SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – An NCAA quarterfinal berth. A program record for wins in a season. It was all well worth the wait for the Union College men’s lacrosse team.
After waiting through a weather delay of nearly 90 minutes, the #8/10 Dutchmen finally got on the field and promptly scored the first seven goals of the game in cruising to a 21-11 victory over Western New England University in the third round of the NCAA Div. III Championships on Sunday afternoon at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
The victory, which advances Union into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history, also moved the team to 16-2 on the season, breaking a tie with the 2014 squad for the most wins in a season ever at the school. Union will take on Gettysburg College in the quarterfinal round on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Christopher Newport University.
Senior Peter Burnes continued his habit of coming up huge in big games, scoring a career-high seven goals and adding two assists for a career-high nine points. The Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year single-handedly outscored the Golden Bears 7-6 over the first three quarters before the Dutchmen took out many of their offensive starters in the fourth frame.
Ten different players found the net and 14 players recorded at least one point for Union in the win. Senior Keaton McCann scored three goals with an assist for four points, while seniors Jack Donahue and Kieran McGovern and sophomore Michael Shaw added two goals apiece.
The game was delayed nearly 90 minutes after lightning was registered just as the teams had finished shaking hands at midfield. But Union didn’t seem to mind the wait, scoring seven straight goals to take command early.
Sophomore Zach Davis got the scoring started 3:43 into the contest with his seventh of the season from Donahue. Union’s quick strike offense went to work after that, with Davis and senior Hayden Frey scoring seven seconds apart just over a minute later after sophomore Matthew Paolatto cleanly won the draw and went to goal. The same formula worked a few minutes later, when McCann and Burnes scored nine seconds apart to make it a 5-0 game less than seven minutes into the contest.
Western New England gained some momentum with the final two goals of the first quarter and added another in the second to get back within five at 8-3, but the Dutchmen responded with six straight goals to take a 14-3 lead. McGovern and Burnes tallied man-up goals during the run, which saw five different players add to the Union advantage.
The home team outscored the visitors 4-2 in the third quarter, spelling the end of the day for many of Union’s starting attackers and midfielders. Burnes put his own stamp on the contest with his seventh of the day in the waning seconds of the third, giving Union its largest lead of the game at 18-6. Shaw scored two of the team’s three goals in the fourth quarter, which saw Western New England outscore Union by a 5-3 margin.
The Dutchmen outshot the Golden Bears by a 50-39 margin on the afternoon, while also grabbing 46 ground balls and going a perfect 22-for-22 on clearing attempts. Sophomore Dan Donahue and senior Reed Karaska combined to make 12 stops in goal, including a pair of huge Karaska stops while killing off a six-on-three disadvantage in the late stages of the fourth quarter.
With several records already broken, Union will head to Virginia next weekend in search of the program’s first national semifinal appearance. Check UnionAthletics.com this week for a full preview as the Dutchmen look to continue making history.
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