MIDDLETOWN, Conn.-Senior attack Judge Murphy led the way with four goals and three assists for a team-high seven points, and junior goalie Michael Marinello stopped 10 shots as the No. 5 St. Lawrence University men's lacrosse team defeated Plymouth State 14-6 on Saturday afternoon on the campus of Wesleyan University in the Second Round of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament.
The Saints improved to 15-3 on the season with the win, while the Panthers saw their season end at 15-5.
"That was a good start to the weekend and a chance to get comfortable in that environment," said head coach Mike Mahoney "Plymouth competed hard, but I thought guys stepped up to make some big plays at both ends of the field. Now we need to prepare for a quick turnaround for tomorrow's opponent."
"I really want to thank the large number of families and alumni, who came out to support us in Middletown," added Mahoney "It felt like a home game and I hope we can get another great turnout tomorrow at three!"
Along with Murphy, Cam Croasdaile tallied four goals for St. Lawrence off the bench. Liberty League Rookie of the Year, Daniel Mahoney provided two goals and two assists in his first NCAA appearance, while Ben Hutchinson had a goal and three helpers on the offensive end.
Paddy Condon led the team with 11 ground balls and went 13-20 from the faceoff dot.
The Saints pitched a shutout in the first quarter of the game and were aided by four goals. Croasdaile scored the games' opener, followed by goals from Mahoney, Murphy, and Zack Corsi. Hutchinson picked up two assists in the quarter, while Connor Woolley assisted on the Mahoney goal.
The Panthers eventually broke onto the scoreboard in the second quarter but were unable to hold St. Lawrence at bay as the team scored five of the next six goals. Murphy and Croasdaile were the catalysts in the effort getting two goals apiece. Hutchinson and Ted Wilson also scored as the lead ballooned to 9-2 at the half.
Plymouth scored their third goal early in the third quarter, but the Scarlet and Brown attack responded with four unanswered goals to end the third quarter making it 14-3 after 45 minutes of play. The usual suspects came up on the scoresheet with the addition of David Herlihy, who scored his first goal of the game with 12 ticks left in the third.
Marinello and the Saints' defense took care of the rest as the time hit zero on the clock.
Marinello had 10 saves in 55:24 of action, while Andrew Vona stopped three Panthers shots in the final 4:36 of play.
The Saints held a 38-35 edge in shots and dominated the ground game with a 42-23 advantage in ground balls and went 16-24 from the dot.
St. Lawrence will be back in action in Middletown, Conn. tomorrow at 3 p.m. when the Saints take on the winner of Wesleyan and St. John Fisher in the Third Round of the Tournament.