Philadelphia, PA – The Wagner men's lacrosse team put up a strong fight against the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season champion Saint Joseph's Hawks Friday afternoon in a 14-7 losing effort from Sweeney Field.
Sophomore
Benjamin Stewart recorded his first collegiate hat trick and junior
Stephen Dwyer finished with a goal and two assists. Freshman
Nick Martini scored twice for his first multi-goal game of the season and
Tim Schmidt added a goal and an assist. Junior
Jack Brady and freshman
Justin White each handed out an assist to round out Wagner's point-getters.
At the face-off X, sophomore
Ryan Whelpley finished 10-for-13, scooping a team-best seven ground balls. Graduate student
Connor Sweeney, senior
Dan Baker, Schmidt, and freshman
Giovanni Armocida all recorded three ground balls; Sweeney added two caused turnovers and Baker added one.
In net, reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Week
Danny Brady finished with 17 saves; it was the sophomore's fifth game with at least 15 saves this season.
How it Happened
Stewart opened the game with an underhanded goal off a ground ball. After Saint Joe's knotted things up, a White-to-Martini connection put Wagner back on top.
After the Hawks again tied the game, Dwyer unleashed a laser from distance that found the back of the net, giving the Seahawks the lead once again.
The Hawks responded with six straight goals to close the half, taking an 8-3 lead into the break. Saint Joe's tacked on a seventh straight goal to open the third, but Stewart ended the Seahawks' scoring drought with his second of the day late in the third.
After two more Saint Joe's goals to close the quarter, Martini opened the final frame with his second off the day off a well-placed find from Dwyer. Schmidt trimmed the deficit to five less than three minutes later.
After Saint Joe's got a goal back, Stewart completed his hat trick off a feed from Dwyer.
The Hawks tacked on two late goals for the final margin, improving to 8-0 in conference play this season.
Up Next
The Seahawks wrap up the 2021 regular season Friday, May 7 with an 11:00 a.m. opening face-off on the road against Mount St. Mary's.
