Men's Lacrosse: Eagles Rally Late To Take Season Opener Over Johnson State, 6-4
| - | 1 | 2 | OT | 2OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson State (0-1) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Daniel Webster (1-0) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Johnson State | Daniel Webster |
|---|---|
| G: 4 Players (#9, #12, #16, #17 - 1) | G: Dan Knupfer - 3 |
| A: 2 Players (#12, #22 - 1) | A: Kieran Kavanaugh - 3 |
| Sv: Zach Jerome - 14 | Sv: Tommy Driscoll - 16 |
| GB: Nate Durick - 6 | GB: 2 Players (#11, #49 - 4) |
| Team Statistics | Johnson State | Daniel Webster |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 30 | 33 |
| Ground Balls | 30 | 20 |
| Saves | 14 | 16 |
| Clears | 15-5 | 13-7 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Draw Controls | 0 | 0 |
| Free Position Shots | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Nashua – Freshman midfielder Dan Knupfer (Corfu, N.Y.) made his collegiate debut a memorable one, netting three goals and assisting on another and senior Tommy Driscoll (South Boston, Mass.) made 16 saves including three key stops in the final minutes as host Daniel Webster came back from a 3-1 third quarter deficit to top Johnson State, 6-4 in the season opener for both clubs Sunday in a game played at Rivier's Raider Field.
Junior Kieran Kavanaugh (East Lyme, Conn.) registered three assists while Nate Burr (Southbury, Conn.), Kurtis Fotheringham (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Bobby Loranger (Billerica, Mass.) added single scores as the Eagles won their season opener for the first time since 2002.
Alex Petti (East Greenwich, R.I.), Justin Nelson (Lakeville, Mass.), Justin Connolly (Jeffersonville, Vt.) and Nash Garceau (North Haven, Conn.) notched single scores for the Badgers (0-1). Zach Jerome (Waterford, Conn.) made 14 saves in goal.
The game was close throughout as DWC finished with advantages in total shots (33-30) and face offs (8-6), while the Badgers won groundballs (29-20) and clears (15-13).
JSC took a 2-1 lead after one quarter and after a scoreless second, pulled ahead 3-1 6:48 into the third on a Connolly strike but Loranger would cut it to one off a Kavanaugh feed with 4:18 to go and Knupfer tied it with his first of the day unassisted 3 minutes later for a 3-3 game after three.
Knupfer's second unassisted tally with 7:59 left gave DWC its first lead of the afternoon and the Eagles got some breathing room as Knupfer set up Fotheringham from 15 yards out with 5:50 to go.
Nelson would answer for the Badgers just 12 seconds after the face off for a 5-4 game but Knupfer iced it with his third off another Kavanaugh feed with 1:51 to go.
Driscoll, meanwhile sparkled late, stopping three strong Badgers scoring chances inside the final two and a half minutes, including shots in close from Petti and Connolly.
JSC had taken leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first on goals from Petti (2:13 in) and Garceau (6:53). DWC had tied it at one with Burr's first 5:16 into the period.
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday night when they visit Anna Maria College for a GNAC matchup beginning at 7:00 p.m. DWC has never started a season 2-0.
