By NoontimeSports.com
The road to the 2015 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship started this afternoon with a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) quarterfinal matches.
Casey Sullivan recorded eight points with five goals and three helpers, while Pat Egan and Dylan Fernandes each netted a trio of goals as Lasell rolled over Rivier, 21-8, in Newton this afternoon. Laser will look to extend their season on Thursday when they travel to Emmanuel College to face the defending conference champions in the semifinal at 7:00 p.m.
The Lasers jumped out to a 5-2 lead before their advantage extended to 11-5 at the break. Once the third quarter commenced, Lasell added seven goals, which helped them seal the win. Aaron LaPorte and Sullivan scored back-to-back goals before Rivier answered with an unassisted tally by Joe Kelland.
Sullivan initiated a 4-0 run following the Raiders’ tally, helping the hosts extend their advantage for good. Lasell’s David Walen turned away 13 of 21 shots, while Clark Plummer registered 16 stops.
Seth Fuller‘s goal with two seconds remaining – an unassisted goal – lifted the Norwich Cadets past Johnson & Wales to a 7-6 victory in Providence. The Cadets will now face Mount Ida College on Thursday afternoon in the other conference semifinal, which is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start.
Norwich outscored Johnson & Wales during the final session, 4-1, overcoming a 5-3 advantage after three quarters. Fuller opened the session with an unassisted marker at 12:10 before Josh Jenkins and Ian Kennedy scored back-to-back goals, evening the score, which provided Norwich with a 6-5 advantage.
The Wildcats answered with an unassisted tally by Eric Russo with 2:30 remaining, evening the score at 6-6. Johnson & Wales would not score again as the Cadets converted the game-winner off a failed clear.
