WORCESTER, Mass. – The Clark University men's lacrosse team was edged out in an overtime thriller against Salve Regina on Saturday with the Seahawks scoring the game-winner with four seconds left on the clock to take a 14-13 non-conference result in the Cougars 2020 home-opener at Granger Field. 

The Basics

Score: Seahawks 14, Cougars 13 (OT)

Records: Clark University (0-1, 0-0 NEWMAC) | Salve Regina (1-0, 0-0 CCC)

How it Happened

Senior Jack Mandracchia (Melrose, Mass.) posted a team-high four goals while also scooping three ground balls in the contest. Junior Jacob Brandes (Chappaqua, N.Y.) tallied four points with three goals and one assist while senior tri-captain Chris Rasco (Huntington, N.Y.) contributed three goals on the day as well. Senior Owen Lamerson (Greenlawn, N.Y.) set-up scoring chances for the Cougars throughout the day, collecting a game-high five assists while taking five shots on goal.

For Salve, Pat Leary had a game-high seven goals leading the way to the victory for his team while also shooting it on frame for 12 of the 13 shots he took. He was accompanied by multipoint games from both Brendan Kelly and Joe Grimm.

Salve opened up the game with an early 2-0 lead but it wasn't long before back-to-back scores from Brandes and sophomore midfielder Steve Caione (Wingdale, N.Y.) leveled it up with 6:02 left in the opening frame. 

A three-goal string from the Salve offense provided the Seahawks with the largest lead of the game at 5-2. In the final minute, the captains of Clark elevated their games with Rasco and Bobby Philbin (Ridgefield, Conn.) each finding the back of the net while on the man-up advantage to get the Cougars right back in the mix, tying the score at 6-6 heading into the half. A strong performance by Leary with four goals led the Seahawks offense at the midpoint.

Salve Regina added to the score to kick off the third quarter before Clark tucked in two goals in a row from Rasco and Mandracchia. The lead would swap between the two sides on three occasions as both teams continued to battle closely. A huge momentum shift came at the end of the quarter with a stellar goal from Rasco as the senior ripped off a shot with just one second on the shot clock to close out the quarter with a score of 9-9.

Clark opened up the fourth by scoring a quick goal before Salve Regina answered right back, netting three consecutive markers. Clark made a final push with just under 5 minutes left in the game with goals from Benjamin Hollerbach (West Hartford, Conn.) and Mandracchia to push this game into an overtime session. 

In overtime, the two teams matched one another, but it was Salve who came away with the golden goal. With 4.2 seconds left on the clock, Joey Grimm made a last-ditch effort and cashed in to give his team the slim 14-13 victory.  

Sophomore Ryan Mickelson (Mattawan, Mich.) made his second collegiate start for the Cougars, turning away a career-high 16 shots in the setback while his opponent in net, Connor Cunningham, halted 18 shots to pick up the win. 

Clark finished 25-for-31 on the faceoff circle (80.6%) while outshooting Salve by a 58-43 clip. The Seahawks edged out the Cougs in saves resulting in an 18-16 spread.

Up Next

The Cougars hit the road for their next game when they travel to Western New England College on Saturday, February 22 for a 3:00 PM meeting.