David Otero
Coming off a tough, 8-7 overtime loss to the rival Dowling Golden Lions on March 26th, the C.W. Post men’s lacrosse team felt no ill effects, as the Pioneers (10-1) bounced back with a 9-5 victory over the NYIT Bears on Saturday, April 2nd.
The Bears (4-3) jumped out to the early lead behind sophomore midfielder A.P. Nist’s goal with just under nine minutes left to play in the first quarter. However, the Pioneers responded right back with a goal of their own just 26 seconds later, when senior midfielder Mike Messina scored his 20th goal of the season. A few minutes later, the Bears found the back of the net yet again, and went into the second quarter with a 2-1 advantage over the Pioneers.
The Bears wished the first quarter had never ended because the Pioneers came out for the second quarter with a different intensity and determination. Senior attacker Nick Coric was a man on a mission as he went on a scoring spree. He scored three goals as the second quarter began to propel the Pioneers to a 4-2 lead. However, the Pioneers weren’t done scoring just yet. Senior midfielder Jimmy Johnston also tacked on a goal of his own making it 5-2 in favor of the Pioneers in the second quarter.
The Bears continued to hang around the Pioneers, as they answered back with two goals of their own to close out the half. The Bears also continued their solid play with a goal to begin the third quarter, as junior midfielder Joe Herman evened the score up at five goals apiece.
The Pioneers quickly responded back with a goal from junior midfielder Keith Rodriguez to make the game 6-5 in the Pioneers favor. The fourth quarter was completely dominated by the Pioneers, as the Bears were shut out in the quarter. The Pioneers netted three goals in the final quarter, one by Coric, who now has 22 goals on the year, and two more by Johnston, to boost the Pioneers to a 9-5 win.
The Pioneers won the Battle of Northern Boulevard because their offense came through down the stretch, limiting the Bears’ offense to only 23 shots on goal. On the flip side, the Pioneers had a huge advantage as they attempted 49 shots on goal.
The Pioneers next matchup is on Saturday, April 9th against Mercyhurst College at 12 p.m. at Hickox Field. Mercyhurst is 7-1 for the year, and is coming off a big win over Dowling College 16-8. The last time these two teams squared off against each other, the Pioneers had the upper hand, knocking off Mercyhurst 11-9 on May 1st, 2010.
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