LEICESTER, Mass. – Nichols College overcame a late rally to defeat Becker College 13-11 in non-conference men's lacrosse action Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Field.
Anthony Verville (Portland, Maine) put Nichols (5-8) on the board 5:14 into the game when he scored in traffic in front of the Hawks net for his 11th goal of the season. Becker (3-8) responded on the ensuing faceoff with a fast-break goal from Avyay Chaganty (Bridgewater, N.J.), with the outlet pass coming from Ryan Kearney (Katonah, N.Y.).
The Bison took the lead 1:11 later when Tyler Sikich (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) ripped a shot into the Hawks net from the far side. As time expired in the first quarter, Mackenzie Martin (Merrimack, N.H.) gave Nichols a 3-1 advantage after gathering a loose ball in front of the Becker net, slipping it past Anthony Jordan (West Hartford, Conn.) for his 18th goal of the season.
After Becker's Blake Boutiette (Burriville, R.I.) brought the Hawks within a tally early in the second quarter, Nichols went on to score five unanswered goals to close out the first half. Joshua Ferreira (Granby, Conn.) got the run started when his shot ricocheted into the net off the near post. Tyler Sikich followed with his second goal of the game after gathering a rebound in front to put the Bison up 5-2. Nichols then took advantage of an extra-man opportunity when Anthony Verville fed Brian Hancock (Groton, Mass.) for his 15th maker of the season. Nichols increased their lead to 7-2 on a Michael Bane (North Grafton, Mass.) shot from ten yards out. Tyler Sikich closed out the first half with his third goal of game when his shot his squirted past Anthony Jordan to complete the hat-trick.
Becker opened the second half with a fast-break goal from Francis Lanni (Drexel Hill, Pa.) on long pass from Ryan Kearney. The Hawks excitement was short lived as Corey Davis (Wakefield, Mass.) put the Bison in front 9-3 with goal on a man advantage opportunity. Mackenzie Martin tickled the twine just 42 seconds later to give the Bison a 10-3 lead.
Becker began their tremendous comeback with 5:53 remaining in the third quarter when Blake Boutiette scored on jump shot off a centering pass from Ryan Kearney. Avyay Chaganty scored with a bounce shot to close the third quarter with the Hawks trailing 10-5.
Matthew Genkos (Worcester, Mass.) netted his ninth goal of the season just 39 seconds into the fourth quarter, cutting the Bison lead to 10-6. Genkos then found Daniel Johnson (Plymouth, Mass.) near the left post on a man advantage to shirk the Hawks deficit to just three goals. With 10:44 remaining in regulation, Blake Gordon East Greenbush, N.Y.) scored on an underhand shot to shrink the Nichols lead to 10-8. Avyay Chaganty pulled the Hawks within striking distance when he scored on a quick stick with 8:59 left on the clock. Becker completed the comeback when Daniel Johnson found Blake Boutiette for another fast-break goal.
Nichols finally ended the Hawks run when Joshua Ferreira scored top shelf from 15 yards out. Becker would tie the game at 11-11 when Matthew Genkos scored from the top of the box on a feed from Avyay Chaganty.
With 3:42 remaining in regulation, Michael Bane scored what proved to be the game winning goal on a bounce shot into the top right corner of the Hawks net. Bane gave the Bison an insurance goal on a fast-break to secure the 13-11 victory.
Nichols goalie James Keane (Franklin, Mass.) made 14 stops to earn the win, while Anthony Jordan suffered the loss after turning away 13 shots on net.
Nichols will return to action on Thursday, April 16 when they host Mitchell College at 7:00 p.m. Becker will resume NECC play on Saturday, April 18 when they travel to Daniel Webster College at noon.
