No. 5 Dowling Takes Down No. 1 C.W. Post, 8-7
from press release
|
|
Dowling goalie Ryan Dougherty looks for an outlet Saturday after one of his 13 saves, spearheading the No. 5 Golden Lions' 8-7 upset of No. 1 C.W. Post. © Lee Weissman |
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. -- Behind 13 saves from Ryan
Dougherty (Port Jefferson Station, NY), the Dowling men's lacrosse
team handed No. 1 nationally ranked and defending national champion
C.W. Post its first loss of the season. The Golden Lions improve to
8-1 with their seventh straight win, while the Pioneers drop to
10-1.
With C.W. Post not having lost a contest since March 21, 2009, its
19-game win streak would seem to trump the seven-game run by the
Golden Lions started on March 13 of this year. However,
strong defensive play would be the name of the game, as Dowling
held C.W. Post to one goal in the fourth quarter to give them the
8-7 East Coast Conference victory.
Both teams would would put the pressure on in their respective
defensive zones, but it would be the Pioneers who would strike
first, as Nick Coric scored from a Joe Meo pass at the 13:13 mark
to put them on the board. Dowling would be held scoreless in the
first quarter, as it was outshot 9-2.
Dougherty, however, made five saves in the frame to keep it
within one.
Down one going into the second, Dowling struck first, as Brandon
Bergersen fired one in on his own to tie it up at a goal apiece
with 13:37 remaining. They weren't done there, as C.W. Post
seemed to win the next faceoff, but Kyle O'Brien would be able to
grab a loose ball and fire it into the net to give Dowling its
second goal in under 10 seconds, putting the Lions up 2-1.
After James Johnston tied it for Post, Dan Abbene responded
quickly with his second goal of the season to once again give
Dowling the one-goal advantage. With the game hardly over, C.W.
Post would score two more before the half to give the Pioneers a
4-3 lead over the Lions.
Spread-out scoring would help Dowling tie it at 6 after three
quarters, with Abbene adding another to his total. Redmond Killpack
and Vito DeMola would each put one on the board.
With the score tied, both teams came out firing in the fourth.
Dougherty recorded another three saves off nine shots in the frame.
O'Brien snuck one in off an assist from John Amato. Less than a minute later, PJ Nunez would give the Golden Lions a two-goal lead with just under 12 minutes remaining.
The Pioneers kicked it into high gear, putting more pressure on
Dougherty and the Dowling defense. Johnston would score once more,
pulling his team within one with 3:49 remaining.
Dowling would be able to take the win as long as it could hold
possession, but a slashing call put the Lions a man down with just
over a minute left to play, giving the Pioneers one last chance to
send it into overtime. The Dowling poles did their part, however,
forcing loose balls and winding down the clock to secure the 8-7
victory.
Dougherty recorded 13 saves on the day, while Dan Orlando of C.W.
Post would have an equally as impressive game, turning away 11
shots to keep the game close. Turnovers were plentiful in the game,
with the Pioneers committing 32 to Dowling's 27. Post would also
struggle in man-up opportunities, failing to take advantage of all
six of its chances, including the crucial fourth-quarter
breakdown.
It was just C.W. Post's second loss at home since March 15, 2008.
