The rain and unfriendly confines of Wright Stadium proved to be a fitting arena for the 24th-ranked men’s lacrosse team’s gritty 5-4 win against Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. yesterday.
The Bombers’ win clinched a berth in the Empire 8 Conference playoffs for the eighth straight season. Senior attack Tom Mongelli and freshman attack James Manilla each scored twice for the South Hill squad (10—4 overall, 5—0 Empire 8) while sophomore attack Pat Slawta contributed with two assists.
Manilla’s empty net goal with 1:36 to go in the fourth gave the Bombers a 5-3 lead but the Hawks (6—7 overall, 1—4 Empire 8) were resilent throughout and scored a minute later with a goal by sophomore midfielder Mike Vaglica. Vagilca had a weak shot from outside the restraining box stopped by senior goalie Brendan Green as time expired.
The South Hill squad will travel to Elmira College on Wednesday to take on the Soaring Eagles (3—7 overall, 0—5 Empire 8). Opening face-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Soaring Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention after their loss to Utica College yesterday. A Blue and Gold win coupled with a loss by Stevens Institute of Technology at Hartwick would give the Blue and Gold the Empire 8 regular season title and the top seed in the Empire 8 playoffs.
