University of Albany Men's Lacrosse Breezes Past Yale, 15-4

Courtesy: UAlbany Athletics

Albany, N.Y. – Corey Small scored four of his career-high six goals in the opening half in leading UAlbany to a 15-4 non-league victory over Yale on Tuesday, April 8 at John Fallon Field. The Great Danes posted their fifth straight win, matching the program’s third longest streak at the Division I level.

UAlbany (5-5) used a six-goal first quarter to take control early. Leading 1-0 midway through the period, the Great Danes found the cage four times in a three-minute-and-49-second. Small, a junior attacker, scooped up a ground ball and scored from in front of the crease to start that run. Freshman Brian Caufield converted a pass from Steve Ammann after the senior midfielder intercepted a clearing pass near midfield. Small connected on blast from the right side, before Mike Ammann circled from the left and shot through a screen.

The Great Danes, who recorded their highest goal total of the season, put together another four-minute outburst in the second quarter to break the game wide open. Jordan Levine, who had two goals and one assist, rifled a shot into the top left corner from right of the cage for an 8-0 advantage. Small then connected on back-to-back goals, including a jump shot from the middle of zone on a man-advantage play. Steve Ammann connected on a bounce shot for an 11-goal cushion with 5:14 left in the period.

Yale (2-7) trailed 12-1 midway through the third quarter, but then showed some life with three unanswered. Brendan Gibson sent an underhanded shot into the net, before Michael Karwoski tallied off Tyler Castertano’s feed following a turnover. The Bulldogs scored off the subsequent face-off when Gregory Duboff won the draw and passed ahead to Kyle Washabaugh for his second goal of the game.

UAlbany ended any thoughts of a comeback by scoring three times in a period of two minutes and 13 seconds. Small dodged two defenders and then found the top of the net from the right of reserve goalkeeper Joe Costa. Mike Ammann, a senior midfielder, tallied his career-best third goal of the game after a restart, before Small scored his 26th of the season following a failed clearing attempt.

“We were very excited and into the game,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr, whose squad travels to No. 9 UMBC for a key America East Conference matchup on Saturday. “We had that focus where we wanted to win a fifth straight and get back to a .500 record. Kevin Courtney did an unbelievable job on the face-offs and we hustled to all the ground balls.”

Brett Queener, one of three UAlbany goalkeepers to see playing time, made 13 saves. Steve Ammann added two goals and assisted on another, while Mark Cometti scored once and handed out a pair of assists. Yale goalkeeper George Carafides was peppered for 11 goals in the opening 25 minutes, but back-up Joe Costa stopped 13 shots in this third appearance of the year.

“We came out strong and didn’t let off the gas,” explained Mike Ammann, whose team has rebounded from five consecutive defeats to start the year. “We’re not the type of team to take anything for granted. We’ve had four one-goal losses and that’s enough character for the whole season.”

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UAlbany 15, Yale 4

Yale – Scoring: Kyle Washabaugh 2-0, Brendan Gibson 1-0, Michael Karwoski 1-0, Tyler Casertano 0-1, Gregory DuBoff 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): George Carafides (24:46, 4 saves, 11 GA), Joe Costa (35:14, 13 saves, 4 GA).

UAlbany – Scoring: Corey Small 6-1, Mike Ammann 3-0, Jordan Levine 2-1, Steve Ammann 2-1, Mark Cometti 1-2, Brian Caufield 1-1, John Alpizar 0-3, Derek Kreuzer 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): Brett Queener (50:09, 13 saves, 3 GA), Dan McKeon (5:53, 1 save, 1 GA), A.J. Babnik (3:58, 2 saves, 0 GA).