Cards Nipped in Final Seconds

Bethany, WV, April 28, 2011---On Thursday evening at Bethany College’s Bison Stadium, the Wheeling Jesuit lacrosse team battled back-and-forth with East Coast Conference opponent Lake Erie College. The Storm connected with the back of the net with :10 remaining, taking a 9-8 advantage.

The two teams traded goals to open the contest, and the Cardinals (5-9, 1-8 ECC) finished the first quarter with a 2-1 lead. WJU’s Aaron Gutentag started the scoring with 12:19 showing on the game clock, but less than four minutes later, the Joeyjohn French netted the Storm’s initial goal. At 4:59, Brian Frank scored his first goal of a hat trick by sealing his defender on the inside and beating the LEC goalie to give the Cardinals the lead.

Lake Erie won the second quarter battle, scoring three straight goals in the first five minutes and netting a fourth with 1:07 to play. After the Storm’s opening run, the Cardinals sent back-to-back shots through the pipes, as Kevin figaniak found the net followed by Frank’s second goal. At the end of the half, Lake Erie held a 5-4 advantage

After the break, Wheeling Jesuit was firing on all cylinders as they surged for three goals and held the Storm scoreless. Frank started the run with his third goal at 9:35, and Tyler Joshnson connected with his first goal at 7:19. Colin Jack finished the run, receiving a pass from Frank at the top of the crease to put the Cardinals ahead 7-5.

The game of runs continued in the fourth quarter as Lake Erie recaptured the lead, 8-7, on three goals in just under ten minutes. The Cardinals knotted the game nine seconds after the Strom’s last goal as Phil Mergner picked up the face-off ground ball and headed directly to the goal.

With the game tied, Josh Lambert won the face-off with Ed Monahan securing the ground ball. The Cardinals possessed the ball for the majority of the final five minutes, ripping off three shots, two wide and one saved.

The Storm kept possession after the save with 1:25 left to play, but gave the ball back to the Cardinals. Attempting to clear the ball, a WJU  turnover with :18 left proved to be devastating as Lake Erie’s Keegan Bal scored in transition with only :10 remaining for the 9-8 ECC victory.

Wheeling Jesuit’s final home game, Senior Day, will be on Sunday, April 8th against Seton Hill University. Face-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.