Posted: May 01, 2024
BEVERLY, Mass. – A record-breaking season for the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team came to a close Wednesday afternoon in the CCC semifinals as the Endicott Gulls used a second-half surge to rally past the Leopards, 14-11.
With the loss, the Black & Gold complete the 2024 campaign with a 13-6 record, the program's best-ever mark, while the Gulls host the CCC title game with a 15-1 mark.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After Wentworth took a 1-0 lead just 22 seconds into the contest, Endicott took a 2-1 lead by the 12:47 mark on tallies by sophomore Tommy Tyksinski (Guiderland, N.Y.) and junior Cam Fernandez (Mendham, N.J.). The Leopards knotted the score at the 9:07 mark on a goal by freshman Brendan Kroll (Wakefield, R.I.) before the two teams again traded scores to push the game to 3-3. The Black & Gold regained their lead as junior Kobi Buffa (Craryville, N.Y.) scored with nine seconds left in the frame, marking a 4-3 score.
- Buffa and Kroll tallied for the Leopards early in the second quarter, giving the Black & Gold a 6-3 lead by the 8:53 mark, before Fernandez cut the Gulls' deficit with a goal at the 7:01 mark. Buffa tallied again with the man-up at the 3:09 mark to give the Leopards a 7-4 advantage by the halfway point.
- Endicott rattled off four straight goals in the third frame, including two by junior Guerin Favreau (Woodstock Valley, Conn.), to take an 8-7 lead by the end of the third quarter. A goal by senior Nick Pagluiso (Shelton, Conn.) pushed the Gulls' lead to 9-7 at the 11:59 mark of the fourth quarter.
- After a Leopard tally at the 10:03 mark of the final frame cut the deficit to 9-8, sophomore Nick Graap (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) scored two goals for Endicott in a 3-0 run to give the hosts a 12-8 lead. Kroll scored two straight for the Leopards, cutting the deficit to 12-10 by the 4:10 mark, before two Tyksinski tallies sandwiched another Leopard goal and earned Endicott a 14-11 win.
- Junior Tom Gardner (West Windsor, N.J.) made a career-high 25 saves in the loss, beating his previous best set against the Gulls on April 24. Gardner set new program record in wins in a season (13) as well as total saves in a season (264). Despite being limited at the X, senior Connor Charron (Tewksbury, Mass.) finishes his historic season currently ranked 38th in faceoff win percentage across the Division III landscape, totaling 268 wins this season and 561 across his career.
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