University of Albany Men's Lacrosse Defeats Binghamton; UAlbany in Tie for Second in America East Standings - UAlbany Sports

Albany, N.Y. - Dave Brock scored two of his three goals in the fourth quarter as UAlbany held off Binghamton, 11-6, in America East Conference play on Saturday, May 1 at John Fallon Field. The Great Danes moved into a tie for second in the league standings and will be the third seed for next week's conference postseason tournament.

Binghamton (4-10, AE 1-4) rallied from a 7-2 halftime deficit with four unanswered, including three in a span of one minute and 24 seconds. Freshman Matt Springer finished off Andy Cook's crossing pass from right of the crease with 44.3 seconds left in the third quarter. The Bearcats struck twice in the opening minute of the final period. Defenseman Ben Waldron found the net with a long pole after his team won the draw to start the quarter. Jeff Donigan closed the gap to 7-6 with a shot from straightaway following another face-off win.

UAlbany (4-10, AE 3-2) regained momentum less than a minute later when freshman Will Fuller hit a cutting Luke Cometti at the top of the crease for a two-goal lead. Dwayne Stewart helped his team push out a 9-6 advantage with 5:27 remaining as he picked up a ground ball in front of the crease and netted the shot. Brock added a pair of goals in the final three minutes. He canned a behind-the-back attempt after Stewart beat a defensive double-team and then dove on the ground to scrape in his 30th goal of the season.

"They dug down because they knew the situation," UAlbany coach Scott Marr said. "We had a solid possession when they cut to 7-6. I thought our defense limited their opportunities and we cleared the ball well."

Binghamton leaped to a 2-0 lead in the opening six minutes. Steve Carlson moved past a midfielder at the top of the zone and fired a sidearm shot low into the cage. Frank Donlon, a junior midfielder, later worked around a defender and scored with another low shot from the left.

UAlbany regrouped by scoring seven consecutive times. Nate Sullivan tied the contest at two apiece when he picked up a ground ball near the crease and found the net after defenseman Brendan Gleason cleared the ball into the scoring area. Jack Reynolds scored the second of his two first-period goals for a 3-2 lead, as the sophomore midfielder drove and went high into the net with a left-handed blast.

Derek Kreuzer and Matt Johnson scored just over two minutes apart for a three-goal lead. Brock finished off a fastbreak from Kyle Crotty after defensive midfielder Mike Finnegan picked up a ground ball following a blocked shot to start the sequence. Kyle Brunk completed another transition play when he sent Brock's pass into the far corner from the right with 2:06 left in the half.

"We were better in all aspects (than our last game) and that adds up to a victory," explained UAlbany midfielder Mark Cometti, one of eight seniors appearing in his final regular-season home game. "The defense stepped up and we had a couple of fastbreak goals."

Sophomore goalkeeper John Carroll made 13 saves, while Derek Kreuzer and Stewart each added one goal and one assist. Donigan, who won 8 of 14 face-offs, was one of six Bearcat goal scorers.

Paw Prints: UAlbany has won nine of 11 meetings with Binghamton since the series began in 2002 ... the Great Danes earned the No. 3 seed for next week's America East Conference Tournament and will travel to UMBC in the semifinal round on Wednesday, May 5 ... UAlbany advanced to the conference postseason tournament for the ninth consecutive season ... Dave Brock tied a career-high with four points (3 goals, 1 assist) ... redshirt freshman Dwayne Stewart had a career-best two points (1 goal, 1 assist) ... defenseman Mark Kelly and Travis Lyons each collected a career-high six ground balls


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information