ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta men's lacrosse team fell in their season opener against Skidmore, 16-9, Thursday afternoon on Red Dragon Field. Senior
Matthew Krieg (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) led the team with three goals and an assist, while junior Jaime O'Neil recorded two goals and an assist. Sophomore
Thomas Hnis (Smithtown, N.Y./Kings Park) added a goal with two assists as the Red Dragons start the season 0-1 and the Thoroughbreds improved to 2-0 overall.
Skidmore scored the first goal of the game then junior
Anthony Munro (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) tied it at 12:38 when he worked past his defender and bounced the shot into the net. The Thoroughbreds recorded five unanswered to go up 6-1 with 11:00 to go in the second quarter. O'Neil received a long lead pass on a clear attempt at 9:30 and found an unguarded Hnis in front of the net to make it 6-2.
Skidmore scored three straight to go up seven at 5:57, however Oneonta retaliated with three unanswered goals to close out the half trailing 9-5. Sophomore
Ryan Lussier (Burnt Hills, N.Y./Burnt Hills Ballston Lake) scored the first on a give and go with Hnis, then O'Neil got the ball from Krieg and five-holed the Thoroughbred's keeper 15 seconds later. The Red Dragons cut the deficit to four with three seconds remaining after junior
Daniel Macchiarella (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) caused a turnover that Lussier picked up and dished to Krieg for the goal.
Senior
Matthew Mangels (St. James/Smithtown East) sent a pass down the length of the field where O'Neil beat Skidmore's goalie to the ball and scored to make it 9-6 at 12:45 in the third quarter. The Thoroughbred's ended the period with four goals to take a 13-6 lead.
The teams traded goals in the fourth quarter and scored three apiece for the 16-9 final. Krieg scored off a pass from junior
Aidan Greene (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West), then recorded his hat trick in the final minutes when junior
Jason Monopoli (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) sent him a pass from behind the goal. Munro netted his second of the game off a pass from Hnis.
Munro finished the game with two goals and Lussier had a goal and an assist. Brian Gonsalves led Skidmore with six goals.
Freshman
Mark Restivo (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) recorded 20 saves in his collegiate debut for the Red Dragons, and Marc Gadbois saved 12 for the Thoroughbreds. Senior
Stephen Barikyan (Tappan/Tappan Zee) was 15-for-26 in faceoffs and sophomore
Nathan Nurse (Brooklyn, N.Y./Uncommon Collegiate Charter) was 2-for-2.
Both teams recorded 47 shots, Skidmore had a 35-34 edge in ground balls and were 22-for-25 on clear attempts while Oneonta was 16-for-21. The Thoroughbreds went 2-for-4 on extra man opportunities and the Red Dragons were 0-for-3.
Oneonta is back in action on Saturday, March 1, against Vassar College at 1 pm on Red Dragon Field.
