Men’s Lacrosse gets comeback win over Connecticut College in 2015 home opener

Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Lacrosse team erased a foul-goal deficit for a comeback 9-8 victory over Connecticut College in the team's 2015 home opener.

The win for Roger Williams is the team's first victory in program history over the Camels. Connecticut College had taken the previous two matchups against the Hawks, both coming at home for the Camels.

Tucker Mscisz (Topsfield, Mass.) and Davis Kraft (Northborough, Mass.) put the Camels on top by two with goals in the first five minutes of the game. Briggs Barton (Rye, N.Y.) would then notch a pair of scores for Connecticut College to put the Camels on top 4-0 with 8:30 to play in the second quarter.

John Lisitano (Guilford, Conn.) took a pass from Tim Kelly (Ridgefield, Conn.) at the 5:24 mark to put RWU on the board for the first time on the day. Jeff Smith (Simsbury, Conn.) and Will Siefert (Duxbury, Mass.) traded goals in the final five minutes of the second quarter, as the Camels entered halftime with a three-goal advantage.

Roger Williams opened up the second half with a man-up opportunity, due to a one-minute penalty called with 17 seconds left in the second quarter. The Hawks would take advantage with a score by Mike Hanna (Somers, Conn.) on a Michael Pratt (Forestdale, Mass.) less than 30 seconds into the period. Caleb Kenney (Portland, Maine) followed three minutes later with his first score of the season to bring RWU within one.

Connecticut College would not be deterred, answering with back-to-back goals by Ross Thompson (Carmel, N.Y.) and Smith to extend the lead back to three. However, the Hawks rallied back, getting goals from Pratt, Jon Gomer (Duxbury, Mass.), and Max Cammarota (Redding, Conn.) to knot the game at seven with 2:32 left in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter saw strong defensive efforts by both teams , as neither offense could get going. The turning point came with just over five minutes to play in the game, as back-to-back penalties on the Hawks in under 30 seconds put RWU two men down.

The Camels looked poised to take advantage, but Garrett Ficara (Somers, Conn.) came away with a loose ball on a misplayed pass. Coming down the field, Ficara was able to find Gomer on the break for the go-ahead goal with 3:51 left.

A minute later, Kenney provided an insurance goal for RWU, putting in a loose ball off of a saved shot from Cammarota. That goal would prove important, as Barton notched his third goal of the game with 2:12 left.

Another Hawk penalty with 1:50 left gave the Camels a man-up chance to tie the game. Mscisz found the ball from about 15 yards out and rocketed a shot to the lower left corner, but a clutch save by Luke Aubrey (Norwalk, Conn.) kept Connecticut College off the board. The Camels had one last chance to force overtime with just under a minute to play. John Cunningham (Cheshire, Conn.) appeared to score the equalizer, but was ruled in the crease on the shot, allowing RWU to escape with the win.

Aubrey had eight saves for RWU in the win, while Camel keeper Bobby Bleistein (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) tallied 16 saves.

On Wednesday Roger Williams University (1-1) heads to Lasell College, while Connecticut College (0-1) hits the road against Endicott.

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Players Mentioned

#32 Luke Aubrey: GK; 6' 0"; Senior

#22 Max Cammarota: A; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#4 Garrett Ficara: LSM; 6' 1"; Senior

#2 Mike Hanna: MF; 6' 0"; Senior

#21 Tim Kelly: A; 5' 10"; Junior

#6 Caleb Kenney: MF; 6' 1"; Junior

#24 John Lisitano: MF; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#31 Michael Pratt: MF; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#5 Will Siefert: A; 5' 9"; Junior

#13 Jon Gomer: MF; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#32 Luke Aubrey
: 6' 0"; Senior
: GK

#22 Max Cammarota
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: A

#4 Garrett Ficara
: 6' 1"; Senior
: LSM

#2 Mike Hanna
: 6' 0"; Senior
: MF

#21 Tim Kelly
: 5' 10"; Junior
: A

#6 Caleb Kenney
: 6' 1"; Junior
: MF

#24 John Lisitano
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: MF

#31 Michael Pratt
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: MF

#5 Will Siefert
: 5' 9"; Junior
: A

#13 Jon Gomer
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: MF