NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's lacrosse team capped an epic comeback with a dramatic overtime goal, posting a 16-15 victory over Trinity College on a rainy Wednesday night at Silfen Field.
The Camels, who trailed by as many as nine in the second half, scored three goals in the final 1:04 of regulation to force the extra frame. Liam Horkan (Malden, Mass.) then netted the game-winning goal 1:48 into bonus time to send the Conn sideline into wild celebration.
Horkan finished with a game-high five goals and one assist for a six-point night, and all five of his tallies came after halftime. Andrew Rainville (Watertown, Conn.) added a hat trick and three assists, and Jack Walker (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.) and Harrison Zmijewski (San Jose, Calif.) each supplied a pair of scores.
Trinity led 10-4 at intermission and extended the margin in the opening minutes of the second half. A goal by Billy Gerne gave the Bantams their largest lead at 13-4 with 11:21 to play in the third.
Things looked bleak until Horkan provided a spark, scoring his first of the game at the 9:08 mark before adding another nearly two minutes later. On the next face-off, Hayden Carpenter (Baltimore, Md.) scooped up a ground ball and took it in for an unassisted tally, and moments later Walker tacked on a goal that cut the deficit to 13-8 with 5:44 left in the period.
In the fourth, goals by Zmijewski and Rainville pulled the Camels to within striking distance at 14-10. Jay Ottomanelli responded with a marker as Trinity padded the margin back to five with 7:48 remaining, but it would prove to be the Bantams' final goal of the contest.
After Conn cut the margin to three behind goals by Rainville and Horkan, Trinity tried to play keep away in order to drain the final three minutes off the clock. The strategy worked until the Camels forced a turnover with 1:30 to go, which led to a goal by Horkan with 1:04 remaining.
Trinity won the next face-off and carried possession into its own end before calling timeout with 38 seconds left on the clock. Out of the break, Henry Dumler (Mercer Island, Wash.) forced an immediate turnover on the sidelines to give the ball back to the Camels. Conn quickly moved the ball down the field, and Horkan found a cutting Ryan Breheny (Breheny) for a goal with 17 seconds to go.
Still down by one, Conn won the ensuing face-off for a last-second chance at the equalizer. Carpenter scooped up the ball on the defensive side of the midfield stripe and then led the charge, lofting a pass to the middle of the offensive zone for Walker. The first-year long pole bounced in the tying goal with five seconds left on the clock, much to the delight of the Camel fans who braved the weather conditions.
Trinity won the face-off to start the overtime period but turned the ball over before even getting off a shot. After a clear and a timeout, Conn put the ball into Rainville's stick for the final possession, and he curled around the cage before dumping a pass off to Horkan. The senior then ripped a shot under the goalie for the fifth game-winning goal of his career.
Goalie Joey DeMarzo (Madison, N.J.) made his first career start and finished with a season-high five saves in 30 minutes of work. Patrick Hogan (Wyckoff, N.J.), who played the fourth quarter and overtime, recorded three saves to earn the win. Dumler and Carpenter combined for five caused turnovers and 10 ground balls to steel the defense, and Walker picked up seven face-off wins to help fuel the comeback.
Conn (5-4 overall, 1-4 NESCAC) will next play at Tufts University on Saturday, April 4 at 1:00 p.m.
