WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Quinnipiac scored the final three goals of the third quarter to break a 4-4 tie and defeated the Monmouth men's lacrosse team 8-5 on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at Monmouth Stadium. Ryan Keenan registered four goals to lead the Bobcats to victory.
Quinnipiac (8-3, 5-0 MAAC) clinched the regular season conference title with the triumph, while Monmouth dropped to 2-3 in the league and 6-6 on the year.
Redshirt sophomore Dylan Schulte (Southampton, NJ /Seneca [Bridgeton Academy]) led the Hawks offensively with a pair of goals, and freshman Eamon Campbell (Massapequa, NY / St. Anthony's) extended his point streak to nine games with a goal to open the third quarter scoring. Senior John Castellano (Eastchester, NY/Iona Prep [Curry College]) and junior Dan Bloodgood (Jackson, NJ / Freehold Township) each added goals for Monmouth.
Keenan scored twice in the first quarter surrounding Castellano's tally to give Quinnipiac an early 2-1 advantage. The lead doubled to 4-2 on Keenan's third goal with 9:49 to play in the second quarter, but Monmouth cut the deficit to one before halftime when Bloodgood beat QU goalie Jack Brust. He finished with eight saves for the Bobcats in the win.
Campbell's goal with 11:58 on the third quarter clock knotted the game at 4-4, before Quinnipiac's run of three straight goals helped put the game out of reach. Schulte beat Brust early in the fourth quarter to make it 7-5, but the Bobcats held on and added a late goal by Brian Feldman.
Monmouth goalie Nick Hreshko (Warrington, PA / La Salle College H.S.) totaled 12 saves in the contest and the Hawks had a 36-35 edge in shots. Ground balls were even (19-19), but Quinnipiac benefitted from a 12-4 faceoffs advantage. Monmouth's defense held Quinnipiac scoreless on extra-man chances (0-for-6).
The Hawks close the regular season on the road against Siena next Saturday, April 30, at 1 p.m.
Game Notes: Prior to the game, the team honored Thomas Kurzeja, a friend of the program through Team IMPACT, who battled Leukemia and recently received the news that he is cancer free … John Castellano was also recognized for his three years as part of Senior Day … Ryan Atkinson (Sherwood Forest, MD /Indian Creek Upper School) missed the first game of his career because he was taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) … sophomore Garrett Pfeifer (Towson, MD /Gilman School) made the first start of his career … Schulte scored two goals for the fourth time this season.
