By Chris Vaccaro
It’s been two years since the Pride men’s lacrosse team earned a victory against the University of Delaware, but it’s been nearly seven years since the blue and gold allowed as few goals as last Saturday.
Instead of just barely winning an important Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game against the Blue Hens, the Pride beat the nation’s third highest scoring team in a 13-3 rout at Rullo Stadium in Newark, Del.
The No. 19 Pride (5-6, 2-1 CAA) broke out early, scoring the first five goals of the game. Juniors Ryan Lucas, Tim Treubig, John Orsen and John Keysor each scored in the first quarter.
The No. 17 Blue Hens (7-4, 2-1 CAA) were held scoreless in two of the four quarters, and for a dynamic offensive team, were held to little offensive production.
Treubig scored with 2:10 remaining in the half for his second of the game before the Blue Hens scored their first goal of the contest as sophomore midfielder Jordan Hall added to his team’s lead in points.
With one second left in the first half, Blue Hens senior midfielder Joe Trentzsch scored on a running shot from the top of the box.
The Pride had a 5-2 halftime lead, but still had to stay sturdy in all areas of the game. After all, the Blue Hens could explode at any time, not to mention freshman goalie James Tuohy has only played in a handful of collegiate games.
With little hesitation the Pride once again started another quarter in complete control, scoring three goals in the first ten minutes of the third quarter.
Junior attack Chris Unterstein scored his tenth goal of the year, while Lucas scored his ninth and Treubig finished the hat trick with his third of the game.
Hall added one Blue Hen goal in the third, his 19th of the season and his team’s last of the game, giving the Pride an 8-3 lead heading into the final quarter.
Meanwhile, the Pride scored the final five goals of the game in the fourth quarter. Orsen scored twice more to complete his own hat trick, a career best, while junior midfielder Rob Bonaguro scored his ninth of the season, while Keysor and sophomore attacker Athan Ianucci each scored their 15th goals of the season.
Many offensive opportunities resulted in positive outcomes for the Pride. With the defense clicking and the offense flowing, the mental attitude of the Pride is headed in the right direction.
Even though both sides of the ball are playing well, certain players feel the team still needs to improve.
“Our defense is getting better,” junior defenseman Brett Moyer said. “We just haven’t been playing the way we’re capable of.”
The Blue Hens outshot the Pride 30-27, yet Tuohy only had to make one save in the final quarter.
Defensive execution was a major factor in putting effective pressure on the Blue Hens, and the Pride handled every individual task excellently.
This includes Tuohy, who has erased any question marks about his ability to play big time lacrosse. There’s no wonder Tuohy, who made 12 saves, and the team would feel nervous about a rookie goalie stopping blasts at this level for the first time, but through three games he’s been steady and reliable.
When asked if having an inexperienced net-minder forced the defense to play harder, Moyer said, “It hasn’t put any pressure on anyone. Tuohy is capable of playing any time, any day. He showed that against a great Delaware offense, making numerous great saves.”
“[Tuohy] has done his job,” head coach John Danowski said. “He has played excellent and made saves he had to make.”
The Pride picked up 30 groundballs to 22 of the Blue Hens.
Ironically, the Pride was wrecked in the face-off circle, losing 15 of 18 to the Blue Hens. It’s hard to fathom how a team can lead in shots and scoring chances, yet win only three drops the entire game. This can be accredited to an aggressive defensive front.
“We’re playing well as a defensive unit,” Danowski said. “We’ll take one game at a time, and we’ll always come to work.”
The Pride plays its next conference game when it plays host to Drexel University (8-3, 1-2 CAA) tomorrow at 7: 30 p.m. at Shuart Stadium.