Box Score

NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Sophomore midfielder CJ Cardo (Merrick, N.Y.) broke a 9-9 tie with 4:47 left in the game to lead the Mount Saint Mary College men's lacrosse team (3-4) to a 10-9 victory over local rival Vassar College (3-4) in non-conference action Wednesday evening at Kaplan Field.
 
Vassar scored six straight goals from the 5:11 mark in the third quarter until the clock read 7:03 in the fourth to tie the game at nine goals apiece. An unnecessary roughness penalty by Vassar's Colin Cederna gave the Knights an extra-man opportunity with 5:40 to play in regulation, leading to a man-up goal by Cardo that proved to be the game winner.
 
The Knights had taken a 9-3 lead at the 5:29 mark in the third after scoring four unanswered goals to open the second half. The Knights quickly took control in the early part of the game when freshman attacker Joseph Rizzotti (East Meadow, N.Y.) scored two goals in 56 seconds in the first quarter to put the Knights up, 2-0. Vassar scored the next two goals just two minutes apart to tie the game early in the second quarter. The Knights then strung three goals together to go up 5-2 before Vassar's Max Herman got one back for the visitors with 14 seconds left in the half.
 
Junior goalkeeper Connor Haran (Massapequa, N.Y.) picked up his third win of the season on Wednesday, stopping 16 shots in the process. Andrew Nicol suffered the loss for the Brewers, allowing 10 goals and making three saves.
 
Cardo recorded a hat trick and added an assist for a four-point effort on Wednesday. Junior midfielder Jake Robison (Franklin Square, N.Y.) tallied a game-high five points on a trio of assists and a pair of goals. Rizzotti also notched two goals and an assist, while freshman attacker Shaun McMahon (Commack, N.Y.) matched him with three points with a goal and two assists. Senior long-stick midfielder Matt Buonocore picked up an astounding eight ground balls.
 
Max Herman picked up a hat trick and an assist for a team-high four points for the visiting Brewers. Noah Parson recorded three points on two goals and an assist, while Scott Brekne matched that point total with a goal and two helpers. Liam Moriarty led the Brewers with seven ground balls, while Eric Prezioso caused three turnovers.
 
Vassar took the far majority of shots on Wednesday with 42 attempts to just 28 for the Knights. 25 of Vassar's shots went on net, while just 13 Knight shots went on goal. Vassar took a 44-38 edge in ground balls. The Knights scored on 3-of-7 extra-man opportunities, while holding their guests without a goal in six tries.
 
The Knights face a big test in their next matchup, as they hit the road to take on nationally-ranked No. 14 Montclair State University in a Skyline Conference matchup on Saturday, March 29. Saturday's game is set to begin at 1 p.m.
 
Follow the Knights on Twitter at @MSMCKnights and the men's lacrosse team at @MSMCLacrosse