Garden City, N.Y. - Down 10-3 at halftime, the
sixth-ranked NYIT lacrosse team proceeded to outscore fourth-ranked
Adelphi 8-4 in the second half, but the late rally was not enough
as the Panthers defeated the Bears 14-11 in the first round of the
2013 NCAA Division II Tournament. Adelphi will face LeMoyne next
weekend in the regional final.
Sophomore Luke Miller (Mastic, N.Y.), the East Coast Conference
Player of the Year, led all players with nine points on a
career-high seven goals and two assists. Senior A.P. Nist
(Allentown, Pa.) chipped in with two goals, while junior Cory
Triola (Levittown, N.Y.) and freshman Shawn Murphy (Holbrook, N.Y.)
added a goal each.
Eric Janssen picked up the win with 13 saves and ECC Goalkeeper of
the Year Joe Fallon (Kings Park, N.Y.) faced the loss with a
career-high 14 saves.
The Panthers jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first half and then led
5-2 before a lightning delay was called with 2:20 remaining. After
nearly a two-hour delay, Adelphi closed out the first period
leading 6-2 and then opened the second period with three straight
goals. NYIT broke through the silence with 31 seconds remaining as
Miller notched his hat trick. Yet, with one second remaining
Salvatore Tuttle made it a 10-3 game at halftime for the
Panthers.
Out of the break, the Bears began to claw their way back. Triola
scored just seven seconds into the third period. Two and a half
minutes later, Nist found the back of the net to make it a 10-5
game. Murphy netted his goal with 5:48 on the clock off an assist
from senior Mike Ross (Adams, N.Y.) before Nick Watson scored twice
for Adelphi to bring the score to 12-6.
In the final period, NYIT out-scored Adelphi 5-2. Miller netted all
but one of the Bears goal and then assisted on the other. NYIT
fought hard in the final two minutes to knot the score but was
unsuccessful.
The Bears bring the season to a close with a 12-3 overall record
and a 6-1 ECC mark, which was good for second place. NYIT earned a
postseason berth for the first time since the 2008 season, when it
won the program's fourth national championship.
Provided by the NYIT Sports Information Department.
