ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's lacrosse team came up short in a comeback effort against nationally recognized Hope College, dropping the contest 10-7.
The currently undefeated Flying Dutch entered the contest receiving votes in the latest United Sates Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III Coaches Poll and pulled away to an 8-3 lead at halftime. They led by as much as six during the second quarter.
The first five minutes were evenly played with Hope scoring first before Vin Pantano split the defense on the other end to knot the score at 1-1. The final two goals of the first quarter and the first two of the second went to the visitors who built a 5-1 lead. Rocco Curatola made an individual effort of his own with 5:29 remaining in the half, to make the score 5-2.
The Flying Dutch scored three times in three minutes following that tally by the Thunder, building their largest lead of the day at 8-2. JJ Boos scored the final goal of the half for the 8-3 score at intermission.
Pantano and Curatola teamed up in the middle of the third quarter for the next goal of the game, with Curatola serving as the goalscorer. After an answer from Hope, Pantano answered to make the score 9-5 heading into the final quarter of play.
After defense characterized the first ten minutes of that final stanza, The Thunder scored twice in just 49 seconds to put the pressure of a comeback on the opposition. Mitchell Voglewede scored both goals with Pantano adding an assist on the second.
A costly turnover and a final Flying Dutch goal in the final minutes of the contest, effectively ended comeback attempt and made the score final at 10-7.
Pantano led the team with four points, including the two goals and assists. Curatola and Voglewede were second, with each recording two goals.
Defensively Mason Kaufman led the way with three caused turnovers and was third with four groundballs. Luke Arnold and J'Oshua Shaw each had five turnovers while Nick Fariello led the team with six. Fariello also went 10-for-19 on the faceoff, the best performance by either team.
Arnold played the vast majority of the game in net and finished with nine saves. He was under fire throughout the night, facing 19 shots on goal and another four that struck one of the posts. Overall Hope had 34 shots while the Thunder finished with 31.
Danny Kelly had a relatively pedestrian game by his own standards, with two groundballs and one caused turnover, but that caused turnover was a historic one. With it he passes Dave Keptner '22, who now serves as an assistant coach, as the career leader in caused turnovers. Keptner reached 113 while Kelly now sits with 114.
Trine falls to 11-3 overall and 1-2 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play after the loss. They will next take the field when they travel to face Kalamazoo College on Saturday, April 11. That game is set to start at 7 p.m.
