Men's Lacrosse | 3/7/2021 4:31:00 PM
Junior Ian Evans scored six goals and finished with eight points on Sunday as the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's lacrosse team made its season debut and powered past Clarkson University in a non-conference tilt at Hantz Field. With the win, Fisher which is ranked 14th in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, moved to 1-0 on the year while the Golden Knights dipped to 0-1.
Evans wasn't the only Cardinal to stuff the stat sheet as Tucker O'Donnell was the driving force behind Fisher's high-powered offense after being credited with five assists and two goals on the day. Freshman Matthew Kemmis made his presence known in his collegiate debut with four points on two goals and two assists to go along with three ground balls while Jacob Risavi and Jacob Gallina each finished the day with a pair of goals and an assist. Senior All-American Nicholas Miller inched closer to becoming Fisher's all-time leader in points and goals after scoring twice to go along with three ground balls.
Additionally, Samuel Miller (2 assists), Jordan Depetres (one goal) and All-American Jack Mulvihill (one goal) each contributed on the offensive end of the field.
At the faceoff X, All-American Joe Post dominated after going 19-for-25 with nine ground balls.
It didn't take long for the Cardinals to gain control of the game as Risavi found Evans just two minutes in to stake the visitors to a 1-0 lead. From there, the offensive production continued as the Cardinals rattled off seven unanswered goals until Clarkson scored back-to-back goals midway through the second quarter to make it 8-2.
As the first half wore on, Mulvihill blew past his defender and found the back of the net to spark another rally as Fisher produced four unanswered marks to close out the half with a 12-2 advantage.
Coming out of the break, O'Donnell fed DePetres in front of the cage for the Cardinals' 13th goal, but Clarkson adjusted and scored three straight tallies to pull to within 13-5 with just under four minutes to play in the third.
Leading by eight goals with time winding down in the quarter, the Cardinals were flagged for slashing, but were able to kill off the penalty as Fisher's defense stood tall. After corralling a save, Darin Eakins sent an outlet pass to the side as the Cardinals cleared the ball. With time ticking away, Evans sprinted past his defender and uncorked a shot past the Golden Knights' keeper with one second showing on the clock to make it 14-5.
With just 15 minutes standing between Fisher and its first win of the year, the Cardinals would score four of the game's next five goals including a pair by Risavi. Ahead 18-7, the momentum began to shift with Clarkson scoring four straight goals, but time ran out on the comeback bid as the Cardinals hunkered down and did not allow another goal over the final three minutes.
Eakins was credited with the win in goal for Fisher after making 11 saves in nearly 53 minutes of play. Brandon Moore closed out the game and allowed four goals in all.
Fisher will return to Western New York for its next matchup as the Golden Knights travel to Pittsford for a 4 p.m. pairing on Wednesday on the turf inside Growney Stadium.