Box Score NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The second-seeded Norwich University men's lacrosse team took the first step towards reclaiming the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title on Friday evening with a convincing 17-3 victory over seventh-seeded Anna Maria College in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
The game started off slow with both teams failing to convert on their early chances. Anna Maria (1-8, 1-6 GNAC) got on the board first about five minutes in as junior Eric Glover took a pass from junior Nick Massaro and beat the Cadets' goalie five-hole.
Norwich (8-3, 5-2 GNAC) responded just over a minute later as senior Payden Masaracchia (Enola, Pa.) tallied his 34th goal of the year putting home a pass from junior Parker Campbell (Rockaway, N.J.). Campbell then notched a goal of his own ripping his 17th marker of the year to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
Glover gave the AMCATS some momentum heading into the second quarter scoring his 16th goal of the season with just 15 clicks left on the clock to knot the game at 2-2.
After a quiet start to the second frame, Massaro restored the AMCATS lead with his 11th goal of the season at 11:04 to push the visitors ahead 3-2.
Norwich would eventually call a timeout at the 7:25 mark of the second quarter to try to regroup and find some offensive consistency after being stymied by the AMCATS' defense and stellar netminding by senior Griffin Moore.
After the stoppage, the Cadets began finding answers on the offensive end converting on three of their offensive opportunities before the end of the half. Freshman Jack Haley (Falkville, Ala.) found the back of the net firing while running across the face of the crease from 12 feet out. Masaracchia and Campbell then scored back-to-back goals in the span of 34 seconds to provide the hosts with a 5-3 lead heading into the second half.
Norwich finally solved the AMCATS' defense and goalie in the second half firing off 12-consecutive goals to leave no doubt and earn its spot in the GNAC semifinals scheduled for next Wednesday. The Cadets will host the winner of the #3 Rivier-#6 Emmanuel quarterfinal game.
Campbell (4G, 2A) and Masaracchia (2G, 4A) paced the Cadets' offensive each registering six points. Seniors Russell Gilligan (Fountain Hills, Ariz.) and Clyde Tamburro (Elizabethtown, Pa.) each netted a hat trick. Freshman Thomas Muraski (Keller, Texas) put on a clinic at the face-off X winning a season-best 20-of-24 faceoffs and allowing the Cadets to string together possessions as he grabbed a career-best 16 groundballs.
Glover led the AMCATS with a pair of goals while Massaro collected a goal and an assist.
Senior Nick Kandra (Crofton, Md.) allowed a career-low three goals making 14 saves over 60 minutes in net for the Cadets while Moore stopped an impressive 17 shots on net in the loss for Anna Maria.
Norwich will await the winner of Saturday's other GNAC quarterfinal game which is set for a 1 p.m. start time.
