Men's Lacrosse Sinks Mitchell 15-5 for Their First Win in Two Years

NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Elms College Men's Lacrosse team traveled to Mitchell College for a conference game on Thursday afternoon.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 15 | Mitchell College 5
Records: Blazers 1-3, 0-3 (GNAC) | Mariners 0-4, 0-4 (GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first quarter would begin with a shot from Elms by sophomore attack Colter McComas (Hampden, Mass.), but Mitchell would quickly respond with a pair of shots and put one shot in the back of the net for the first goal of the game. Seconds later, the Blazers' offense would take control of the conference matchup when graduate student attack Devano Clarke (Barnstable, Mass.) and McComas would score a pair of goals to take a 2-1 lead. The Mariners would then tie the game, but the two sides would continue to battle to gain the first major lead of the contest, with Elms recording a total of four shots from McComas, senior attack Connor Tobin (Northampton, Mass.), and Clarke, along with two saves by senior goalkeeper Caleb Smith (Suffield, Conn.), until Clarke would find the back of the net to take back the lead. The Blazers would continue to put offensive pressure, with Clarke, Tobin, and McComas each putting shots on net until the end of the quarter, along with a save from Smith, with Elms holding on to their 3-2 lead. The two conference foes would trade possession early into the second quarter, but Clarke would keep the momentum rolling in the Blazers' favor by scoring his third goal of the game. As the quarter would continue, McComas and Tobin would each take two shots, along with a shot from Clarke, and a pair of saves by Smith, until McComas would score three goals. In the final minutes of the first half, Smith would add a save, Tobin would take two shots, and Clarke would add one final goal to go into the halftime break with a 8-2 lead over Mitchell.

The Mariners would begin the third quarter by taking shots to try to reverse the momentum of the game, but the Elms' offense would continue to keep control of the game when Clarke would score a goal. As the third quarter would continue, junior midfielder Elijah Dailey (Springfield, Mass.), Tobin, and McComas would each take shots, until Clarke would score his fourth goal of the game. Mitchell would quickly score their third goal of the contest to try to create some offensive pressure, but the Blazers would continue to keep control of the game, with a total of five shots from Clarke, Tobin, and Dailey, along with a pair of saves by Smith, and then Clarke would score his fifth goal of the game, after receiving a pass from McComas. In the final minutes of the quarter, Smith would make three saves and McComas would score a goal to keep the lead in the favor of Elms, 12-3. The fourth and final quarter would see the Mariners score in the first minute, followed by six unanswered shots, but Smith would block the one shot that would go on target, with the rest going wide or being blocked by the Blazers' defense. The two interstate foes would battle with shots towards the other's nets, with Tobin, McComas, Clarke would both take shots, but Mitchell would score first, which would then be followed by a goal by Tobin. In the closing minutes of the contest, Elms would see two final goals from Clarke and Tobin to secure the first victory for the Blazers in two years, with a final score of 15-5.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Clarke - eight goals, with 15 shots, six ground balls and five caused turnovers.

• McComas - five goals, three assists, with 13 shots, four ground balls, and a caused turnover.

• Tobin - two goals, with 13 shots, three ground balls

• Smith - would make 15 saves of the 20 shots he faced, with three ground balls.

• Dailey - would win 12 faceoffs, with eight ground balls, two shots, and a caused turnover

• Dagan - three ground balls and a caused turnover.

• Zapata - three caused turnovers and two ground balls.

• Busaidy - two ground balls and a caused turnover.

UP NEXT: The Elms College Men's Lacrosse team will return to Leary Field on Saturday, March 28th for a conference game hosting New England College at 5 pm.

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