By Eric Brod
Senior Writer
The Bison men’s lacrosse team posted a 3-1 record over the past week to improve to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in league play.
The team’s four-game winning streak came to a halt with a tough 7-5 loss against Robert Morris on Tuesday. The downfall of the team was even-strength play, where Robert Morris outplayed the Bison, but the Orange and Blue converted on three of five man advantage opportunities. After Robert Morris held a 3-1 halftime lead, the Bison rallied to tie the score at five, but Trevor Moore’s goal broke the tie with 6:40 remaining in the game and proved to be the game winner. Ryan Klipstein ’11 led the offensive attack with two goals. Uncharacteristically, the Bison struggled on faceoffs, winning only five of 16.
The team improved its league record to 2-0 with an 11-8 win over Lafayette on Saturday. The Leopards were able to jump out to a 2-1 lead in the first, but the Bison staged a furious 5-0 run that gave them a 6-1 lead by the second quarter. Lafayette responded with a rally of its own to close the gap to 6-5, but Mike Danylyshyn ’11 scored at 9:58 of the third to reestablish the team’s two-goal lead.
Billy Eisenreich ’12 and Klipstein led the offensive attack as each registered a hat trick on the day.
“A lot of this has to do with our leadership and all the hard work we have done,” Eisenreich said. “We are all confident that we have worked harder than every other team we have gone against, and with this in mind it seems that we have been more successful in close games as opposed to last year.”
The Orange and Blue dominated offensive play, outshooting Lafayette 39-24 with goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 making nine saves.
On March 16 the Orange and Blue got past Hartford with a hard-fought 7-6 victory. The Bison dominated the first half, establishing a 4-1 lead. Hartford came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders as they scored five straight goals to take a 6-4 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. The Bison were able to rally for three straight goals, led by Eisenreich and Charlie Streep ’12. Despite the closeness of the contest, the Bison dominated in the offensive zone, outshooting Hartford 40-22.
On March 12 the Orange and Blue overcame a resilient Hobart team en route to an 11-9 victory. Again, the Bison were the stronger team early on, scoring the first four goals and taking a 6-1 lead before Hobart rallied to close the gap to 6-5 at halftime. The second half was a back-and-forth affair with several lead changes before the Bison were able to hold on for the victory. Todd Heritage ’14 led the offensive attack with two goals and two assists.
“Chemistry has a lot to do with our success. On an offensive standpoint, the six starters along with a couple others are a very close group,” Eisenreich said. “We all work hard together every day, which draws us together. Our chemistry is only getting stronger by day and with this connection.”
The team returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. with a home contest against No. 16 Albany.