04/21/2009
Lacrosse Falls to Mass. Maritime, 14-9

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. -- Junior Brian Burke (Del Mar, Calif.) netted four goals and two assists for six points as Massachusetts Maritime snapped an 8-8 tie by scoring six of seven fourth quarter markers to post a 14-9 Pilgrim Lacrosse League victory over Clark Tuesday evening at Commander Ellis Field.

The host Buccaneers (6-6, 2-4 Pilgrim) jumped out to a 4-0 first quarter advantage that was keyed by a pair of Brian Burke tallies, but the visiting Cougars (2-12, 1-5 Pilgrim) closed back to within two (6-4) at the break sparked by a pair of goals off the stick of freshman Phil Winslow (North Providence, R.I.).

Massachusetts Maritime grabbed an 8-6 lead with 3:05 remaining in the third stanza on Burke's third goal of the contest, but Clark evened matters with a pair of markers that came off the sticks of sophomore Ben Stuart (Cumberland, Maine) and freshman Chris Johnson (Amherst, Mass.) just 33 seconds apart to even the match heading into the final 15 minutes of play. The Buccaneers took control of the contest with three goals in a 1:29 span, including a pair from sophomore Ryan Linn (Bourne, Mass.), and the hosts added three more tallies in a 44 second span late in the match to account for the final score.

Junior Connor Burke (Del Mar, Calif.) added a pair of goals and an assist in the win for Massachusetts Maritime, which also received a goal and two assists off the stick of sophomore Jake Bickley (Wilbraham, Mass.) as well as a goal and assist from senior Kevin Schultz (Crofton, Md.). Senior John Herman (Stamford, Conn.) netted a single tally for the Buccaneers, who also received goals from sophomores Michael Lambros (Forestdale, Mass.) and Craig Nichols (Marshfield, Mass.) as well as freshman Will Doucette (Manchester, Mass.).

Johnson finished with a pair of goals and two assists for four points in the setback for Clark, which also received two goals and an assist off the stick of Winslow. Sophomore Eugene Arsenault (South Portland, Maine) netted a pair of tallies as well for the Cougars, who also received goals from senior Shawn Roche (Centerport, N.Y.) and junior Jeremy Urquhart (Falmouth, Maine).

Junior James Hitchings (Dover, Mass.) made a season-high 20 saves in 57-plus minutes of action to pick up his sixth win in goal for Massachusetts Maritime, which also received a pair of stops over the final two minutes from senior Alex Deveaux (Northboro, Mass.). Senior Tyler Campbell (Portland, Ore.) made seven saves in the setback for Clark, as the Cougars outshot the Buccaneers by a 43-32 margin for the contest.

Massachusetts Maritime heads up to Boston on Thursday afternoon to take on UMass Boston in a non-league outing that begins at 3:00 p.m., while Clark travels to Newton Centre, Mass. on Sunday afternoon for a Pilgrim Lacrosse League match with Lasell that begins at 1:00 p.m.

Courtesy of Mass. Maritime Sports Information