#18 University of Albany Men's Lacrosse Wins America East Conference Opener in 9-7 Decision Against Binghamton - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Vestal, N.Y. – Freshman Joe Resetarits scored a pair of second-half goals, as UAlbany opened America East Conference play with a 9-7 victory over Binghamton on Saturday, March 28 at Bearcat Sports Complex. The Great Danes won their conference debut for the eighth consecutive year.

Binghamton (1-7, AE 0-1) tied the contest at six apiece midway through the third quarter as senior midfielder Jonny Baron converted a bounce shot in a man-advantage situation. UAlbany (5-2, AE 1-0) responded with back-to-back goals over the following one minute and 28 seconds. Mark Cometti sent an underhanded blast into the back of the net from the middle of the zone. Freshman Rocky Bonitatibus then rifled a shot, using a high-to-low motion, from the left point.

The Great Danes, who were coming off a loss to fifth-ranked Princeton eight days ago, used strong defensive play to hold their margin. Goalkeeper John Carroll made one of his eight saves when defenseman John Dreska worked into the offensive area with a long pole. The visitors held the Bearcats scoreless for nearly 23 minutes in the final half. Resetarits gave his team a 9-6 lead with 3:39 remaining when he faked and scored from left of the crease for his 17th goal of the season.

“We played better team defense (in the second half),” said UAlbany defenseman Mark Kelly, whose squad is tied for 20th in the current USILA national poll. “In the first half, we had trouble one-on-one and weren’t sliding well. The defensive middies helped on the back side. It was close at the end, but we had to protect the lead.”

In the second quarter, freshman midfielder Luke Cometti gave UAlbany a 3-1 advantage when he drove from the right point and placed a shot into the lower left corner. The Bearcats then rattled off three unanswered to take their first lead. Baron delivered from the left side with a two-man advantage to draw his team even. Brian Donohue, who had two goals and one assist, scored from the right with 4:04 left on a play where the initial shot was blocked and midfielder Kevin Joy recovered the loose ball.

UAlbany regained the lead with a pair of goals 28 seconds apart. Brian Caufield connected from the left off a feed from behind the cage by John Alpizar. Joe Pompo drilled a 15-yard shot while moving from the left point with 3:16 to play. The first half featured two lead changes and two ties.

“That was typical Binghamton-Albany game,” UAlbany coach Scott Marr offered. “They play good defense and they are tough to crack. The ball was on the ground and there were a lot of ground ball wars. We controlled the second half and John Alpizar and Mike Finnegan hustled to every thing and got some shots.”

Andy Cook, Binghamton’s leading scorer, had one goal and two assists. Goalkeeper Larry Kline made 10 saves for the Bearcats, who played a challenging non-league schedule with losses to top-10 clubs Syracuse and Cornell. UAlbany’s Kyle Brunk had a season-high two goals, each in opening two minutes of the first quarter.

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#18 UAlbany (5-2, AE 1-0) 2 3 3 1 - 9
Binghamton (1-7, AE 0-1) 1 3 2 1 - 7

UAlbany – Scoring: Joe Resetarits 2-1, Kyle Brunk 2-0, Brian Caufield 1-2, Joe Pompo 1-0, Rocky Bonitatibus 1-0, Mark Cometti 1-0, Luke Cometti 1-0, John Alpizar 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): John Carroll (60:00, 8 saves, 7 GA).