Senior Sean Pearce (Auburn, NY) scored four goals and three assists and junior Joe Zebrowski (Liverpool, NY) posted 11 saves behind a solid defensive effort as the Clarkson University Lacrosse team knocked off top seed St. Lawrence, 13-9, in the first round of the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) Tournament in Canton, NY on Friday afternoon.
The
Golden Knights, who stand at 7-7 overall, will face Rensselaer in the tournament title contest on Sunday in Troy, NY, at 2:00 p.m. The winner of the UCAA Tournament gains an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Red Hawks defeated Hamilton
15-7 in the other first-round tournament contest on Friday.
St. Lawrence (11-3) scored the first goal of the game in a tightly played first quarter with 5:25 left in the opening the stanza to take its only lead of the contest, but senior
Pat Duggan (East Amherst, NY) tied the score with just five seconds left in the period. Clarkson outscored the Saints 4-2 in the second quarter to hold a 5-3 advantage at the half. St. Lawrence tied it 5-5 with two quick goals to start the second half, but the
Green and Gold answered back with four straight goals to take a 9-5 lead late in the period. After the Saints scored their sixth goal with 43 seconds left in the third, Clarkson stormed back with three straight to start the final quarter to gain a commanding 12-6 lead with 6:47 to play. St. Lawrence outscored the Knights 3-1 down the stretch, but it was too little too late as Clarkson ended the Saints’ hope for a spot in the UCAA Championship game.
Named to the UCAA All-Star second team earlier in the day, Pearce recorded his 100th career goal late in the second quarter. Clarkson’s leading scorer with 49 points (33-16) this season, Pearce stands in 8th place on the Knights’ all-time scoring list with 161 career points (102-59).
Senior Jim Lavelle (Hamburg, NY) tallied two goals and one assists, along with sophomore AJ Heiligman (Webster, NY) and freshman Mike McKenna (Camden, DE). Seniors Patrick Ryan (Canton, NY) and Dan Amedro (Camillus, NY) also scored one goal each.
NCAA Tournament selections will be revealed Sunday, May 9 between 8:30 and 9 p.m. Eastern time on College Sports Television's (CSTV) Scoreboard Show. CSTV can be found on DirecTV channel 610 and selected cable systems.
