Lacrosse has a decisive victory over Mount St. Mary’s
The St. Joe’s men’s lacrosse team maintained their eight game winning streak by defeating Mount Saint Mary’s University on April 21.
The Hawks maintained an impressive lead against Mount Saint Mary’s, with an end score of 14-7, improving their record to 9-3. The senior class proved to be big contributors to this success, with Hayes McGinley scoring three goals, Chris Blewitt scoring two, and Brendan McNicholas scoring his first career goal. This win makes it the longest winning streak in program history.
Head coach Taylor Wray was impressed with the seniors leaders and their ability to play as a unit from end line to end line.
“I thought Hayes McGinley played like a man on a mission,” Wray said. “He was physical, he shot the ball well, and he is tough to stop when he plays like that. The usual suspects like Mike Rastivo, Chris Blewitt, and Austin Smith did a great job, but our defensive midfielders, David Stoner and Will McNamara play 90% of the game and do so much for us. Those two guys are the heart and soul of our defense and were outstanding against the Mount.”
The Hawks started off strong in the game, scoring five points in the first quarter, and continued to focus on getting past the Mount Saint Mary’s goalie to have a clear victory. Redshirt freshman Mike Alder paced the Hawks in goal for all but five minutes of the game.
“Mike Adler did an excellent job in goal again,” Wray said. “He made a bunch of point-blank saves that changed the dynamic of the game pretty early.”
Senior midfielder Hayes McGinley said that senior leadership was in full force in order to get the win.
“The senior class did a really good job with not allowing anybody to get complacent and at half-time we just had to get out there like it’s a new game and take it to them,” McGinley said.
The Hawks’ win against Mount St. Mary’s marks the senior’s last regular season game on their home turf. For a senior class who has led the team to a historic season, it is a sentimental time.
“It’s a big family sport for me, McGinley said. “I grew up playing as a little kid and ended up here at St. Joe’s and it’s just been a great experience. My coaches and my teammates have all been great.”
With only one regular season game remaining, the seniors will look for another win going into the Northeast Conference Championships. The Hawks will face nationally ranked Robert Morris University.
We are going to have to be excellent in the middle of the field and the transition game,” Wray said. That’s where they score a lot of their goals and their a sort of endline to endline team, and we need to find a solution to defend against them.”
The team’s matchup with 19th-ranked Robert Morris University on April 28 will determine the top seed for the Northeast Conference Championship, starting on May 3.
