Freshman Bryce Wasserman made six goals to help the men’s lacrosse team see a 10-7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) win over the Canisius Golden Griffs on Saturday afternoon at Monmouth Stadium. Three of Wasserman’s six goals were scored in the fourth quarter giving the freshman a new career high.
Not only had Wasserman set personal records, but he also set program records while facing Canisius. Wasserman, who has scored at least a point in all ten games so far this season, set a new program-record for the Hawks’ with his six goals and seven points in a single-game against Canisius. Wasserman has accumulated 12 points in the last two games, and is leading MU with 19 goals and 26 points. With the win, the Hawks now move to 5-5 overall and 2-1 in the MAAC conference.
“I am proud of the guys and the way in which we prepared this week after a tough loss on Tuesday night, to come back and earn the victory today,” stated head coach Brian Fisher.
Canisius came out at the start of the game strong, scoring the first goal in the contest and led the Hawks throughout most of the first quarter.
Sophomore Chris Daly helped the Hawks take back the game as he turned a pass from Wasserman into a goal with 2:31 left in the quarter.
Wasserman, senior Zach Johannes, and senior Ryan Schwartz all contributed to the Hawks’ score and held a one-goal advantage until Wasserman scored with 2:11 remaining in the seven-goal second period. With Wasserman’s goal, MU secured a 5-3 edge over the Golden griggs. The Hawks eventually led 5-4 at half.
Wasserman came out ready again at the beginning of the third quarter, with an unassisted goal for the Hawks. Canisius answered back as Tim Edwards assisted an Adam Huber tally to cut his team’s deficit.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Hawks lead 6-5 before senior John Castellano and Wasserman each scored unassisted goals to put MU ahead 8-5 with 10:08 remaining.
Canisius scored back to back goals with a pair of assists from Edwards, having the Griffs behind 8-7 with 7:26 left of play.
Just 19 seconds after the Canisius goal, Wasserman scored once again to give MU a two point lead over the Griffs. The assist came from Castellano. Wasserman then went on to score an unassisted goal with 2:50 left in the fourth quarter to give the game it’s final score of 10-7 and bring the Hawks’ record back to an even .500.
Canisius outshot Monmouth 34-38 and senior goalkeeper Garret Conaway had 12 saves to show. This marked his seventh game with double-digit stops.
After the Hawk’s nailbitter non-conference loss at Lafayette the past Tuesday, the blue and white have been working hard to make sure they did not let this conference win slip away. Wasserman talked about starting the game fast so the Hawks would not have to fight for a comeback at the very end of the contest. When asking about his preparation, Wasserman said, “I have been working three to four times a week alone with Coach Fisher on getting steps on the defender and coming around the goal to finish.” His hard work was obvious with his performance against Canisius.
It has become apparent that the team is more of a cohesive unit this season than last. Being this far into the season and still fighting for a winning record was not something fans were able to witness last year as the Hawks finished with a 0-13 record. The team has well surpassed that number this season.
The Hawks return to action on Saturday, April 11 against the Titans in Detroit. The game is set for 11:00 am.
PHOTO COURTESY of Taylor Jackson
