April 26, 2008

Washington, D.C. - Four sophomores accounted for eight goals and five assists and No. 4 Georgetown scored six goals in the second quarter en route to a 13-6 win over Rutgers in ECAC Men's Lacrosse action at Yurcak Field.

It was the second-straight win and the seventh in the last eight games for the fourth-ranked Hoyas, who improve to 9-3 overall and 5-1 in the ECAC, while Rutgers falls to 5-7 overall and 3-3 in the ECAC. The win clinches at least second place in the ECAC for the Blue and Gray.

The Class of 2010 was well represented in the Blue and Gray, as sophomore Craig Dowd (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) assisted on five goals, classmates Ricky Mirabito (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Forks) and Andrew Brancaccio (Chevy Chase, Md./Georgetown Prep) scored three goals apiece and sophomore Chris Schuville (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) added two goals as eight different players scored at least one goal and 13 players had at least one point for the Hoyas.

Rutgers scored the first goal in the second quarter to cut the lead to 3-1, but the Hoyas broke the game open with six goals, all of them coming in the last nine minutes. Senior Dan Vinson (Pleasant Valley, Calif./DeLa Salle) won the ensuing face-off - one of his 13 wins on the day - and after working the ball behind the cage, Dowd found senior Scott Kahoe (Villanova, Pa./Radnor) about 15 yards out and he wound up for a low liner that beat Rutgers goalie Billy Olin. At 5:53, after a slash was called on Rutgers, Brancaccio took a feed to the left of the goal, made a move and rifted a shot that bounced in for a 5-1 lead.

Vinson won the next face-off and an illegal cross-check was called on Rutgers. After a shot from Brancaccio was off, junior Jake Samperton (Bethesda, Md./Landon) picked up the ground ball and sent a pass to the right of the cage, where senior Andrew Baird (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) bounced it in for the score, making it 6-1.

The Scarlet Knights scored to cut the margin to 6-2, but the Hoyas scored three times in the final 1:22 to open a 9-2 lead. Freshman Ryan Shuler (Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Prep) sent a pass from behind the goal to Mirabito, whose low bouncer beat Olin and gave GU a 7-2 lead. Dowd assisted on a pair of goals in the final minute, first on a shot from Schuville and then on Mirabito's second goal of the day, giving the Hoyas a 9-2 lead at the break. The nine goals were the most scored by GU in the first half this season.

Georgetown scored three more times in the third quarter and once in the fourth to seal the win. Rutgers scored the first two goals of the second half, narrowing the lead to 9-5, but the Hoyas scored three goals in a span of 2:05, taking a 12-4 lead at the end of three. Dowd assisted on consecutive goals - first from Schuville and then from Mirabito - and then senior Chase Gahan (Cockeysville, Md./Loyola Blakefield) fed Brancaccio for the final tally. Kahoe assisted Samperton on Georgetown's final game with 5:45 to play.

The Hoyas had gotten on board early in the first quarter. Like they did last week against UMass, Georgetown peppered the opposing goal with shots early. After the Scarlet Knights won the opening faceoff, GU caused a turnover and handed the ball to its offensive midfield. The Hoyas took six shots before senior Brendan Cannon (Haverford, Pa./The Haverford School) found junior Todd Cochran (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga) streaking toward the goal. Cochran took a shot on the run from eight yards out and gave GU a 1-0 lead at 11:52. The lead grew to 2-0 at 6:44 when freshman Max Seligmann (Essex Falls, N.J./Delbarton) found Brancaccio for his first goal of the day. Two minutes later, the lead was 3-0 after Baird fed junior long-pole Stevie Bauer (Red Bank, N.J./The Peddie School) on a pretty give-and-go as Bauer bounced it in.

Georgetown held a 53-33 advantage in shots, won 13-of-23 face-offs and collected 34 ground balls, while limiting Rutgers to only 19. Senior goalie Miles Kass (Rye, N.Y./Hotchkiss) made 13 saves.

The Hoyas close out the regular season on Saturday, May 3, visiting Penn State in a key ECAC matchup.