MEN'S LACROSSE GOES 1-1 IN COLORADO COLLEGE SPRING BREAK TOURNAMENT, Mustangs Stun Tough Colorado College Squad

The Mount Ida College Men’s Lacrosse team traveled this spring break to the Colorado College Tournament notching a 1-1 record. They dropped a tough loss to Kean University this past Saturday only to come back on Sunday and tally their biggest victory of the season against a talented Colorado College team.

Kean University overcame a pair of three-goal deficits in the first half to defeat Mt. Ida College in the first game of the tournament.

JuniorBrett Conley (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Warde) scored twice and set up another score as the Mustangs jumped out to a 4-2 lead 32 seconds into the second period. Kean responded with a 5-1 run and grabbed its first lead with 7:38 remaining in the second period on a man-up goal by Scott Leathem.

The Cougars used 4-1 run in the third period to build a 10-7 lead with 13:04 remaining in the game and Mt. Ida was never able to get closer than two goals.

Leathem led KU with three goals and an assist, while Dennis Lukacsko had two scores and set up another.Dave Nichols had 15 saves for the Cougars, while Matt Vernick (Bethany, CT/Amity Regional) stopped 18 shots for the Mustangs. Conley had three goals and an assist to lead Mt. Ida.

Junior attackman Leo Shidler (Peabody, MA/Peabody) scored with a fraction under 16 seconds remaining to give Mount Ida College a 9-8 victory over Colorado College on the ‘frozen tundra’ of CC’s Washburn Field on Sunday afternoon.

With a temperature hovering around 30 degrees and a combination of rain, freezing rain and snow falling throughout the game, the Mustangs (1-3) watched as their 6-2 halftime turned into a two-goal deficit, but then staged a comeback of their own.

Senior attacker John Lightbown (Melrose, MA/Melrose) scored a pair of goals in the first half, including one with four seconds remaining where Mt. Ida went the length of the field after CC committed the last of its 11 turnovers.

After struggling during the first half, the Tigers offense got on track in the third period and scored three unanswered goals to cut their deficit to 6-5 and had another goal waved off because of a foul called away from the play.

CC tied the game with 13:13 to play on a goal by senior midfielder Hunter Combs and took the lead on a goal by sophomore midfielder Chris Love four minutes later.

But after sophomore attacker Brendan Gangl gave the Tigers a two-goal advantage with 6:31 to go, the Mustangs capitalized on unforced errors go get back into the game.

Freshman midfielder Dan Harrington (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) and Lightbown struck for a pair of goals in a span of 37 seconds following a CC turnover. Harrington scored with 3:54 to go after faking his defender out of position and going one-on-one with Scott MacArthur. The freshman goaltender got a piece of Lightbown’s shot from the top of the slot, but the ball slid under MacArthur’s stick to tie the game.

The Tigers were setting up for one final scoring attempt, but turned the ball over with 1:28 remaining. CC appeared to have forced a pair of turnovers before Shidler’s game winner, but lost possession on a foul and when the ball was ruled to go off a Tiger with 26 seconds to play.

Sophomore goaltender Matt Vernik (Bethany, CT/Amity Regional) proved to be the difference in the game, stopping 16 of CC’s 24 shots on goal. Shidler and Lightbown led Mt. Ida with three goals, while junior attacker Brett Conley had a goal and two assists.

The Mustangs will play host this Saturday in Newton, MA in their first North Atlantic Conference (NAC) match-up against Thomas College.