Six times in the second half, the Hobart College lacrosse team whittled its deficit down to one against Bryant University, but the Bulldogs were able to hold off the Statesmen for a 14-12 victory in a Northeast Conference Tournament semifinal played on Boswell Field this afternoon. Bryant improved to 8-3 on the year, while Hobart slips to 6-3.
The Statesmen outshot the Bulldogs 59-36, had more ground balls (38-28), more faceoffs (16-13) and fewer turnovers (15-19), but a strong performance by Bryant goalie Luke Caracciolo gave the visitors just enough of an edge. The sophomore made a season-high 17 saves, including 12 in the first half as the Bulldogs built a 5-3 halftime lead.
Bryant threatened to run away with the contest by scoring the first three goals of the second half. Bennett Abladian started the run with a man-up goal, Aidan Goltz netted the second a little over a minute later and, after an eight-minute lull, Kevin Groeninger gave the Bulldogs an 8-3 lead.
Hobart came roaring back with four straight goals in a span of just over two minutes. Senior Ryan Archer answered Groeninger’s goal with just 15 seconds run off the clock. Twenty seconds after that, senior long-stick midfielder Ethan Black-Fernandes finished a feed from senior defensive midfielder Wylie Sherman. Senior Tommy Mott and first-year Anthony Dattellas scored unassisted goals just over a minute apart to make it an 8-7 game. Bryant stopped the run with 15 seconds left in the quarter, carrying a 9-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
End of 3rd Quarter: Bryant 9, @HobartLacrosse 7#GoStatesmen | #NECmlax pic.twitter.com/po7F0TvxJl
— HWS Athletics (@HWSAthletics) May 5, 2021
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Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].