WORCESTER, Mass. — The Holy Cross men's lacrosse team defeated Sacred Heart, 10-9, on Saturday at Kuzniewski Field.

Sophomore attackman William Stahl led the way for the Crusaders (2-1, 0-0 PL) with four goals and an assist, followed by sophomore Will Messineo, who netted two goals of his own. Senior netminder Dawson Friers recorded 12 saves on the day.

Sacred Heart (0-3, 0-0 NEC) was led by Sal Miccio, who posted two goals and an assist, and Will Moulton and Carson Spooner, who netted two goals each. Goaltender Alex Pazienza made 11 saves in the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first quarter was all about defense, with Sacred Heart picking up the lone goal of the frame with 8:04 remaining.
• Holy Cross came out of the quarter break hungry, netting two goals within 1:09 of each other. Stahl picked up the first, with Messineo following shortly after.
• Sacred Heart tied the game at two before freshman Ryan Botek picked up his second of the season with 10:45 remaining in the half.
• The Pioneers netted a man-up goal with 4:43 left to tie the game at 3-3 going into the halftime break.
• Sacred Heart opened the second half with a goal 2:30 into the frame, though that proved to be the catalyst for the Crusaders as they ripped off five-straight goals through the remainder of the third quarter into the start of the fourth. Stahl and Messineo traded goals to give Holy Cross the 6-4 lead, before a Pioneers' own goal gave them the 7-4 advantage going into the final frame. Sophomore Tyler Marmo netted a man-up goal to start the fourth quarter, extending the Crusader lead to four.
• Sacred Heart answered the Holy Cross run with a three-goal run of their own, slimming the Crusader lead to one.
• Stahl picked up his fourth of the game with 6:45 remaining to extend the lead back to two. Sacred Heart responded just under three minutes later, before freshman Luca Ward netted his third of the season to regain the two-goal buffer.
• Sacred Heart once again made it a one-goal game with eight seconds remaining. Despite winning the ensuing faceoff, the Pioneers were unable to find a lane for a shot in the little time remaining.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• This is the first time Holy Cross has started the season 2-1 since the 2020 season.
• Sacred Heart held the slight edge in shots, 37-33, though the shots on goal were even at 21-21.
• Holy Cross dominated at the faceoff dot, 14-9. Freshman Gavin Ouhrabka earned all 14 wins, finishing the game with seven ground ball pickups.
• The Crusaders held the Pioneers to 1-for-4 on the man-advantage.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross will begin a three-game road set with a trip to Dartmouth next Saturday, Feb. 24.
• Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Scully-Fahey Field in Hanover, N.H.

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