Skip To Main Content

Trine University

Men's Lacrosse

Thunder Claim MIAA Postseason Bid with Victory at Hope

Box Score

HOLLAND, Mich.-- The Trine men's lacrosse team claimed its spot in the postseason with a 13-6 victory over Hope in MIAA action Saturday afternoon at VanAndel Stadium.

Four players notched multi-goal efforts to pace the attack, while the nation's 11th-best scoring defense locked things down on the other end in the victory. Neil Orr (Lombard, Ill. / Montini Catholic) notched his first career three-goal effort for the Thunder. Chris Ward (Oak Lawn, Ill. / St. Rita) matched that total with three tallies of his own to bring his career total to 98 goals. Ward added an assist. With the win, Trine improved to 5-2 in the MIAA and notched the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament. The five conference wins are the program's most since the league began sponsoring lacrosse in 2013. The Thunder are 8-5 overall this season.

Paul Carlquist (Downers Grove, Ill. / Downers Grove South) and Kevan Barissi (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Central) each added two-goal efforts for Trine. Nick Maher (DeWitt, Mich. / DeWitt) also notched a multi-point effort with a goal and two assists. Jake Ahearn (Naperville, Ill. / Naperville) and Daniel Shine (Chicago, Ill. / Lane College Prep) each contributed a goal each for the Thunder.

Travis Lores (Kildeer, Ill. / Lake Zurich) made eight saves in 59:26 of action to earn the victory in net. Lores entered the day ranked seventh in the nation in goals-against average. Alex Jamieson (Hartland, Wis. / Arrowhead), Mitch Leahey (Lake Orion, Mich. / Lake Orion) and Colin Lelito (West Chicago, Ill. / West Chicago) each caused two turnovers as Thunder players were credited with 12 caused turnovers in the contest.

Trine notched 23 ground balls to Hope's 11. The Thunder also won 13-of-22 face-offs. Max Harris (Green Bay, Wis. / Green Bay Southwest) won 7-of-11 face-offs.

MIAA leading scorer Gunnar Elder scored three goals to lead the Flying Dutchmen. Elder entered the game averaging more than four goals per contest. Mike Odea added a goal and two assists for Hope.

The Flying Dutchmen opened up a 3-2 lead early in the second quarter, but the Thunder scored eight straight over a span of 16:32 to take a commanding seven-goal lead.

Orr tallied all three of his goals, including one on the man-advantage during that stretch. Orr's final tally made the score 10-3 with 8:26 to play in the third quarter. Ward added two goals and an assist during the eight-goal spurt, while Carlquist notched both of his tallies during that time frame. Hope never closed the deficit to less than six the rest of the way.

The Flying Dutchmen concluded the season 9-7 overall and 3-4 in the conference. A Hope win today could have forced a potential three-way tie for the final two MIAA playoff spots.

Trine will travel to face Alma Thursday, May 5 in the MIAA Semifinals. Face-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Scots earned the No. 2 seed with a 6-1 mark in conference play. A full preview of Wednesday's contest will be available in the coming days.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Jake Ahearn

#1 Jake Ahearn

M
Senior
Kevan Barissi

#5 Kevan Barissi

M
Sophomore
Paul Carlquist

#16 Paul Carlquist

A
Senior
Max Harris

#19 Max Harris

M
Freshman
Alex Jamieson

#49 Alex Jamieson

D
Freshman
Mitch Leahey

#15 Mitch Leahey

M
Junior
Colin Lelito

#11 Colin Lelito

D
Sophomore
Travis Lores

#21 Travis Lores

G
Sophomore
Nick Maher

#8 Nick Maher

A
Sophomore
Neil Orr

#42 Neil Orr

M
Freshman
Chris Ward

#14 Chris Ward

M
Senior

Players Mentioned

Jake Ahearn

#1 Jake Ahearn

Senior
M
Kevan Barissi

#5 Kevan Barissi

Sophomore
M
Paul Carlquist

#16 Paul Carlquist

Senior
A
Max Harris

#19 Max Harris

Freshman
M
Alex Jamieson

#49 Alex Jamieson

Freshman
D
Mitch Leahey

#15 Mitch Leahey

Junior
M
Colin Lelito

#11 Colin Lelito

Sophomore
D
Travis Lores

#21 Travis Lores

Sophomore
G
Nick Maher

#8 Nick Maher

Sophomore
A
Neil Orr

#42 Neil Orr

Freshman
M
Chris Ward

#14 Chris Ward

Senior
M