Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College men's lacrosse team had a man up situation and the ball with :21 seconds to play in the game trailing by one but turned the ball over allowing Albright to hold on for the one goal victory.
Whittier trailed 10-5 with 6:50 remaining in the game but struck twice in a minute from Kevin Ewing and Scott Pescheret who added his coming off of a faceoff he won to pull the Purple & Gold within three. Matt Symes made it 10-8 with 1:51 to play before Hunter Hall found Jonathan Kassity in front of the goal that moved the score to 10-9.
Albright's Darian Meader won the ensuing faceoff and instead of stalling went right at the cage and beat the goalie, putting the Lions back up by two.
The Poets didn't go away however, as Aaron Self tallied his first goal of the game with twenty one seconds remaining and drew a slashing call in the process to Whittier a man-up. Pescheret won the next faceoff but coming down he threw the ball away halting the Poets comeback hopes.
Pescheret started the scoring for WC with a goal coming off of his first faceoff won and Thomas Brook scored his first of the season forcing a turnover in the defensive zone and going coast to coast to move the score to 4-2 after one period.
Whittier would pull within one to open the second from Brook again who was found by Maxwell Jones and then got a fourth goal from Foster Cunningham but the Lions would respond right before the half adding two themselves to go into intermission up 7-4.
In the third both defenses stepped up with a combined two goals being scored, Whittier's coming from Eric Omri that kept the goal differential at three. Then in the fourth, Whittier would add their five goals to pull within one but it wouldn't be enough as Albright would hold on for their second victory off the season.
Pescheret finished with two goals, eight groundballs, and was 16-25 on faceoffs won. Brook finished with goals as well with six groundballs and two caused turnovers. Nathan Kleponis played the entire 60:00 picking up seven saves against 18 shots. Jordan DiZenzo for the Lions picked up the win tallying 10 saves against 20 shots.
Whittier continues with their Spring Break trip as they take on Eastern this Friday, March 21 beginning at 3:00pm EST.
