RADNOR, Pa. – The Cabrini men's lacrosse team opened its home schedule this afternoon with one of the most exciting games to grace to the Edith Robb Dixon field pitch in recent memory. The No. 17 Cavaliers scored a 9-8 overtime victory over No. 5 Lynchburg on junior
Evan Downey's unassisted goal 57 seconds into the extra period.
With the win, Cabrini improved to 2-0 on the year and sent the Hornets to 1-2.
Today's action also marked the Blue and White's first overtime game since a 9-8 double overtime loss at then No. 18 Gettysburg on March 16, 2011.
Downey was one of three Cavaliers with multiple points on the day, as the junior paired three goals and an assist. Freshman
Matt LoParo made the most of his first career start, notching two goals and a helper.
Sophomore
James Magnani added two goals, while senior
Ethan Heisman and junior
Ryan Hannan added a goal each.
Sophomore
Joe Simpson won nine of his 19 faceoff chances and scooped a game high five ground balls, one more than senior
Cole Campbell. Magnani also joined junior
Steve Halko and freshman
Jordan Krug with three ground balls and shared game high honors with senior
Dan Hopson with two caused turnovers.
Freshman
Riley White and sophomore
Tyler Morrell split time in the Blue and White cage, with Morrell earning the victory with 11 second half saves. White notched a trio of stops in the first two quarters to keep the game tight.
The Hornets opened the scoring after nine minutes of scoreless action. Downey made the most of the final seconds of the quarter, scoring his first goal of the day with just eight seconds left in the stanza.
Both teams found their offensive rhythms in the second period, combining for eight goals. LoParo found Heisman less than three minutes into the quarter for Cabrini's only lead of the day before Lynchburg responded with three unanswered goals.
Magnani's unassisted tally snapped the run with 4:42 left in the half before the Hornets regained their two goal cushion one minute later. Hannan found the net with 2:14 left in the half, cutting the deficit to 5-4. Freshman
Jordan Krug's pass then found Magnani to even the score at 5-5 with just 13 ticks left in the second quarter.
The third quarter played out much like the first. The Hornets recaptured their one goal cushion at the 6:40 mark before the Blue and White evened the score with 71 seconds left in the quarter, as Downey found LoParo for the rookie's second goal of the afternoon.
Lynchburg wasted little time jumping ahead 7-6 in the opening minute of the final period. Its lead grew to two goals with just eight minutes to play.
Downey began the comeback with his second goal 55 seconds later, an unassisted tally, pulling Cabrini within 8-7. LoParo's unassisted goal evened the score with 6:18 to play.
Both teams created scoring chances in the game's final minutes, with four of Morrell's saves coming during that period. The Blue and White also killed 30 second penalty and fired four shots of its own.
The game came down to the final possession of regulation, as Lynchburg held the ball for the final two minutes. The Cavaliers' defense stood firm, sending the game to overtime.
Simpson claimed his ninth faceoff win to open the extra frame, as the two teams battled for the loose ball, with Downey securing the ground ball in Cabrini's offensive zone. The Cavaliers passed the ball around the top of the zone, before Downey dropped his shoulder and sprinted past a defender. He turned the corner and sprinted to the front of the goal, depositing the ball into the goal, setting off the Blue and White celebration.
Senior Austin Stewart paired two goals and an assist to lead seven Lynchburg goal scorers. Senior goaltender Chris Hawley paired 10 saves and five ground balls in the loss, while classmate Bobby Distler went 11-20 at the faceoff spot and secured five ground balls.
The Cavaliers have a few days to enjoy today's win, as Cabrini will not return to action until next Saturday, when it welcomes Dickinson College (2-0) to Edith Robb Dixon Field. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
