May 3, 2009
MLAX: ON CLOUD NINE … #1 DOLPHINS DROP #4 MERRIMACK, 10-2,
TO CLAIM NINTH NE-10 TITLE
Syracuse, N.Y. – The top-ranked Le Moyne College men’s
lacrosse team won its ninth Northeast-10 Conference title with a
10-2 win over No. 4 Merrimack College at the Thomas J. Niland
Athletic Complex Sunday afternoon. Sophomores Matt
Chadderdon (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) and Jack Venditti
(Baldwinsville, N.Y./Baldwinsville) combined for nine of
Le Moyne’s 10 goals. Tournament MVP Doug McIver
(Altamont, N.Y./Albany Academy) recorded 12 saves in goal
for the Dolphins.
Le Moyne picked up where it left off in Friday’s 16-2 win
over St. Anselm in the conference semifinals, scoring the
game’s first six goals to take a 6-0 lead into halftime.
After almost 11 minutes of scoreless action to open the game,
Chadderdon broke through with his first of five goals on the
afternoon off a feed from classmate Jack Harmatuk
(Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy/Syracuse U.).
Venditti followed with back-to-back goals. The attackman struck 10
seconds after Chadderdon’s opening score and added another on
an assist from sophomore Tyler Sennett (Syracuse,
N.Y./Nottingham) with 54 seconds to play in the first
quarter.
Neither side managed a goal in the first 10 minutes of the second
quarter, but Le Moyne broke through for a trio of goals over the
final five minutes of the half. Chadderdon netted a pair of man-up
goals on feeds from seniors Brooks Robinson (Preble,
N.Y./Tully/Onondaga C.C.) and Brian Welch (Ithaca,
N.Y./Ithaca) to give the Dolphins a 5-0 lead with 1:27 to
play in the half. Welch used a nifty play to pick up the assist,
faking a handoff to sophomore Corey Bulken (Baldwinsville,
N.Y./Baldwinsville) before finding Chadderdon for the
goal. Harmatuk scored with 19 seconds left off an assist from
Venditti to cap first-half scoring.
David Robinson netted Merrimack’s first goal five minutes
into the second half on an unassisted effort. Robinson fed
Chadderdon to restore Le Moyne’s six-goal lead before Kevin
Laplante pulled the Warriors within five, at 7-2, with 1:42 to play
in the third quarter. Le Moyne’s defense held Merrimack
scoreless the rest of the way and the Dolphins tallied three times
in the game’s final quarter, on a goal from Chadderdon and a
pair from Venditti, to produce the game’s 10-2 final
score.
Chadderdon scored five goals for the second straight game to match
his career-high. With 33 goals scored on the season, he leads the
Dolphins in that category. Venditti’s four goals marked a
career-high and Welch added to his team-high 17 assists with three
helpers on the afternoon. Harmatuk increased his team-leading
season points total to 46 with a goal and a pair of assists on the
afternoon.
Le Moyne’s defensive unit, which leads the nation in
man-down defense, shut down all five of Merrimack’s extra-man
opportunities on the afternoon. McIver’s 12 saves were his
second-best output of the season, only to his 14-save performance
against Limestone in March. The senior goalkeeper was joined on the
conference’s All-Tournament team by Chadderdon and junior
longpole defender Drew Bezek (Lowville,
N.Y./Lowville).
The Dolphins (15-0, NE-10 8-0) took home the Northeast-10
Conference hardware for the eighth time in nine years and ninth
time overall. Le Moyne will await word on a May 16 Division II NCAA
semifinal match-up.
-agate-
No. 1 Le
Moyne 10, No. 4 Merrimack 2
Merrimack (14-2, NE-10 7-1) 0
0 2 0
- 2
Le Moyne (15-0, NE-10 8-0) 3
3 1 3
- 10
Merrimack (14-2): SCORING: David Robinson 1-0, Kevin Laplante 1-0,
Taylor Robarts 0-1. GOALKEEPING: Corey Spinale (L, 58:17, 9 GA, 14
saves), Matt Austin (1:43, 1 GA, 1 save).
Le Moyne (15-0): SCORING: Matt Chadderdon 5-0, Jack Venditti 4-1,
Jack Harmatuk 1-2, Brian Welch 0-3, Brooks Robinson 0-2, Tyler
Sennett 0-1. GOALKEEPING: Doug McIver (W, 60:00, 2 GA, 12 saves).
NE-10 All-Championship Team
Doug McIver - Le Moyne (MVP)
Matt Chadderdon - Le Moyne
Drew Bezek - Le Moyne
Cory Spinale - Merrimack
Mark Webber - Merrimack
Bryan Zaremba - Saint Michael's
Doug Logan - Bentley
Chris Murphy - Saint Anselm
Mike Ball - Southern New Hampshire
