The men’s lacrosse team, 9–6 overall and 5–2 in the Empire 8 conference, secured a trip to the conference playoffs today after defeating Alfred University 18–1 at Higgins Stadium.
The Blue and Gold offense scored their second highest goal total of the season. Only the 20-goal performance April 13 against Utica College was higher. Head Coach Jeff Long said the offense was a result of strong team play and quick ball movement.
“When we dodged, we dodged with speed and purpose,” Long said. “We’re really good when we play as a team. When we start playing individual, we’re not a good team.”
Sophomore attack Andrew Bruce led the Bombers’ offense upsurge with a team best four points off three goals and an assist. Bruce opened all scoring with the first two goals of the game in the first period.
With a 4–0 lead, freshman midfielder Jake Long shot high-to-high to beat Alfred goaltender Justin Becker stick side. The goal pulled Becker from the game. The sophomore goalie was charged with the loss giving up five goals on six shots.
The Bombers posted 41 shots to the Saxons 18 and collected 33 ground balls while Alfred had 14. Junior midfielder Brian DiBetta won 11 of 18 faceoffs and the Bombers won 15 of 22 as a team.
The Bombers senior goaltender David Gal earned his ninth win of the season making nine saves and giving up one goal. Gal said his success was because of the defensive core in front of him.
“The [shots] I faced today were ones I thought I should have saved,” Gal said. “The defense as a whole played really great as a unit and they made it easy for me.”
The Bombers have one more regular season game on their schedule against Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday. While a spot in the Empire 8 playoffs is secure, the Bombers can still lock a higher seed with a win against the 14–1 Ducks. Senior attack Jay Lucas said Saturday’s contest will be much more competitive than today’s blowout.
“We need to go into Saturday with a chip on our shoulder,” Lucas said. “We know it’s going to be a battle. What ever team wants it more is going to come out with the win on Saturday.”
