After a seven minute scoring drought for both teams, LIU junior midfielder Ryan Baudo stole the ball and drove down the field, putting up a shot that barely missed the net and fell into Oak’s hands.
While confusion set in on LIU, Oak took advantage. The goaltender delivered a long pass down the field to senior attacker Dylan Donnery who whipped a shot into the net to cut the Shark’s lead to one.
The pendulum started to swing in the Bobcats’ favor, and the Donnery brothers made sure it stayed that way. Dylan found Ryan open on the right side of the Sharks net and connected to tie the game at six.
As the game extended into the final fifteen minutes, so did the Bobcats’ lead. Goals by Perry and Ryan Donnery allowed Quinnipiac to take the reins, but the Sharks weren’t going down without a fight.
Quinnipiac found itself in trouble after suffering back-to-back man-up penalties. Two minutes later, redshirt sophomore attack Drew Tongo found his way to the net to tie the game for LIU.
Both teams were unable to score again as time wound down in the fourth. With 15 seconds left, an LIU crease violation allowed the Bobcats one final shot before the end of regulation.
Then came the Sharks, biting back with an intentional penalty with .4 seconds on the clock. Both teams headed to overtime for the first time all year.
LIU took complete control during the extra frame, getting three separate shots on goal. But Quinnipiac — despite its offensive prowess throughout the season — could not get its hands on an opportunity when it mattered most.
Senior midfielder Tom von Bargen seized the moment, found an opening at the bottom of the net, and delivered a strike past Oak to clinch the win.
The loss brings Quinnipiac to 5-4 in the MAAC, a reflection of its recent close game struggles..
Based on Saturday’s results, the No. 6 seeded Bobcats head to No. 3 Manhattan in the opening round of the MAAC playoffs on April 27. Faceoff time is still being determined.
