Box Score

CORTLAND, N.Y. – Seniors Derek Mayer (Hopewell, NJ/Princeton Day School) and Brendan Kinnane (Little Compton, RI/Portsmouth Abbey) and freshman Nate Greenberg (Westport, CT/Staples) scored, but the Union men's lacrosse team (0-1) fell 12-3 to No. 4 Cortland in its season opener on Saturday afternoon at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex.

 

Cortland's Mike Tota scored four goals, including three in the first quarter, to lead the Red Dragons, which improved to 2-0 with the win.

Senior Pat Hayes added three goals for Cortland, and senior Jay DiStefano and junior Greg Wright each recorded one goal and one assist. Seniors Chris DeLuca and Eric Parah and sophomore Thomas Casey scored one goal apiece, while senior Neal Hopps registered three assists.

Junior Nick Alfonzetti (Brewster, NY/Brewster HS) and freshman Rob Santangelo (Rye, NY, Rye HS) each had assists on the afternoon for Union. Junior goalie Sean Aaron (Great Falls, VA/Phillips Academy) made 10 saves and allowed 12 goals in 56:26. Freshman Devyn Jefferies (Wilton, CT/Wilton HS) stopped one shot over the final 3:34.

 
Greenberg gave Union its only lead at 10:05 of the opening quarter with a man-up goal. Cortland closed the quarter with four goals for a 4-1 lead. Tota netted back-to-back scores at 9:36 and 5:59, followed by Parah's goal at 5:28. Tota finished the run with 32 seconds remaining on a man-up goal. The Red Dragons outscored the Dutchmen, 3-1, in the second quarter to take a 7-2 lead into intermission. Hopps assisted on Casey's goal at 11:12, and Mayer answered at 10:20. Hayes closed the stanza with scores at 8:53 and 4:27.

The third quarter featured just two goals and nine penalties. DiStefano tallied a man-up goal at 13:10, and Kinnane netted Union's last goal of the game at 3:01. The Red Dragons closed the game with four goals in the fourth quarter. Hayes scored his third at 12:50, and DeLuca followed with a man-up goal at 10:58. Wright scored at 8:16, and Tota completed the scoring with his team-high sixth goal of the season and fourth of the game with the man advantage at 7:16.

Overall, the game featured 21 penalties, 12 for Union and nine for Cortland. The Red Dragons went 4-for-13 on man-up chances, while Union was 1-for-8. Cortland out shot the Dutchmen, 39-14, held a 45-25 advantage in ground balls and won 16-of-18 faceoffs.     

 

Union will take on SUNY Oneonta next Wednesday in its home opener at 7:00 p.m. at Frank Bailey Field.