Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Lacrosse team renewed their storied rivalry with crosstown foes Dominican University on Tuesday afternoon at Spartan Field. A hard-hitting affair throughout, the Spartans scored early and often to take a commanding 9-2 halftime lead. Despite a mini third quarter rally by the visiting Chargers, the maroon and gold righted the ship and retook control of the contest in the final stanza to pick up an 18-8 victory.
Cam Wallace led the Spartans' offense with five goals and an assist on the afternoon, while Nicola Greer tallied a hat trick and Nathan Thomas (2 assists) and Wilson Ingalls scored a pair of goals each. Lou Takacs (1 goal, 3 assists), Liam Noseworthy (1 goal, 2 assists), Max Benoit (1 goal, 1 assist), Christian Rodriguez (1 goal), Abe Wallace (1 goal) and Tre Turner (1 goal) also added to the totals on the scoreboard. Hayden Gaudette (W, 3-7) got the start in net for the maroon and gold and stopped 9 of 15 shots fired in his way over almost 49 minutes of action. Jaden Heltzel also saw time between the pipes and turned aside 4 of 6 shots in a little over 11 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, Dominican was led by Chad Keyser, who tallied a hat trick of his own, while Sean Cosgrove netted a pair of goals. Steve Dupras (1 goal), Zachary Souza (1 goal) and Jack Sherry (1 goal) also added to the scoring totals for the Chargers. Goalie Nicholas Creisher (L, 3-7) made 7 stops on 16 shots over the first 30 minutes, before being spelled by fellow netminders Bryce Layton and Jake Mahan. Layton made 6 saves on 11 shots in 21 and half minutes and Mahan closed things with three saves on seven shots in a eight and a half minutes of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
STAC wasted no time taking control in the opening quarter, delivering a dominant start. Cam Wallace led the early surge with a hat trick, including a man-up goal, while Nathan Thomas and Wilson Ingalls also found the back of the net. The Spartans' relentless attack built a commanding 5–0 lead after one.
The momentum continued into the second quarter as St. Thomas Aquinas extended its run. Goals from Lou Takacs, Nathan Thomas, and Wilson Ingalls pushed the lead to 8–0 before Dominican responded. Steven Dupras and Chad Keyser each scored for the Chargers, but a man-up goal from Nicola Greer kept the Spartans firmly in control with a 9–2 halftime advantage.
Dominican showed life coming out of the break with an impressive third-quarter push. Sean Cosgrove scored twice in quick succession, while Chad Keyser and Zachary Souza added goals to cap a four-goal run that cut the deficit to 9–6. St. Thomas Aquinas quickly answered, however, as Christian Rodriguez sparked the response, and late goals from Cam Wallace and Nicola Greer extended the lead back to 12–6 heading into the fourth.
The Spartans put the game out of reach in the final quarter with another offensive burst. Max Benoit opened the scoring, and after a Dominican goal from Keyser, St. Thomas Aquinas rattled off five of the next six goals. Cam Wallace added to his standout performance, while Liam Noseworthy, Abe Wallace, Nicola Greer, and Tre Turner all contributed during the stretch to push the lead to 18–7. Dominican added a late man-up goal from Jack Sherry, but the outcome was never in doubt as St. Thomas Aquinas secured a decisive 18–8 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- STAC outshot Dominican 50-45 (34-21 on goal) for the match.
- Cam Wallace tallied a match-high nine shots, with six going on goal for St. Thomas Aquinas.
- Liam Noseworthy and Austin Palen gathered eight of the Spartans 61 ground balls.
- Nathan Smith, Vinny Rosario, Gage Parnell, Holden Johnston, Liam Noseworthy, Ethan Urbanski and Karonhiakehson Jacobs each caused a Chargers turnover on the afternoon.
- STAC won 22 of 28 faceoffs, with Vinny Rosario winning 10 of 16 draws and Austin Palen winning 12 of 12 battles in the circle.
UP NEXT:
STAC visits Frostburg State University on Saturday, April 4 for a 1:00 p.m. matchup at Bobcat Stadium in Maryland.