No. 8 Union Downs Golden Bears in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Third Round Tournament Game

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (May 15, 2022) – The Western New England men's lacrosse team was coming off an upset win in the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament, defeating the No. 11 team in the country, but were unable to follow up that contest the next day, falling to the hosting Union College Dutchman on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 21-11. 

Records:

• Western New England: 15-6
• No. 8 Union College: 16-2

How it Happened:
Western New England couldn't get much offense going in the first quarter, seeing Union College come away with the first seven goals of the quarter. Western New England would break through with 4:10 to play in the first, when Noah Rust found a cutting Dylan Hanley towards goal. Hanley would make no mistake with the ball, firing it into the back of the cage, giving WNE their first goal of the game. With just 23 seconds to play in the quarter, the Golden Bears would come away with their next goal when again Noah Rust would pick up an assist, this time to Matt Greer who sent in his first goal of the game. WNE found themselves down by five after one quarter, 7-2. Union took 14 shots in the opening 15 minutes, while WNE took eight shots towards goal. 

The Dutchmen and Golden Bears would trade goals to open the second quarter when Union's Jack Donahue would score less than three minutes into the quarter. Brian Madden found the back of the net for his first goal of the rainy afternoon, giving WNE their third goal of the game. From there, the number eight team in the country would show why they were one of the top teams in the tournament, ripping off six goals in a row to take an 11-goal lead on Western New England. With just 34 seconds remaining, Brian Madden would collect his second of the game, as the Golden Bears would trail 14-4 after 30 minutes of play. Union would dominate much of the play in the second quarter, taking 18 shots to WNE's seven. 

Brian Madden would come away with the opening goal of the third quarter, scoring just 59 seconds into the quarter before Union would come away with the next three goals in the third. The Dutchmen would take a 17-5 lead before Madden would come away with his third goal of the afternoon with just 57 seconds to play in the quarter. Union would pick up the final goal in the third, when Peter Burns found goal with ten seconds to play, giving Union an 18-6 lead. Union came through with 13 shots in the quarter while Western New England put another eight spot on the board. 

Western New England would out score Union in the fourth quarter, though it would be a little too late. Joseph Contino would score his first goal of the game while a man up, while Western New England also got goals from Dylan Hanley, Jared Newall, and Brian Madden in the quarter. The Golden Bears would be topped by the eighth ranked team in the country by a final score of 21-11. Western New England would see their season come to an end in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Around the Lines:

• Brian Madden led Western New England, dialing up five goals on six shots for the Golden Bears. 
• Dylan Hanley led scored three goals for the Golden Bears, taking nine shots and six shots on goal, collecting two ground balls. 
• Union saw Peter Burns pick up seven goals and two assists, leading all scorers with nine points. Burns picked up 13 shots, picking up 11 shots on goal. 
• GK Carter Randall made 11 saves for Western New England in 56 minutes of action. 
• Union took 50 shots in the game, while Western New England came away with 39. The Golden Bears outshot Union 16-5 in the fourth quarter. 
• The Dutchmen were perfect in their clear attempts, going 22-22 while WNE went 19-21. Union scooped 46 ground balls, while Western New England scooped 35 ground balls, led by both Carter Randall and Mitch Weiss, who both had five each. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England sees their season close with a 15-6 record, being the first team in the CCC to win at least one game in the NCAAs since 2015. 
• No. 8 Union College meets Gettysburg College on Saturday, May 21 in the NCAA men's lacrosse quarterfinal round.