The Hawk

Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: Sports

Hotaling and the Hawk defense allowed only five goals to Providence.

The Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity to place themselves comfortably in MAAC Tournament contention with a 5-4 loss against conference-leading Providence on April 12. The Hawks fell to 2-3 in the conference with the loss, putting them on the cusp of the fourth and final MAAC Tournament berth.

St. Joe's (2-9, 2-3 MAAC) was unable to overcome a slow start after finishing the first quarter down 3-0. The Hawks found themselves on the defensive end of the field for much of the first quarter as the Friars (5-5, 5-0 MAAC) kept the pressure on, unleashing shot after shot at goalie Erik Hotaling, '09.

The Hawks turned the ball over multiple times in the period and never found an offensive rhythm. Scoring goals for Providence were Jackson Fallon, leading scorer Mark Dillon, and Colin Tigh.

The second quarter was a much different story for the Hawks, as they were able to keep control of possession and hold Providence scoreless for the entire period. Despite keeping possession, the Hawks were unable to find the back of the net until leading scorer Steve Varga, '08, found fellow attackman Chris O'Neill, '09, cutting to the net for a shot and goal. Junior goalie Robert Bryan made a number of stops for Providence in the period, although St. Joe's made many of them look easy by shooting right to Bryan's stick to create what appeared like a simple game of catch between Bryan and the Hawk offense.

Coming out of the half trailing 3-1, the Hawks broke the ice by scoring two goals just over two minutes apart. Varga's bounce shot from the top of the box found the back of the net to bring the Hawks to within a goal at 3-2. Following a Friar penalty, Scott Cullinan, '11, scored to tie the game with 8:29 left in the third quarter. But the Hawks' offense went dormant for over 15 minutes after the Cullinan strike, and Providence took the lead right back with a Bennett Murphy open net goal as Hotaling was caught outside of the crease after chasing a loose ball.

Tigh picked up an insurance goal for the Friars less than two minutes into the final period to push the lead back to two. The Hawks did not respond until an acrobatic goal by Andrew Mandela, '09, with 8:02 remaining following a two-minute penalty kill by the St. Joe's defense.

The final two minutes proved to be the last stand for the Hawks as they unleashed a flurry of shots at Bryan. Cullinan, Mandela, and Alex Lopes, '09, all had good looks at the net but came up empty. The Hawks had one final chance with 15 seconds to go, but a Steve O'Brien, '08, shot was thwarted by the Friars, who ran out the clock to secure the victory.

The Hawks' push for the MAAC Tournament continues April 16 with a 7 p.m. home game against conference foe Mount Saint Mary's (1-8, 1-3 MAAC), who is one of St. Joe's top competitors for the final tournament spot.

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