HARTFORD, Conn. – Nine different Bantam players found the back of the net and 14 recorded at least one point as host Trinity (Conn.) College defeated Manhattanville by an 18-5 score in a non-conference men's lacrosse matchup on Wednesday afternoon at Jesse-Miller Field.

Senior Rob Mountain led all scorers with four goals to pace the Trinity offensive attack, while junior Harper Cullen and sophomore Kevin Looby added three goals and two assists for a team-high five points apiece.

Freshman Joe Daly (Mahopac, N.Y.) continued his excellent freshman season for Manhattanville in defeat, scoring once and assisting on two tallies for a team- and season-best three points. Junior Andrew McMillin (Garden City, N.Y.) was the only other Valiant to record a multi-point day with his second consecutive two-goal game.

The game began inauspiciously for Manhattanville, as Daly fired a shot on the Valiants' first possession that the team thought found the back of the net, but the referees ruled it to be off the post and out. Trinity then took the ball right back down the field and Mountain scored the game's first goal 2:43 into the first quarter.

McMillin got the Valiants on the board for real less than two minutes later, taking a pass from Daly to tie the score at one with 10:55 left in the first quarter. The Bantams rattled off the next four goals to take a 5-1 lead, but McMillin and Daly teamed up yet again and the Valiant freshman scored himself with 39 seconds left in the frame to put the score at 6-3 after 15 minutes of play.

The next two quarters belonged to Trinity, however, as the Bantams held a 28-6 edge in shots on goal and scored nine consecutive goals to take a 15-3 lead into the fourth quarter. The home team ended the run by scoring three goals in the less than 90 seconds towards the end of the third quarter.

Manhattanville broke the streak with back-to-back goals by senior Danny Hannon (Purchase, N.Y.) and junior Joey Hasbrouck (Wantagh, N.Y.), but the Valiants could not claw their way back into the game and Trinity piled on late to account for the final score.

Despite the statistics, junior goaltender Andrew Predun (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) played well in goal for Manhattanville once again, as the junior was credited with 16 saves on 34 shots on goal. Senior Graham Fadden earned the win for Trinity by making six saves on nine shots in the first 47 minutes of play.

Manhattanville (3-4, 2-0 MAC) will play nothing but Middle Atlantic Conference contests the rest of the way, beginning with a 1:00 p.m. showdown with Elizabethtown College on Saturday at GoValiants.com Field. Trinity (5-2, 1-2 NESCAC) hosts Williams College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

2009-03-26