Peyer's Six Goals Lead Army Past VMI 17-3
from press release
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army senior attackman
Jason Peyer scored a career-high six goals, while sophomore
attackman Jeremy Boltus added two goals and four assists to lead
the Black Knights over VMI, 17-3, Saturday afternoon in the season
opener.
The win was Army’s 700th in the 92-year history of the
program as the Black Knights became only the fifth team to reach
the milestone, joining Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Navy and Hobart in
the exclusive club.
“I was happy to be a part of this great program’s
700th victory,” said Army head coach Joe Alberici. “The
way our guys played today was just a reflection of Army lacrosse
and really shined a light on all the great players and teams that
have been associated with this program throughout its
history.”
Army (1-0) jumped out to a 6-0 first quarter lead, including four
by Peyer, and never looked back. Peyer netted the first two goals
of the game, potting an unassisted tally at 9:44 and another off an
assist from sophomore midfielder Rob McCallion at 7:49, before
senior attackman Brooks Korvin converted a feed from junior
midfielder Andrew Maisano at 6:17 and senior midfielder Alex Rhoads
scored off a Korvin pass at 4:59. Peyer added another unassisted
goal at 2:35, before converting Korvin’s second assist with
49 seconds for the final goal of the quarter.
“I’m real proud of the way this 2009 team started the
season,” continued Alberici. “I thought we came out and
played very hard and very well right from the beginning and it made
for a great first effort for us.”
Peyer netted his third-straight goal 1:20 into the second quarter
off the first of three assists by Boltus in the stanza, as Army
added five more unanswered goals to take an 11-0 lead at halftime.
McCallion scored Army’s first man-up goal of the season at
11:22, before feeding senior midfielder Kevin LoRusso for a tally
at 9:55. LoRusso returned the favor 2:11 later, as McCallion added
his second goal of the afternoon at the 7:11 mark. Boltus fed Peyer
for his sixth goal of the game at 5:29 to finish the first-half
scoring.
Army upped its lead to 15-0 with four more unanswered goals in the
third quarter. Junior midfielder Tyler Seymour fed Boltus for a
goal at 9:17, before Boltus assisted freshman midfielder Devin
Lynch’s first career goal at 2:53. Senior defenseman Scott
Rosenshein registered his first career point after causing a
turnover in front of the VMI goal and feeding Boltus for a score at
2:18. Junior attackman Tyler Oates converted Korvin’s third
assist of the afternoon with 21 seconds left in the quarter to
extend the Black Knight lead.
VMI broke got on the board with two unanswered goals to start the
fourth quarter. Freshman attackman Colin Bosse netted his first
collegiate goal at 13:27, before freshman midfielder Andrew
Nieminski added is first at the 12:26 mark to make it a 15-2
game.
Army freshman midfielder Sean O’Sullivan converted a pass
from junior midfielder Steve Koshansky at the 10:27 mark for both
players’ first career points, before VMI freshman midfielder
Keith Long added an unassisted tally at 8:02 to make the score,
16-3. Black Knight freshman attackman James MacGibbon finished the
day with his first career tally at 6:14 to wrap up the scoring.
Army goalkeeper Tom Palesky picked up a win in his first
collegiate start in goal for Army, making three saves in 45:00 of
work, while Keydet junior Sean McCoy was credited with 12 saves in
the loss.
Army returns to action on Friday (Feb. 20), traveling north to
play defending national champion Syracuse at 7:00 p.m. in the
Carrier Dome.
BLACK KNIGHT NOTES: Army improved to 71-21 in
season openers, including a 26-4 mark in the last 50 years when
opening at home … the game marked the earliest season opener
in Academy history, beating the previous mark set last year versus
VMI by two days … 48 of the 49 players on the Army roster
played in the game as sophomore attackman Patrick Arlantico was the
only Black Knight to miss the game due to a hamstring injury
… senior Sean Reppard won 9 of 11 faceoffs as the Black
Knights took 15 of 21 faceoffs on the day … Army is 2-0
all-time versus VMI, including a 16-3 victory in the 2008
lid-lifter … Army coaching legend Jack Emmer was on hand for
the game and was in the Army locker room to offer his
congratulations to Coach Alberici … sophomore Tom Palesky is
the first goalie other than Adam Fullerton, who graduated last year
as a third-team All-American, to start in goal for Army since March
12, 2005 … Johns Hopkins entered the day with the most wins
in the country (882), followed by Syracuse (777), Navy (729) and
Army (700). Hobart, which played at the Division III level prior to
the 1995 season, has a total of 713 victories … senior
midfielder Alex Rhoads led the Army squad onto the field before the
game, carrying the American Flag with him … in last
season’s opener against VMI, senior Jason Peyer scored four
goals, while sophomore Jeremy Boltus added a goal and five assists
during his collegiate debut … prior to the game, fans had
the opportunity to enjoy Black Knights Alley, located adjacent to
Michie Stadium in the A parking lot. A concessions truck, an Army
Humvee and cadet face painting were some of the attractions going
on leading up to faceoff.
