Men's Lacrosse Advances to America East Conference Championship Final for Sixth Straight Year

Merrick Thomson scored a season-high seven goals, including five in the first half, to lead UAlbany to a 17-5 victory over Stony Brook in the semifinal round of the America East Conference Tournament on Thursday evening before 1,288 fans at John Fallon Field. The Great Danes advanced to the Saturday’s championship. UMBC defeated Binghamton, 11-7, in the other semifinal contest.

UAlbany (13-2) used a run of nine unanswered goals to erase an early 1-0 deficit. The Great Danes scored five times in a five-minute-and-40-second span of the first quarter to go ahead. Frank Resetarits buried a shot from the right side before Thomson connected with the man-advantage. Corey Small, who totaled three goals and two assists, found the net off a rebound when SBU goalkeeper Brendan Callahan stopped Thomson from point-blank range. Thomson completed that outburst when he netted Derek Dale’s crossing pass.

The Great Danes, who will play in their sixth consecutive America East championship final, would push their margin to 9-1 midway through the second period. Small, a sophomore attacker, scored twice in that stretch, including a drive from the right side that he finished off with his left hand by placing a shot inside the left post. Dale ended that decisive run by hitting a bounce shot after Thomson came up a ground ball to keep the play alive.

Thomson, who posted the second-highest point total of his career, added an extra-man goal in the third period. He gave his team a 14-5 lead with 9:11 left when he scored from the top of the crease off Small’s feed from the right.

“We were ready to play,” said Thomson, who last scored seven goals against Binghamton on April 9, 2005. “We wanted to put the two losses we had in the last part of the season behind us. The conference tournament is a new season and the seniors do not want to go out without a championship.”

Owen Adams, a junior midfielder, finished with three goals for Stony Brook (8-5), the tournament’s fourth seed. Larry Cerasi and Ryan Hughes added the other goals, while Callahan had 11 of his 15 saves in the opening half.

“UAlbany is bigger, faster, and stronger (than us) right now,” explained Seawolves coach Rick Sowell, whose team suffered a 14-5 setback to the Great Danes during the regular season. “They’re pretty darn good – good seniors, good coaching. I give UAlbany all the praise, they played well very tonight.”

UAlbany’s Resetarits finished with a pair of goals to extend his consecutive game scoring streak to 46 straight. Dale added one goal and two assists as 11 Great Danes reached the scoring column. Brett Queener, who made his first start in goal since April 20 after injuring his ankle, made eight saves and had two assists as an attacker on the extra-man unit.

“This has been a tough week,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr, whose team tied the conference tournament record for victory margin set by Delaware in 2000. “We had to get back to business, refocus, and stoke that fire. Merrick (Thomson) and Frank (Resetarits) have been there for us for four years. The championship game should be entertaining. Both teams feel they have been the best two in the conference throughout the year.”