The Geneseo men's lacrosse team picked up a vital win over rival Clarkson this past weekend by the score of 13-8, improving their record to 2-3 on the young season. Freshman attacker Andrew Hanover continued his scoring streak with another four goals, giving him 13 on the year and 10 in last two matches. Sophomore attacker James Brandon added three goals and senior midfielder Colin Ireland and junior attacker Mike Pizzuto scored two goals each. Sophomore attacker Dan Balestra and sophomore midfielder Jim Fiacco each tallied one goal. Balestra also led the team with two assists.
The team was able to dominate possession, ripping an impressive 47 shots. More importantly, they landed 30 of them on net. "Getting a lot of shots isn't always a good thing, since you could be taking bad shots," said head coach Jim Lyons. "However, we were able to get 30 on goal, which means that we moved the ball around well and set up good scoring chances," he added. The Knights also dominated in the face-off circle, winning 18 out of the 24 draws. This allowed them to dictate the tempo of the game, which was fast-paced with constant pressure. Lyons accredited junior midfielder Tim McDermott, who successfully won 14 of the 20 face-offs he took, as well as the rest of the face-off men.
The Knights base their game plan around speed and athleticism, two traits which allow them to put pressure on the opposing defense. "When we play at a fast pace other teams are forced to keep up, which some opponents have trouble doing," said Hanover. Hanover also praised McDermott for his work in the faceoff circle, saying it helped maintain possession and allowed the team to set up the play. "The combination of winning faceoffs and the rest of team avoiding dodges allowed me to get open, giving me chances to score," added Hanover. He stated that the intensity is building and after a few missteps, the team is ready to win for the rest of the season and take the SUNYAC tournament.
Lyons did say that the team may have been looking too far ahead, mainly at winning the SUNYAC. The team has adopted more of a day-by-day approach, and it has definitely helped their focus. "We're going to get more narrow with our focus by working hard in every drill in practice and each quarter of every game, which will make us a better team. We were a lot more prepared for the game against Clarkson, and it showed," said Lyons.
The Knights look to build a winning streak, taking this season one game at a time. They will next face Oneonta on Saturday, April 7.