PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Paced by three goals and three assists from junior Ryan Coakley (Flemington, N.J.), the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team cruised to its first win of the season, a 16-5 triumph over Johnson & Wales in a non-conference contest at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletics Complex.
With the win the Leopards improve to 1-2 on the season while the Wildcats slip to 1-3 in their inaugural campaign.
Junior Michael Cushera (Waltham, Mass.) and freshman Sam Bonsaint (Hampton, N.H.) each had three goals in the victory for the Leopards. While freshman Brian Hillenbrand (Portsmouth, R.I.) tallied two goals in the loss for Johnson & Wales.
Wentworth jumped out to the early 5-0 lead, including a pair of goals by Coakley. JWU then tallied the last two goals of the stanza to cut the lead to 5-2 after one period of play. The Leopards controlled the action in the second quarter and took the commanding 13-3 lead heading into halftime before cruising to the 16-5 win.
Senor Steve Glover (Marstons Mills, Mass.) had a game-high seven ground balls while Cushera had six. The Leopards were dominant at the X, winning 14 of 17 face-offs. Freshman Ty Trebbe (Wilbraham, Mass.) won eight of 11, while sophomore Tim Parlato (Needham, Mass.) was a perfect 6-for-6.
The Leopards held a 55-14 advantage in shots and a 32-18 edge in ground balls. Senior Jared Proulx (Nashua, N.H.) recorded zero saves in the first 30 minutes of play. Classmate Jeff Bathalon (Maynard, Mass.) made three saves in the third quarter, while freshman Nick Miller (Malverne, N.Y.) made one save in his collegiate debut.
Junior Jack Pettine (Foxboro, Mass.) had 18 saves in the loss.
Wentworth is set to have its home opener on Tuesday against MIT while Johnson & Wales travels to Mount Ida on Saturday.
