April 28, 2007
Castleton Ends Eagles Run, 15-9 in NAC Semis
 

Box Score

Castleton, Vt. -- Making its second consecutive appearance in the North Atlantic Conference semifinals, the Daniel Webster men’s lacrosse team continued to show improvement as a program. Unfortunately, the result was the same as Castleton pinned a 15-9 loss on the Eagles, ending their season two wins short of the NCAA tournament.

The duo of Stephen Gerding and Adam Rosati combined for eight goals, while Robbie Scanlon, Jake Rick, and Matt VanDerKar added two each, as the Spartans moved on to a rematch of last year’s NAC championship. The Spartans, who controlled the game for most of the 60 minutes, will face three-time defending champion Mount Ida next Saturday for the title and golden ticket of the NCAA automatic qualifier that comes with it.

Brandon Bell (Loudon, N.H.) led the Eagles with four goals and set up another, while Ryan Manning (Newport, N.H.) added two scores, and Brain Abrahamson (Dedham, Mass.), Colby Field (Hollis, N.H.) and Cullen Larkin (Bedford, N.H.) notched solo scores.

Adam McKellar (Biddeford, Maine) closed out a solid rookie campaign, registering 14 saves, while counterpart Michael Mamunes made 16 stops.

The Spartans had the Eagles on their heels over the first 16 minutes of the contest, building a 6-0 lead with Gerding (four scores) doing much of the damage.

But DWC found some solid footing in the second quarter, outscoring Castleton 5-4 with Bell potting three, and closed the gap to three (8-5) at the break.

The Spartans gained some distance in the third with three straight over a four and half minute span for a an 11-5 advantage, with Field making it 11-6 with 3:16 to go in the third and the game remained a back-and-forth six-goal affair throughout the fourth.

While the teams were relatively even in shots (46-36 CSC), and clears (36-35 CSC), the Spartans’ game control was keyed by overwhelming advantages on ground balls (81-56) and faceoffs (23-5).

For Daniel Webster, the season remains a significant accomplishment as the squad, which posted a 4-7 mark three seasons ago, has finished 7-5 overall for the second straight year, with both seasons marking high-water program marks for season victories. Further, the Eagles established themselves as a clear third place (and playoff) NAC team, as their 5-2 league record was also a program best.

Losing just two seniors to graduation in John Estey (Newington, Conn.) and Bill Daley (Westwood, Mass.) - who provided outstanding midfield experience - the Eagles’ future could be very promising as 21 letter winners potentially return for 2008.