LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 25, 2009)--The Bellarmine lacrosse team looked as if it were poised to get its first Great Western Lacrosse League win over Quinnipiac, but the Bobcats registered two goals in game's final minute to slip past the Knights 12-11 this afternoon at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.
Junior midfielder Jarrett Davis had put the Knights ahead 11-10 with his goal at the 2:19 mark of the fourth quarter. The Bobcats, however, tied it at the 00:49 mark when Jack Oppenheimer converted a Gary Messina pass for a score with just seven seconds left on their man up opportunity.
After winning the ensuing faceoff, Quinnipiac ran their offense until double-teamed Alex Marotto slipped past two Bellarmine defenders and whipped a shot while falling down for the game-winner with just 17 clicks remaining on the clock. Bellarmine's Bobby Snider won the game's final faceoff and got off a potentially game-tying shot with seven seconds left, but Quinnipiac goalie Kevin Benzing made the save and the Bobcats ran out the clock to preserve the victory.
With the win, the Bobcats (4-8, 2-3 GWLL) clinched their second straight Great Western Lacrosse League Tournament berth. The Knights conclude their season at 6-8 (0-5 GWLL).
Bellarmine was led by Sean Doyle, who had a game-high five goals for the Knights. Senior Ray Finnegan, Jr. added three scores, while Chase Williams, Davis and Craig Carson each had one goal. Derek Hopcroft and Karsen Leung had two assists apiece, while Davis, Williams and Drew Soeder added one each.
Prior to the game, Bellarmine held senior day ceremonies for five Bellarmine seniors: Bobby Snider (faceoff and midfielder), Finnegan (attack), Tim Hessel (defender), Matt Campbell (defender), and David Haas (goalie).
The game's scoring opened, when one of those seniors--Finnegan--put Bellarmine on top, 1-0, with a goal from close range at the 11:54 mark.
Quinnipiac evened the score at 1-1 as Kelly took a Marotto pass at the 7:36 mark of the first and deposited in the back of the net from 10 yards directly in front of the net.
Less than a minute later, Bellarmine recaptured a one-goal lead as Doyle scored off a Hopcroft assist. Quinnipiac answered at the 5:16 mark, when Oppenheimer scored unassisted. Oppenheimer wrapped behind the net before slipping it inside the left post.
As quickly as the Bobcats tied the score, Bellarmine jumped out to a two-goal lead faster. After the Knights won the ensuing face-off, Carson scored to give Bellarmine a 3-2 lead. Less than 20 seconds later, Doyle scored his second goal of the game off a Leung helper.
The Bellarmine lead stretched to 5-2 as Finnegan, Jr. scored his second goal of the game at the 13:25 mark of the second quarter. Finnegan, Jr. took an Acton pass just a few feet in front of the left post and easily deposited it past Benzing.
Just over a minute later, the Bobcats ended the 3-0 Knights run as DeAlmeida found Kelly in transition and the sophomore ripped a shot for a Quinnipiac score.
After an eight-minute scoring drought from both teams, Schairer scored his first career goal off a Cooper assist to draw the Bobcats back to within one goal at 5-4. But less than a minute later, Chase Williams scored on the man advantage off a Hopcroft assist to give the Knights a 6-4 lead. The score remained 6-4 heading into halftime.
Bellarmine extended to a 7-4 lead as Doyle scored his third goal of the game, unassisted at the 13:46 mark of the third quarter. Doyle powered past the Quinnipiac defender and went low to sneak it past Benzing.
Kelly scored his third goal of the game with 6:45 left in the third to cut the deficit to two goals at 7-5. Benzing intercepted a pass in the crease and passed it to Kelly at midfield. Kelly went directly to the net and put it past Haas.
Just less than two minutes later, Oppenheimer scored off a Kelly assist to cut the Knights' lead to one. Oppenheimer streaked to the middle of the zone, where Kelly found him, before immediately ripping a shot past Haas with 4:51 remaining in the third quarter.
With 2:10 remaining in the third, Bellarmine regained a two-goal cushion as Doyle scored for the fourth time. Davis intercepted a lazy Quinnipiac pass in the Bobcats' zone and took it the length of the field before finding Doyle, who ripped a shot past Benzing.
But just 11 seconds later, the Bobcats got the goal back as Mullaney won the face-off and passed to Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer then found Marotto, who streaked to the cage before slipping it past Haas for the goal.
Bellarmine opened the fourth-quarter scoring on Doyle's fifth goal of the game. Following the long rebound of a Quinnipiac shot, the Knights moved quickly in transition. The Knights beat the Bobcats back downfield before Leung fed Doyle for a shot from 15 yards directly in front of the net, which beat Benzing.
Quinnipiac again made it a one-goal game, as the Bobcats scored in transition at the 10:35 mark of the fourth quarter. After a Bellarmine turnover, Marotto took the ball across midfield and found Dimond at the left post for the easy score.
Quinnipiac again scored in transition to tie the game at 9-9 with 9:51 left in regulation. Kelly ended up with the ball 10 yards from the cage on the left side and ripped a shot high past Haas for his fourth goal of the game.
The Bobcats took their first lead of the game when Kaiser was the recipient of a DeAlmeida feed from behind the net. All alone in front, Kaiser easily put it past Haas with 6:58 remaining in regulation.
Finnegan, Jr. scored his third goal of the game at the 4:39 mark to tie the game at 10-10. With a scrum for the ball formed to the right of the net, the ball squirted out to Finnegan, Jr., all alone five yards in front, before he put it past Benzing.
With the score tied, it set up the exciting end of the game that saw Davis put Bellarmine ahead with less than two and a half minutes remaining and Quinnipiac regain the lead and earn the win with two goals in the final minute.
