BOSTON, Mass. - The fifth-seeded Norwich University men's lacrosse team turned in one of its sharpest performances of the season on Saturday morning, rolling past fourth-seeded Emmanuel College (Mass.), 19-5, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals at Clemente Field.
With the win, the Cadets improve to 9-7 overall and advance to the GNAC Semifinals, where they will travel to top-seeded Rivier University on Wednesday, Apr. 29, for a 7:30 p.m. matchup in Nashua, N.H. The meeting will mark a rematch of Norwich's narrow 11-10 overtime loss to the Raiders earlier this month.
Norwich controlled the game from the outset, building a five-goal lead in the opening quarter and never allowing Emmanuel to generate sustained momentum. The Cadets received dominant offensive production from their top unit, led by
Jake Marcotte (Old Orchard Beach, Maine), who totaled seven points on five goals and two assists.
Christian Rainis (Wynantskill, N.Y.) followed with six points on five goals and one assist, while
Drew Fleury (Nashua, N.H.) added five points on three goals and two assists.
Jackson Forbes (Merrimack, N.H.) contributed four points on two goals and two assists, and
Case MacDonald (Burke, Va.) chipped in a goal and two assists.
David Gosselin (South Burlington, Vt.) and
Nicholas Wolfgang (New Port Richey, Fla.) each recorded a goal and an assist,
Liam O'Neill (Hingham, Mass.) scored once, and
Robbie McAllister (Amherst, Mass.) added an assist.
The Cadets wasted little time seizing control. Marcotte opened the scoring just 32 seconds into the contest off a Forbes assist, before Gosselin finished a feed from McAllister to double the lead. Rainis followed with a goal off a MacDonald helper, and after Emmanuel answered on an extra-man opportunity, Norwich responded with another surge.
Marcotte converted off a Fleury feed, Rainis struck again from Marcotte, and Fleury added an unassisted tally to stretch the margin to 6-1. Emmanuel found the back of the net in the final seconds of the quarter, but Norwich still carried a commanding 6-2 edge into the second.
That momentum continued into the next frame. Forbes scored unassisted just 46 seconds into the period, and after Emmanuel cut the deficit to four, Norwich delivered one of the decisive stretches of the afternoon.
Fleury scored unassisted midway through the quarter, Rainis added back-to-back tallies, and O'Neill and Wolfgang each found the net in the closing minutes to send the Cadets into halftime with a 12-3 lead.
Norwich kept pressing after the break. Rainis opened the third-quarter scoring off a Wolfgang assist, Marcotte added another off a Fleury feed, and MacDonald buried a man-up goal from Forbes before Marcotte capped the frame with his fourth goal of the day off a Gosselin assist. That 4-0 quarter pushed the Cadets in front, 16-3, and effectively put the contest out of reach.
The Cadets continued to pour it on in the fourth. Fleury scored again just over a minute into the final quarter, Marcotte netted his fifth goal of the game off a Rainis assist, and Forbes added Norwich's final tally with 8:25 remaining. Emmanuel scored twice late, but the outcome had long since been decided as Norwich completed the 19-5 statement win.
The Cadets held the edge in several critical areas throughout the morning, including a 44-28 advantage in shots, a 28-18 edge in shots on goal, and a 24-for-28 mark on clears while limiting Emmanuel to 12-for-19. Norwich also won the ground ball battle, 32-25, and controlled possession at the faceoff X, 16-12.
Ryan Magararu (Newtonville, Mass.) was instrumental in that effort, winning 16 of 27 faceoffs while scooping up a team-high nine ground balls.
David Myers (Hainesport, N.J.) added six ground balls, and Fleury contributed four.
Defensively, Norwich generated 15 caused turnovers as a team, led by four from Rainis. Myers and
Harrison Poquette (South Burlington, Vt.) each added three in a disruptive and aggressive defensive showing.
Mason Dils (Watervliet, N.Y.) anchored the effort in goal, earning his eighth win of the season after making 13 saves and allowing just five goals across 60 minutes of work. He also added a ground ball in another strong performance between the pipes.
The Cadets now turn their attention to Wednesday's semifinal matchup with Rivier, as Norwich looks to keep its postseason run alive against the league's top seed.
