Mariners' Lacrosse Prevails In Overtime

MADISON, N.J. - In a game that featured six ties and three lead changes, the United States Merchant Marine Academy lacrosse team pulled out a thrilling 11-10 overtime victory over Drew University in Madison, N.J. on Wednesday evening. Senior tri-captain Ryan Merritt’s game winner just 46 seconds into the extra frame gave the Mariners their fourth straight win overall and second straight victory by a goal.

USMMA improved to 7-6 overall and 3-2 in Landmark Conference action. Drew dropped to 5-6 overall and 3-1 in Landmark Conference play. It was also the Rangers’ second loss at home this spring.

“This was a huge win,” said Merritt afterwards. “Earlier in the year, we lost two games in a row by one goal to Franklin & Marshall and Swarthmore. To come back and win two games by one goal and one in overtime shows how far we have come.”

Robert Atkinson and Brennan Dougherty led the Mariner offense with three points apiece. Atkinson had a hat trick and Dougherty tallied two goals and tacked on an assist. Defensively, Michael Condron scooped up seven ground balls while Maginnis scooped up a ground ball and scored a goal.

Drew was led by Jon Bucknam. He had five goals and two assists for seven points. Greg Hamilton led all Ranger defenders with five ground balls.

Jon Bucknam scored the only two goals in the first quarter to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. The scores came at 3:49 and 2:59.

USMMA cut the lead in half early in the second quarter when Atkinson took a pass from behind the net, made a move on the left side and took a shot from just outside the crease on the left corner which found the back of the net at 14:04.

Three more goals were scored between the two teams in the final three minutes of the half. After Bucknam set up Ari Young to give the Rangers a 3-1 advantage, the Mariners responded by scoring two more goals to make it 3-3 by the time the horn sounded to signal halftime. Brett Daniels ran in on the net following a Mariner clear and fired a shot to the back of the cage at 2:01 and Robert De Pol found Merritt for a goal with 25 seconds left.

The teams exchanged 10 goals in the third quarter. After Drew went up 5-3 with goals scored at 12:56 and 11:5, USMMA scored two straight goals to tie it at 5-5. Playing a man up, Flannery found Dougherty just outside the goal. Through a scrum of players for both teams, Dougherty fired a shot that bounced in and out at 9:53. Play continued, but the referee ruled the ball completely crossed the line. De Pol then made his way through traffic to score an unassisted goal at 5:42.

After Drew scored two more goals at 3:57 and 3:03 to go up 7-5, the Mariners answered with three straight goals in the final two minutes to take their first lead of the game with 31 seconds left in the third frame. Atkinson had an unassisted tally at 1:45 to start the rally. Dougherty found Flannery for the second goal with 47 seconds left. Following the ensuing draw, Maginnis charged in and rifled a shot to the back of the cage to give the Mariners an 8-7 advantage.

The Rangers went for the last shot and scored the equalizer with just two seconds left on the clock. Bucknam took a shot from the left side which hit the pipe and bounced out. He scooped up his own miss from just outside the crease on the right side of the goal and flicked the ball into the net. As a result, the teams ended the quarter tied at 8-8.

Bucknam put the Rangers ahead by a score of 9-8 when he scored his fifth goal of the contest at 7:31 off a pass from Mike Sayers. The score stayed the same until a flurry of goals were scored in the final two minutes.

USMMA took a 10-9 lead after scoring two straight goals just 21 seconds apart. Dougherty had an unassisted tally at 1:43 and Atkinson completed his second career hat trick with a goal at 1:22.

Drew however came right back and scored the equalizer with 1:02 remaining. Michael DeGiovanni was credited with the goal. It was the third goal between the two teams in a span of just 41 seconds.

The Rangers won the ensuing face-off. The teams exchanged possessions twice and Drew had the last ball in the waning seconds with the chance to end the game in regulation. However, Sayers’ shot taken just before the buzzer sailed wide.

With the score tied at 10-10, the teams went into a sudden death overtime period.
Drew won the opening face-off, but a turnover allowed USMMA to successfully clear the ball and have the first chance to score. The ball ended up in Merritt’s stick, and he found an opening and bolted for the goal from the right side. The tri-captain rifled a shot that didn’t stop until it landed in the net and dropped to the ground just 46 seconds into the extra stanza to seal the victory.

“After I got the ball, I knew that somebody had to make a play and it might as well be right now,” explained Merritt. “Coach Gill has us run the same drill in practice every day where we are tied in overtime and the loser runs. I didn’t want to run, so I knew I had to score that goal.”

Robert Boyd got the start in goal for the Mariners and made six saves on nine chances. He was relieved by Keegan Boyle, who played the second half and the overtime period. Boyle turned away eight shots on 15 opportunities and was credited as the winning goalie. Drew used a two-headed beast in net for the game as well. Michael Celentano got the start and stopped eight of the 11 shots he faced. Brad Mendelson played the second half and overtime stanza. He saved eight of the 16 Mariner shots fired on the cage and was credited with the loss.

The Mariners can clinch one of the four bids to the Landmark Conference Tournament when they host Susquehanna on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. The game will also feature a live radio broadcast with Ray Martel and Seth Cantor.